“Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What’s a sundial in the shade?”
– Benjamin Franklin
What is giftedNess?
Giftedness comes in many forms.
In 1991, the Columbus Group created the following definition of giftedness: “Giftedness is asynchronous development in which advanced cognitive abilities and heightened intensity combine to create inner experiences and awareness that are qualitatively different from the norm.”
“Giftedness” is a hot-button issue in education right now. While we believe that every human is uniquely created and has their own giftings, we also believe that some are gifted in the unique way the Columbus Group defines. This can manifest itself in many ways – reading, analytical thought, computation skills, problem solving, leadership, creative arts, and other specific talents.
There is a phrase in the gifted education community – “If you meet one gifted child you’ve met one gifted child.” That is, each gifted individual is so unique and their giftedness presents itself in different ways.
There are also learners that are gifted and have other learning needs. These learners fall under the term twice-exceptional. These needs may be: sensory processing disorder, ADHD, visual/auditory processing disorder, specific learning disability, dyslexia, dyscalculia, OCD, autism spectrum disorder, and others.
Why choose gifted education?
Out-of-the-box education for out-of-the-box thinkers.
We believe that it is important to nurture all children’s abilities from an early age. There is a lack of supportive learning environments dedicated to gifted, talented, creative, and twice-exceptional learners inside the Beltway and we want to fill this need. A supportive educational environment in childhood and adolescence benefits the individual not only during those years but also throughout the lifespan.
Many homeschoolers choose this path because typical school environments do not work well for their atypical learners. If your child needs an out-of-the-box learning environment to thrive, you may very well have a gifted or twice-exceptional child!
Our educational approach and partnership with families targets the specific areas of giftedness in each child. Students can advance academically at their own pace, especially on their homeschool days, and can share and develop their gifts in the safe and supportive environment at Scholé. It is truly the best of both worlds for our gifted, 2e, talented, and creative learners!
WhAt is leArner-centered, self-directed Education?
Taking responsibility for our education.
Self-directed learning places more of the responsibility of learning onto the learner instead of a teacher. This does not mean that adults aren’t present, but rather that the adults are in a supportive role to guide learners in their passions and interests. Self-directed learning can be viewed as a continuum. A learner may be in a traditional school setting but self-directed at home. He may be homeschooled and entirely self-directed. She may attend an agile learning center or free school. In our model, we combine classical roots with progressive methods in a collaborative and innovative way.
The more we can put learners in the driver’s seat of their education, the better! After all, don’t we as adults prefer to have choice in what we learn? Aren’t we more effective learners when we are interested in and passionate about the subject matter? Don’t we cherish the ability to have agency in our learning and lives?
Self-directed learning puts this power in the hands of learners of all ages. Children have the ability to see unique solutions to challenging problems and have the intensity and drive to do something about it – even at a young age. We couple their innate desire to be successful and industrious and their natural curiosity so that each child can strengthen the gifts that are uniquely theirs and are vital to our world.
