The inclusion of gifted children and talent as a geode of amethyst

Abstract

The studies of Becchi (1962; 1963), Frabboni (1998), Cairo (20 01), Mormando (2011), Renati and Zanetti (2012) show that gifted children are excluded from the school context and therefore it would be necessary to promote inclusion in all field, such as during language learning (Novello, 2021). In our study we investigated the inclusion of pupils with giftedness at school, through the perceptions of some teachers, parents, and head teachers. The sample consisted of 37 primary school teachers, 3 principals, 11 mothers and 4 fathers of 19 children with giftedness, with an average age of 9 years. To gather the voice of the teachers we used the focus group technique, while for the leaders and parents we preferred the individual interview. In total we audio-recorded 67 hours of interview that we transcribed obtaining 107.643 words. The data was analyzed using NVivo software (Edhlund & McDougall, 2019). The non-inclusion at school of some gifted children demonstrates the dominance of the medical model both in teachers and principals, whereas parents confirm the malaise that gifted children experience at school, as their talents would neither be identified, nor recognized nor valued. To promote the inclusion of gifted children it is urgent to introduce a pedagogical vision of talent through the metaphor of the amethyst geode.

Keywords

• gifted education
• Talent as an Amethyst geode
• talent education
• inclusion
• gifted children

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