By Susan Winebrenner, author of Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom

According to the least federal definition of giftedness, "Outstanding talents are present in children and youth from all cultural groups, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor."

Yet many gifted children from ethnically and culturally diverse backgrounds, minority cultures, and economically disadvantaged families continue to be ignored when children are identified for gifted programs and other learning opportunities. There are four main reasons why this happens:

1. Many standardized tests are culturally biased.
2. The test use language and idioms with which many of these children might not be familiar.
3. Many of these children attend schools in which gifted education is not a propriety. Gifted program opportunities may simply be unavailable.
4. Most teachers don't notice or know how to identify characteristic of giftedness in every student population.

Here are some alternatives to identification by standardized tests

Despite what we know about standardized tests ---- they are imperfect, can be based and inadequate at identifying gifted students from diverse population --- they are still used in many schools.

At the very least, when administering any type of assessment to nonmainstream children, its imperative to first give them practice items or activities that will familiarize them with the format of the assessment and help them know what to expect.

There are several nonverbal standardized tests that have been used for this assessment, including Ravens Progressive Matrices and Naglieri Non-Verbal Ability Test. The results of these tests should be combined with teacher observations over time that look for evidence of particular strengths in any area of learning, especially in open-ended tasks that require creative, visual, and spatial thinking and the ability to solve real problems.

Identification strategies you can use now

There are many definitions of giftedness, however, I define gifted students as those who have ability in one or more learning areas that exceeds grade/age level expectations of two years or more. Use the broadest definition of giftedness to include diverse abilities and find and serve as many children with high potential as possible. In addition, experts suggest the following:

• Consider every possibility of outstanding skill.
• Find a child's "best performance". If you find one outstanding ability, you can begin to invite a child's confidence by creating opportunities for them to use their talent.
• Consider "prodessing" behaviors, such as risk taking and the ability to hypothesize and improvise.
• Ask other people, e.g., parents, teachers.
• Trust your hunches. If you suspect a child has exceptional abilities, your hunch will probably be reliable.
• Make observations, e.g., in the classroom, especially during multicultural-based activities.
• Interview the child to gain insight into their thinking, aspirations, activities at home and at school, and sense of self.

Three ways teachers can help students from diverse populations

1)

See out information about how cultural values may impact a child's classroom behavior. Example: Many students from Latino cultures prefer working in a communal environment, rather than independently. They enjoy cooperative learning situations and subtle public recognition for their performance and behavior. Many of these students are uncomfortable in competitive situations. Some have been taught at home never to maintain eye contact with an adult, since it is considered disrespectful to do so. Their families and ethnic communities are very important to them.

2)	Whenever possible, send messages home in the child's native language. When visiting student's homes, take someone along who can either communicate directly with the family or provide translation assistance.

3)	Integrate curriculum from other cultures in literature, biography, and history activities. This shows students that the school values their uniqueness. It's much more effective than reserving cultural information and experiences for "multicultural fairs".

Adapted from Teaching Gifted Children in the Regular Classroom: Strategies and Techniques Every Teacher Can Use to Meet the Academic Needs of the Gifted and Talented, by Susan Winebrenner. Free Spirit Publishing: Minneapolis, MN, 2001. ISBN 1-57542-089-9. Available for $34.95 by calling (612) 338-2068 or visiting their Web site at www.freespirit.com. Reprinted with permission. Views presented here are the views of the author.

By Mary Mindess, Lesley University

Children are playing less these days. Academic lessons are introduced as early as preschool, and children of all ages are burdened with more homework. Some schools have eliminated recess. More parents are encouraging structured activities over traditional, unstructured free time, which children need and enjoy.

An observer in an early childhood classroom who wants to gain the respect of an administrator or a parent, needs to think twice before saying, "The children are playing," Using the Word, "play, " does not win any points. The observer, instead, could say, "The children are in the block corner developing their motor skills, learning about teamwork and working on math concepts." This statement would be true, but it ignores a very important component in the learning activity --- the chance to play with material and ideas.

At one time, parents were proud to watch their children put on their own talent shows or sell lemonade on the corner. They'd even make costumes or help hang the "Lemonade" sign. But for many of today's parents these self-initiated ventures aren't considered as important as structured activities.

"Play" has almost become a dirty word. Even for the very young, playtime is becoming elusive. Whereas preschool programs once emphasized physical and social activity, today's stress is on academics. "We've got to give children the right start" is the refrain, which translated means giving them the best chance to get the highest test scores.

It is not that test scores don't need to be improved; but if this effort is carried out at the expense of time to play, many children will not achieve their academic potential and will also be deprived of a fundamental aspect of their self-development.

Advantages of play

Play allows children to construct meaning for themselves. Two children may share an experience, but each will process the experience differently. Very often during play, children take things they experience --- like something they read in a book or saw on television --- and make meaning of it.

Take role-playing as an example. Remember the Mark Twain stories about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn? They include many examples of play. If, as in a scene in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, a child pretends to be a riverboat captain, there's a lot more to that role-playing than simply knowing what a captain does and some basic boat terminology. There are feelings that accompany the role-playing: mainly, the power of being captain and the satisfaction in the ability to make decisions.

Adults engage in similar dramatic role-playing, often imagining themselves in a role that yields real psychological benefit. This role-playing helps to provide the aspiration to seek out new opportunities. In children, the feelings brought on by play can similarly kindle ambition and initiative.

Decline in play

Several factors are at root of the trend away from play. One is the rise in supervision. With reports of kidnappings and assaults on children, parents are reluctant to let children play by themselves. They're afraid of what may happen.

The rise violence and anti-social behavior among children --- or at least, the focus on it in the media --- has also contributed to the lookout for signs of antisocial behavior. If a child pick up an object and uses it as a weapon, adults may likely try to yank it out of the child's hands.

While this type of diligence is important, we also must understand that this kind of play isn't always destructive. If, in the midst of a mage, a child plays a character that dies, it isn't necessarily a sign of depression or a preoccupation with death. Instead, it may represent a child's attempt to understand a very difficult concept --- one that most adults don't fully understand. The concept and the emotions that accompany death are getting worked out through play.

Play has also been devalued by another trend: well-meaning parents who want their children to have the best of everything. This is a very fast-paced world, and parents push for their children develop at children to be in the right places and to meet the right people. They continually shuffle kids from one place to another, keeping them busy. The result can be over-burdening their children with too many activities.

Parents need to strike a balance between structured activities and play. In large part, that balance comes from understanding their own children and relying on their instincts as parents. Structured activities are important, but not to the exclusion of free play.

A plug for play

The beauty of play is, children can make their own decisions without worry about what will happen. Play gives children the chance to use their creative energy and, very often, no matter what the outcome, children will learn something beneficial from the experience.

The greatest danger for children who aren't given enough playtime is their diminishing resourcefulness. Without play, children become psychologically dependant. They can't think of things to do for or by themselves, so they look to others to provide them with things to do. They also become very dependent on other people's views. Children who are given ample opportunity to play, on the other hand, come to feel more comfortable making their own decisions. They can act on their own and are less afraid to try new things.

Play is extremely important. It's part of being human. It's shouldn't get lost in the push toward higher standards. It is, in fact, one of the factors that contributes to higher standards, as well as to psychological and social well-being. When we discourage free time for play, a great deal of creative energy is lost to the individual, and ultimately, society becomes the loser.

Mary Mindness is professor of Child Psychology and Early Childhood Education at Lesley University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. She is the coordinator of the New England Kindergarten Conference, an annual meeting which attracts professionals world wide interested in the development and education of young children. This article was originally published in the Lesly Magazine.(www.lesley.edu/kc or tel: 1 800 999 1959, x8922.)