Gifted children: features of mental development. Gifted Child Development Plan

25.04.2019

Development of gifted children

Belyaeva G.V.,

Educator,

MBDOU kindergarten number 27 "Berezka"

Giftedness is the level of development of any human abilities associated with their development, but, nevertheless, independent of them. Early manifestation of ability speaks of giftedness. BM Teplov defined giftedness as "a qualitatively unique combination of abilities, on which the possibility of achieving greater or lesser success in performing this or that activity depends." Giftedness does not ensure success in any activity, but only the possibility of achieving this success. In addition to having a complex of abilities, in order to successfully perform an activity, a person needs to have a certain amount of knowledge, abilities and skills. In addition, it should be noted that giftedness can be special - that is, giftedness for one type of activity, and general - that is, giftedness for different types of activity. Often general giftedness is combined with a special one. Many composers, for example, had other abilities: they drew, wrote poetry, etc.

A talented person is talented in everything!

Leonardo da Vinci - artist, engineer, architect, chemist, land reclamator, etc.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau - philosopher and creator of the French comic opera

M.V. Lomonosov - scientist (in different fields!), Poet, artist

N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov - naval officer, composer, professor of St. Petersburg. Conservatories

A.P. Borodin - professor of chemistry, one of the creators of polymers, teacher, organizer of the first educational institution for women (medical courses), composer

PI Tchaikovsky is a lawyer and musician.

Most modern psychologists admit that the development of giftedness in children is not always the result of a complex interaction between natural inclinations and the socio-cultural environment. Children's activity is also of particular importance.

The work of the kindergarten team for many years proves that the teacher is required not only general qualifications, but also knowledge of the psychology of gifted children. The main task of educational work is to ensure the development of the child's mental and artistic abilities, the development of specific types of activity.

In the work of our kindergarten teachers, the specificity of giftedness in childhood is taken into account (as opposed to the giftedness of an adult):

1) Children's giftedness often acts as a manifestation of the patterns of age development. Each child's age has its own prerequisites for the development of abilities. For example, in kindergarten there are preschoolers who are more predisposed to mastering languages, others - to the manifestation of imagination.

2) Age, education, mastering the norms of the culture of behavior, the type of family upbringing also affect children's giftedness. Difficulties may arise regarding the prognosis of the transformation of a gifted child into a gifted adult.

3) Giftedness may appear unevenly. Along with a high level of development of some abilities, there may be a lag in others. As a result, according to some characteristics, a child can be identified as gifted, according to others - as lagging behind.

4) Children's giftedness can be difficult to distinguish from learning, if it is considered as a result of more favorable conditions for the child's life. So, with equal abilities, a child from a family where efforts are being made to develop him will show higher achievements in certain types of activity compared to a child for whom such conditions have not been created.

The developmental environment of a child in kindergarten is an important component that must correspond to the age characteristics of the pupils, their needs and interests. A developing environment is a system of material objects of a child's activity, which functionally simulates the content of the development of his spiritual and physical appearance, and an enriched environment presupposes the unity of social and natural means, ensuring a variety of children's activities. Therefore, the environment is important for the development of young children who have not yet read, especially in their independent activities. If a schoolchild or student can engage in self-education with the help of books and textbooks, then the kid does not have such an opportunity, his activity depends on how the object-spatial environment surrounding him is arranged, what toys and didactic aids it consists of, what is their developmental potential and how they are located.

The objective world of childhood is not only a play environment, but also an environment for the development of all specific children's activities. Not a single baby can develop fully only at the verbal level, outside the subject environment. Activity is carried out only on the condition that the child has all the appropriate objects and means necessary for this, formed modes of action.

A properly organized developmental environment allows every kid to find something to their liking, to believe in their own strengths and abilities, to learn to interact with teachers and peers, to understand and evaluate their feelings and actions, and this is the basis of developmental learning.

Toys and manuals that we have in the group help to create a comfortable developing environment. The group space is organized in the form of well-demarcated zones, equipped with a large number of materials (books, toys, materials for creativity, developmental equipment). All items are available for children. Such centers are:

- a corner for role-playing games;

- book corner;

- area for board printed games;

- a corner of nature;

- sports section;

- a corner for playing with sand;

- play corner (with toys, building materials);

- corners for various types of independent activities of children - constructive, visual, musical.

Working with gifted children is a desire to develop preschoolers not only in the classroom, but also as much as possible in role-playing and didactic games, since this category of children needs constant development of their abilities. It is also the desire to help preschoolers realize their talent.

To support and develop the individuality of the child, not to lose, not to slow down the growth of his abilities is a particularly important task of teaching gifted children.

Bibliography

1. Alekseeva N.V. Development of gifted children, 2011.

2. Vygotsky LS Imagination and its development in childhood // Lectures on psychology. - S-Pb., 2007.

3. Dyachenko OM Imagination of a preschooler. - M., 2006.

4. Leites N. There are outstanding children .... // Family and school, №3, 2010.

5. Gilbukh Yu. Z. Attention: gifted children. M .: Knowledge, 2008.

“The giftedness of a person is a small sprout,

barely hatching from the ground and demanding

to yourself a lot of attention. It is necessary to groom

and cherish, look after him, do

everything you need to grow

and gave abundant fruit "

V. A. Sukhomlinsky

Any society needs gifted people, and the task of society is to consider and develop the abilities of all its representatives. It is in the school that the foundations for the development of a thinking, independent, creative personality should be laid. The thirst for discovery, the desire to penetrate the innermost secrets of life are born on the school bench. Each of the teachers came across such students who are not satisfied with working with a school textbook, they are not interested in working in the classroom, they read dictionaries and encyclopedias, study special literature, look for answers to their questions in various fields of knowledge. Unfortunately, we do not have many such children. Therefore, it is so important that it is at school to identify everyone who is interested in various fields of science and technology, to help bring their plans and dreams to life, to bring schoolchildren onto the path of searching in science and life, to help them fully reveal their abilities.
A gifted person is like a bright star in the sky, requiring special attention. You need to take care of him so that he turns into a beautiful, full of energy star.

For many years, the domestic school focused on the so-called "middle child", paid more attention to the lagging student. Only in recent years has she begun to think about students who show not only a special interest in certain sciences, are passionate about them, but also achieve success in this field. A person's creative abilities are not directly and directly related to his ability to learn, they are not always reflected in intelligence tests. In most scientific concepts, giftedness and the prerequisites for its development are associated with the creative capabilities and abilities of the child, defined as creativity (a relatively independent factor of giftedness). Creativity can manifest itself in thinking, communication, in certain activities.
Determining the giftedness of a child is a difficult task that can be solved both by psychological examination and by interviewing parents, teachers, and peers.
Giftedness - This is a systemic quality of the psyche that develops during life, which determines the possibility of a person achieving higher (unusual, outstanding) results in one or more types of activity in comparison with other people.
A gifted child is a child who stands out for bright, obvious, sometimes outstanding achievements (or has internal prerequisites for such achievements) in one or another type of activity.
Signs of giftedness are those features of a gifted child that are manifested in his real activity and can be assessed at the level of observation of the nature of his actions.
Giftedness can be seen as a confluence of three characteristics: intellectual ability above average, creativity and perseverance.
Thus, among the necessary signs of giftedness, the child's intellectual development above the middle-age level is necessarily included, since only this level provides the basis for creative productivity.

Giftedness is the level of development of abilities that determines the range of activities in which a person can achieve great success.

Today, gifted children are called:

children with intelligence above average;

children with a high level of creativity;

children who have achieved success in certain areas of activity (young musicians, artists, mathematicians, chess players);

children who study well in school (academic giftedness).

Classification of giftedness

According to the forms of manifestation, they are distinguished:

clear giftedness (the child's achievements are so obvious that his giftedness is beyond doubt)

hidden giftedness (manifested in a disguised form. Often in the "ugly duckling" no one sees the future of the "beautiful swan", although there are numerous examples when such "unpromising children" achieved the highest results)

The latitude of manifestation is distinguished:

general giftedness(manifested in relation to various types of activities);

special giftedness (reveals itself in specific activities).

Special types of giftedness

Musical talent

Artistic giftedness

Mathematical giftedness

Literary talent

Social giftedness

Degrees of giftedness

The first - super-gifted children, such are called geniuses. This is the smallest group, which includes no more than one person in ten thousand.

The second is highly gifted, or talented, about 2-3%.

The third group is actually gifted (15-25%).

The rest of the children are within the normal range (70%) and 2-5% are classified as mentally retarded.

At the same time, it is necessary to carry out special work with children who are distinguished by increased abilities in the assimilation of knowledge;
- work on the development of the giftedness of children should not and cannot be carried out only in the direction of their intellectual and creative abilities. It is necessary to develop all personal qualities in general and only on this basis the purposeful development of individual abilities;
- a constant correlation of educational and individual abilities is necessary.
As a rule, gifted children are interested in any area of science. They try to embrace the immensity, they have a lot of ideas and desires. The task of teachers is to support them and help them self-actualize.
When working with gifted children, 2 extremes should be avoided:
placing the child on a pedestal, emphasizing his special rights,
on the other hand - public belittling of dignity or ignorance of intellectual success during the struggle against "stardom".
ML is primarily children who do not necessarily have the same high emotional and social maturity (they do not adapt well, do not have developed self-control, are not always able to do it on their own, need individual training and help). They may have some lag in physical development (poor coordination of movements and clumsy handwriting), shyness, lack of external intelligence, brilliance. They are characterized by high motivation to achieve, the desire to be the best, conscious efforts in learning.
One of the most important goals when working with OA is to create conditions that stimulate the development of creative thinking.
In each school, it is necessary to organize the main directions for creating optimal conditions for the development of ML
1. Create a system for detecting ML:
- psychological and pedagogical research of first graders;
- systematic monitoring of children from class to class,
- identifying children for more in-depth individual research,
- systemic diagnosis by a psychologist.
2. Organization of the educational process (for example, mathematics lessons):
- non-standard lessons,
- inclusion of children in research activities, independent search for truth,
- work with additional literature,
- thinking and thinking, expressing your opinion, non-standard tasks,
- pre-profile and profile training,

3. Development of the creative abilities of students through the relationship of lessons with extracurricular work on the subject
- organization of students' research work,
- advanced tasks of the creative plan,
- participation of children in olympiads, conferences, competitions,
- providing basic additional education:
(organization of electives, elective courses, work of subject circles),
- holding scientific and practical conferences in middle and high school,
4. General developmental activities
- traditional school activities
- subject decades

* Working with OD dictates certain requirements for the personality of the teacher:
- desire to work outside the box;
- search activity, curiosity;
- knowledge of the psychology of a teenager and the psychology of gifted children;
- the teacher's readiness to work with gifted children.

The level of cooperation in educational activities is an urgent problem for teachers working with gifted students. Such cooperation should be characterized by: the creation of trusting interpersonal relationships in the lesson, mutual personal awareness, recognition of the student's right to make mistakes, discussion with students of the goals and objectives of joint activities, the use of mutual control of students in the lesson and the use of marks as an incentive to learn.
The implementation of independent activities of students is possible using modern technologies of group learning, the method of projects that allow individualizing the educational process, and students - to show independence in planning, organizing and monitoring their activities.
* Work on the development of creative abilities can be organized during the subject decades, which are carried out in the system in our school. At the end of the academic year, the heads of the subject MOs determine the timing of decades and 1-2 major events, which are recorded in the school-wide work plan. Many, but not all, events are held at a high level. Therefore, there is no need to work for quantity, it is better to strive for quality. Who does the subject teacher work with to prepare for the event? Of course, with the most capable, reliable, creative. What is the difficulty - the choice among children is small, so teachers often have to work with the same students. Are we reloading them? Yes! Taking their free time? Yes! But we promote them, help them and ourselves to identify, develop and realize their academic, artistic and artistic, leadership abilities.
Research activity develops the properties of thinking, which are necessary not only for adaptation to later life, but also for a fruitful influence on life itself.

Creating conditions that stimulate the development of creative thinking is one of the most important goals when working with gifted children. According to the results of many psychological studies, the development of students' creativity occurs when the classroom provides conditions favorable for creativity:
creation of situations of success, incompleteness of the problems under consideration (so that there is something to think about, to get to the truth, to approach heuristic findings), the emergence of more and more complex questions, a great desire in search activity (to find answers!), the use of different types of thinking, stimulation evaluation for analyzing responses, not for reward or judgment, creating an atmosphere of understanding. In addition, it is necessary to constantly emphasize responsibility and independence, to focus the attention of parents on the interests of children. At the same time, it is advisable to pay attention to special training in various aspects of creative thinking: searching for problems, proposing hypotheses of alternativeness and originality.
How to teach? - to teach to find unusual non-standard solutions.
The range of a creative task is unusually wide in complexity - from solving a puzzle to inventing a new machine. To solve these problems, you need observation, the ability to analyze, combine, etc. - everything that together constitutes creativity. It is easier for a person with a creative mind to find a creative flavor in business, to achieve high results. But after all, nature is not generous with talents, they, like diamonds, are rare, but the same nature has endowed every child with the opportunity to develop. And such development should be started not when a person has become a specialist, but in advance. The preparation of an inventor, like the preparation of an athlete, is a lengthy process. Therefore, you need to start it as early as possible.

* Now in life you need not only the knowledge itself, but the ability to operate with them. Knowledge in our heads often lies like things in a bad warehouse: in bulk, without active use. In order to revive them, you need to teach them to feel their creative potential.

Gifted schoolchildren often, due to the peculiarities of their worldview, experience difficulties in communicating with children and adults, so they need the help of a teacher-psychologist. A school psychologist needs knowledge about gifted children and their characteristics in order to facilitate the adaptation of this category of children to school, prevent their isolation, and contribute to more successful socio-psychological development.

Each person has talent in their own way, each has significant creativity. But the ability to create is not a talent, but a skill that everyone can develop in himself. The ability to be creative, to be creative is a sign of giftedness. The task of the team is to "grow" the ability of each individual child.

To summarize, I would like to define work with gifted children through some provisions:

1. To develop the giftedness of students through the optimal combination of basic, additional and individual education.
2. Plan activities for the continuity of student learning in programs.
3. Psychologists of the school, together with class teachers, regularly conduct diagnostics to study the abilities of students and systematically analyze the effectiveness of their development.
4. Stimulate the creative activity of teachers and work to create conditions to meet their needs (responsible school administration).

Each child is unique, but with all the individual uniqueness of the manifestations of children's giftedness, there are quite a few features that are characteristic of most gifted children. Moreover, along with the deep ones, hidden from the unprofessional gaze, there are quite a few that are often manifested in the behavior of the child, in his communication with peers and adults and, of course, in cognitive activity.

Their value is that they can almost always be noticed not only by practical psychologists, but also by kindergarten teachers, school teachers, and parents. Special attention should be paid to those qualities that significantly distinguish gifted children from their peers. Knowledge of these features is necessary for the adequate construction of the educational process.

These properties were identified and described not only by psychologists. Historians and biographers were the first to highlight the peculiarities of thinking and specific behavioral characteristics of talented people:
- 90% of them had high intelligence, curiosity, asked many questions, tried to stand out;
- 75% of outstanding people "matured" early, were mentally developed beyond their years, were distinguished by morality, criticism, straightforward honesty, were serious;
- almost 90% of them were persistent, had a strong will and a pronounced desire for high achievements;
- at least 75% were hard workers, tolerated loneliness well, and were tough. They received satisfaction from their work, were expressive, open to spiritual experience and fantasy.

Biographers also noted that future geniuses:

Many outstanding people - scientists, artists, managers - had a number of personal qualities that significantly distinguished them from other people, which ensured their success in life. It is natural to assume that the formation and development of these qualities in children can be viewed as a guarantee of future outstanding achievements, and, consequently, as a special pedagogical task for the development of creative abilities.

The list of characteristics of a creator offered below is not complete, but one thing is clear - the qualities that we describe, undoubtedly, distinguish a true creator from a mediocre person. Many of them are characteristic of all people to varying degrees, but the level at which they manifest themselves is different.

1. Features of cognitive development

Curiosity

One of the first characteristics that distinguishes a gifted person is traditionally considered curiosity. The love of knowledge, or curiosity, originates from curiosity. Curiosity - the thirst for novelty, intellectual stimulation, the need for "mental impressions" is characteristic of every healthy child.

Curiosity, figuratively speaking, is the next level of development of the cognitive need. For its formation, not only mental abilities are important, but also feelings, motives. For a significant part of children, curiosity does not develop into curiosity, their search activity, manifested in an interest in exploring the world around them, is only situational, unstable. Curiosity, manifested quite early, at all age stages continues to be the most important distinguishing feature of a talented person. The development of curiosity is possible only due to another important feature noted in a number of studies. It's about emotions.

Emotions are known to be an indicator of the presence of needs and the degree of their satisfaction. The manifestations of curiosity are closely related to the action of the center of positive emotions. Researchers who have studied this process say that mentally gifted children enjoy mental exertion, like gifted athletes enjoy increased physical activity.

Of course, besides emotions, there is also such a form of mental reflection as will. There is no need to talk about its importance and significance from the point of view of the development of children's giftedness. Let's go straight to its mechanics. Will most clearly reveals the need that steadily dominates in the structure of the motivational-need sphere of the individual. The will itself is a specific need - the need to overcome. So, when educating a creator, it is very important that curiosity grows in time into a love of knowledge - curiosity, and the latter - into a stable mental education.

Gifted children, to a greater extent than their peers, are characterized by the desire to learn, explore the world around them. A gifted child does not tolerate restrictions on his research, and this property, manifested quite early, at all age stages continues to be his most important distinguishing feature. The best way of personal development, the real guarantee of intellectual superiority, is a sincere interest in the world, manifested in search activity, in the desire to use every opportunity to learn something.

Oversensitive to problems

"... only for those who are not used to thinking independently, there are no problems; everything seems self-evident only to those whose mind is still inactive," wrote S. L. Rubinstein. Such "blindness", expressed in the inability to perceive new things, is usually characteristic of limited people, regardless of their degree of education or social status. Thomas Edison argued that the average person's brain does not perceive even a thousandth of what the eye sees.

Hypersensitivity to problems is necessary in any creative activity and is a quality of an independently thinking person. This quality distinguishes the one who cannot be satisfied with someone else's superficial solution to the problem, the one who is able to overcome the prevailing opinion, no matter what authorities are behind it.

Many researchers associate the development of hypersensitivity to problems or its suppression primarily with the nature of learning. Dogmatic content, combined with the dominance of reproductive teaching methods, are the main factors suppressing children's hypersensitivity to problems. And, on the contrary, problem-based learning, focused on the child's independent research practice, develops both this ability and other qualities necessary for creativity. This idea is one of the well-known, but, unfortunately, by no means one of the generally recognized in mass pedagogical practice.

The development of this ability is closely related to the ability to change the point of view on the problem. It is this property that often provides a breakthrough to the previously unknown.

People often treat new information and discoveries with great distrust, especially those discoveries that significantly change the usual views. Many, unfortunately, not only do not have the ability to subtly feel and see problems, but often simply refuse to notice what their outstanding contemporaries directly indicate to them.

Over-situational activity(cognitive amateur performance)

We are talking about the desire to constantly deepen into the problem, the ability to "situationally not stimulated activity"). So, for a gifted child, solving a problem is not the end of the work. This is the beginning of future, new work. This is the ability to see in an object something new, implicit, such that others do not see.

This quality of a gifted person was intuitively used by the famous physicist Ernest Rutherford when selecting young employees. He found an original way of selecting new personnel for scientific work. As befits a leader, he gave a task to each newly admitted young researcher. If, after completing this task, the employee came again and asked what to do next, he was fired. Only the one for whom the solution of the first set task was not the completion of the task, but the beginning of a new job, which he determined for himself, remained in the team.

High level of development of logical thinking

A lot of special studies have been carried out in order to find out whether the ability to think logically helps in creativity. There is no single answer to this question yet. Various experts, referring to their own experiments, say the opposite.

There are three main positions:

The second is built on the assertion that there is a threshold relationship between intelligence and creativity; for the manifestation of creativity, intelligence is needed not lower than average, or "there are no stupid creatives", but there are "non-creative intellectuals";

The third asserts that intelligence and creativity are independent, orthogonal abilities; with the maximum removal of the regulation of activity during the testing of creativity, the results of its measurement in children do not depend on the level of their intelligence.

Increased interest in divergent problems

Since childhood, creators are distinguished by the fact that they are not afraid of divergent tasks (tasks that have not one, but many correct answers). People who are not inclined to creativity and exploratory behavior prefer problems with clear algorithms for solving them and a single correct answer. Situations of uncertainty that inevitably arise when solving divergent problems irritate and even frighten them.

The ability to solve divergent problems is the most important condition for success in creative activity: scientific research, creation of works of art, management work, entrepreneurship. These are practically all the important tasks that a person solves in life: what profession to choose? Where to live? how to communicate with others? with whom to start a family? how to rest?

But with the traditional, especially for domestic education, approach, divergent-type tasks are very rare in teaching. Almost all tasks used in traditional teaching are convergent, that is, the conditions of the problem assume the existence of only one, the only correct answer, which can be calculated by rigorous, logical reasoning based on the use of learned rules and algorithms (laws, theorems, etc.). ).

Gifted children noticeably differ from their peers in their increased interest in open divergent tasks, clearly preferring them to tasks of the convergent type. The situations created by these tasks with various, including a high degree of uncertainty, do not suppress, but, on the contrary, mobilize and stimulate the child's activity.

In divergent tasks, the final thought product (answers) is not directly derived from conditions. Their solution requires a search for different approaches, admits and partially presupposes their comparison. And the irreducibility of answers from the condition itself and the understatement that manifests itself in this way require not just mobilization and combining of already acquired knowledge, but intuition, insight (insight).

Most people feel uncomfortable in situations where choices are needed, when independent decision-making is required. The desire to take advantage of instability, ambiguity, everything that annoys ordinary people, is one of the main features of the creator.

Originality of thinking

The ability to come up with new, unexpected ideas that differ from widely known, commonplace ones is usually called originality of thinking. This feature manifests itself in the thinking and behavior of the child, in communication with peers and adults, in all types of activities. Originality (or lack of it) is clearly expressed in the nature and themes of independent drawings, storytelling, construction and other products of children's activity.

Many experts consider the originality of thinking as one of the main features of the thinking of a creatively gifted person. At the same time, along with the ability to produce original ideas, another way of creativity is also possible - to develop existing ones. If the first method is especially appreciated in scientific and technical creativity, then the second - in artistic.

The originality of a creative person is natural, it does not look like a deliberate desire to stand out. Sometimes she causes surprise or ridicule of others.

Flexibility of thinking

The ability to quickly and easily find new strategies for solving, establish associative connections and move (in thinking and behavior) from the phenomena of one class to others, often far in content, is called the flexibility of thinking.

A high level of flexibility of thinking is a rare phenomenon, as is the extreme expression of its opposite - inertia, rigidity of thinking. Therefore, the presence of the first testifies to the exclusivity characteristic of gifted children.

Flexibility of thinking is closely related to the richness and diversity of the child's past experience (the amount of knowledge, abilities, skills, etc.), but it is not fully determined by it. So, in some situations, the volume of knowledge not only does not contribute to the generation of new ideas and strategies, but, on the contrary, acts as a constraining factor. The amount of information in itself does not yet guarantee the ability to combine and create new ideas and strategies on this basis.

The decisive factor contributing to the development of this intellectual characteristic is not the experience itself, but the methods of its assimilation.

Thinking productivity (ease of generating ideas)

This quality is usually viewed as the ability to generate a large number of ideas. It is very close to the previous one, but characterizes a slightly different facet of giftedness. The more ideas there are, the more opportunities for choosing the optimal ones, comparison, development, deepening, etc. The abundance of ideas, on the one hand, is the basis, on the other, a necessary prerequisite for creativity.

A large number of ideas are characteristic of a gifted person as a reaction to a problem situation. The new idea in this case is not just an associative union of several primary, simpler ideas and concepts. The combination of these primary ideas and concepts should be substantively justified, and this happens only if the objective phenomena and relations behind these concepts are reflected. At the same time, the emerging ideas of this kind themselves may look completely unrealistic at first glance, but with a deep study, they often serve as the basis for fundamentally new approaches and solutions.

The ease of generating ideas is the higher, the less the pressure of stereotypes that are acquired in the process of assimilating experience (knowledge, abilities, skills) and are often directly dictated by its content. The child is relatively free from this due to the limitedness of his experience, and if we set the task of developing the ability to easily generate ideas not only in gifted people, who have this quality to a greater extent, but in all children, then we should think not only about methods of assimilating experience, but and about its content.

Ease of association

Ease of association can be represented as the ability to develop generalized strategies based on connections and relationships hidden from the ordinary view and their further detailing. It is most clearly expressed in the ability to find analogies where they are traditionally not seen, in the ability to find a way to solve a problem using various, including seemingly outsider, information. This becomes possible with the ability to see the connections between different phenomena, events, distant in content.

A gifted child is much more productive than his peers to perceive connections and relationships between phenomena, objects, events, and even concepts. These connections, due to the presence of this and other abilities, can be unconventional and unusual, which, as you know, is the basis of creativity.

Ease of association is manifested not only in the ability to find simple and complex analogies, and then, on this basis, create something new. It can be expressed in metaphorical thinking, in the ability to find a correspondence between two different spheres of existence and connect them with each other.

Predictive ability

The ability to predict is characteristic not only of gifted children, but also of all children. A person, solving a mental problem, thereby at least to a minimum extent anticipates (predicts) the desired future solution. In gifted children, this quality is expressed so clearly that it extends not only to the process of solving educational problems, but also to a variety of manifestations of real life.

The power of foresight, based on the subconscious, extends well beyond the limited limits of the field of consciousness. Intuitive thinking is a special talent that needs to be developed. A number of psychodiagnostic techniques are built on the basis of the phenomenon of forecasting depth.

The ability to predict largely depends on the degree of development of such personality characteristics as: a tendency to tasks of a divergent type, flexibility of thinking, ease of generating ideas, ease of association. The integral nature of this personal property allows us to consider it one of the main signs of giftedness.

High concentration of attention

A gifted child is characterized by increased concentration of attention. This is expressed, firstly, by a high degree of immersion in the task; secondly, the ability to successfully adjust attention even in the presence of interference with the perception of information related to the chosen goal. Hence, such a distinctive feature of a gifted child, as a tendency to difficult and relatively long-term tasks. This quality is difficult to evaluate otherwise as positive, but it is precisely this quality that often becomes the reason for the difficulties that a gifted child encounters in conditions of mass education.

An ordinary child of older preschool and even primary school age has a fairly "low threshold for disconnection", which is expressed in rapid fatigue, inability to do one thing for a long time, in instability of attention. Gifted children demonstrate almost exactly the opposite qualities: a child is often absorbed in an activity that interests him so much that it is almost impossible to distract him, and he is able to do his job for a long time, and can return to him within a few days. This quality manifests itself in gifted children quite early. Many researchers are inclined to consider it the most important indicator of giftedness: it expresses the previously noted unity of motivation, directly related to the content of the activity, and the child's creative skills in areas where his creative abilities are realized.

The ability to concentrate one's own attention on any object is closely related to such a phenomenon as the ability of the central nervous system to create foci of activity and foci of inhibition. The focus of activity in the brain, which subjugates all other nerve cells that are in a state of excitement, is called dominant. Thanks to this ability of the brain, extraneous factors not only do not distract from the desire to achieve the main goal, but on the contrary, even strengthen this desire. An inhibition zone is always formed around the active focus of excitation.

Excellent memory

All experts among the qualities characteristic of the category of gifted children, necessarily note the phenomenal memory. There are many legends about the possibilities of the memory of the gifted. But at the same time, at the everyday level, in the family, and often at school, one can encounter the opposition of memory and thinking, an erudite and a thinker.

Indeed, a person can store a huge amount of information in his memory, and formally he cannot be denied the title of "erudite" or "scientist". But intelligence and erudition are not at all the same.

The synthesis of the ability to memorize and the qualities noted above gives rise to the desire often noticed in gifted children to classify, systematize information, experience, ideas. In practice, this is often expressed in a propensity for collecting.

Assessment ability

Evaluation is a derivative of critical thinking. It assumes the ability to evaluate the products of one's own activity, as well as understanding both one's own thoughts and actions and the actions, thoughts and actions of other people.

The ability to assess provides self-sufficiency, self-control, confidence of a gifted, creative child in himself, in his abilities, in his decisions, thereby determining his independence, non-conformity and many other intellectual and personal qualities.

Talent is usually quite accurately aware of the scale of one or another of its achievements, although sometimes its assessment is at odds with the opinion of society. The mathematician Lewis Carroll could hardly have imagined that he would become one of the most famous people in the world, not as a scientist, but as the author of a children's fairy tale. Isaac Newton saw his main achievement not at all in the creation of a physical theory, but in the monetary reform, which he carried out in England, as director of the mint.

2.Features of inclinations and interests

A little musician can spend hours practicing complex skills of playing the instrument without any coercion on the part of adults. A novice naturalist is ready for any sacrifice for the opportunity to observe animals in nature or to keep their pets at home. This focus and commitment is one of the most accurate indicators of giftedness. It is no coincidence that experienced teachers are ready to work overtime with a student passionately thirsting for knowledge, even if he does not yet show particularly outstanding abilities and seems to many "unpromising".

Another property characteristic of a significant part of gifted children is breadth of interests... They succeed in a lot, they like a lot, and therefore they want to try themselves in various fields. Often, an abundance of hobbies leads to a waste of energy that is irrational from the point of view of pragmatic adults. However, the breadth of interests is quite natural for children and adolescents. Plunging into different activities for a while, a person studies himself better, enriches himself as a person, and learns new valuable skills. Learns to combine, find associative links, non-standard solutions.

Of course, an irrational waste of energy is also possible. However, it is unlikely that an outside observer is able to determine in each specific case what is more in the combination of interests - pluses or minuses. Apparently, it would be more correct to trust in this respect the intuition of the most gifted person, even if he is still a child.

The diversity of interests protects against "obsession", which is often characteristic of talent. A person who has completely devoted himself to one business, one idea, sacrifices to it - willingly or unwillingly - many other life values.

3.Features of social development

Striving for self-actualization

Many researchers consider the desire to reveal their inner potential to be the main incentive for human creativity.

The famous American psychologist A. Maslow made a significant contribution to the development of this problem. He believed that people are originally, genetically motivated to search for personal goals, and this makes their life meaningful and meaningful. In general, he represented human development as climbing the "ladder of needs", where the highest - the fifth - level is the need for self-actualization, self-realization in creativity. Thus, the desire for self-actualization is the desire of a person to constantly embody, realize, "objectify" himself, his abilities, his essence. In people inclined to self-actualization, according to A. Maslow, the dominant motive of behavior is most often the joy of using their abilities, and this is how they differ from those people who seek to satisfy the needs of what they lack. A. Maslow argued that creativity is an integral characteristic of human nature itself, and creative abilities are not the lot of the elite, they are inherent in each of us. But at the same time, self-actualization in practice is very rare. Only about 1% of all births reach it. Most people, for various reasons, never reveal their creativity.

Perfectionism

Creatively gifted people are distinguished by some personality traits and ways of relationships with others. For example, perfectionism (from English perfect - "perfect"). This is the desire to do everything in the best possible way, the pursuit of excellence even in minor matters. This quality manifests itself at an early age, when the child is not satisfied with the result, until he reaches the maximum level for himself (intellectual, aesthetic, moral). He is ready to rewrite an essay because of one mistake, to reassemble a complex model if it occurred to him how it could be improved, etc.

The consequence of this constant striving for perfection often becomes an equally constant feeling of dissatisfaction with oneself, which is reflected in self-esteem, and sometimes becomes the cause of neuroses and depression. Perfectionism expressed too strongly paralyzes the will of a person, makes it impossible for him to complete any work: after all, you can always find something else that needs to be corrected and improved.

Independence

Independence as a personal property presupposes: firstly, the independence of judgments and actions, the ability to implement important decisions oneself, without outside help and advice; secondly, responsibility for their actions and their consequences; thirdly, the inner confidence that such behavior is possible and correct.

Independence is based primarily on the ability to assess, the ability to regulate one's own behavior and emotions, on social autonomy, courage and a tendency to take responsibility. People inclined to independence are distinguished by greater selectivity and intelligence. Self-reliance is almost always a risk.

Social autonomy

Social autonomy is very close to independence and often leads to difficulties in relationships. Teachers, parents, and peers are often intolerant of the independent position of a creatively gifted child. The lower the level of development of others, the less tactful and attentive they are to the child, the more often they may resort to violence.

The dislike of creatively gifted children towards traditional education, noted by many researchers, is also connected with social autonomy. They are rarely excellent students, and sometimes they are not considered good students at all. Classes in the traditional style, focused on the simple reproduction of information received from the teacher, seem boring and uninteresting to them. And our education, as a rule, is not ready for their research impulses. The result in many cases is a latent or overt conflict with teachers.

The rejection of conformism, characteristic of a creatively gifted child of senior preschool and primary school ages, should not be equated with intellectual and moral nihilism. Numerous studies of their peers indicate that this age period is a period of clearly manifested tendencies to imitate, to be like elders. The imitativeness of many actions and statements during these years is traditionally considered an important condition for mental development. Suggestibility, impressionability of a child of this age, a tendency to believe in the truth of what he is taught, the focus of mental activity on repeating, internally accepting external requirements - all this creates favorable conditions for the enrichment and development of the psyche.

Egocentrism

Both gifted children and, to a greater extent, their "normal" peers often do not understand that those around them differ significantly from them in thoughts, desires, and actions. This quality is characteristic of many adults, but if the egocentrism of an adult is to a large extent the result of egoism, then the egocentrism of a child has a different nature. It is natural and determined by the characteristics of age-related development. This is expressed in the inability to take the position of another person, which is associated with the limited experience of the child. For most people, this goes away with age.

Many researchers note a high degree of egocentrism in gifted children.
They argue that the better you know something, the more likely you are to behave egocentrically based on your knowledge.

Egocentrism, like any complex personality trait, cannot be viewed in a simplified, one-dimensional manner. A careful, in-depth study reveals that in some areas it is more pronounced in a gifted child than in a "normal" child, in others, on the contrary, it is less pronounced.

Cognitive egocentrism. Egocentrism manifested in cognition is most characteristic of gifted children of both preschool and primary school ages. Gifted children are practically unable to understand how things that are simple and understandable to them cannot be comprehended by those around them. This type of egocentrism is stable and largely persists in the future.
Moral egocentrism. It is not easy for a gifted child, just like his "normal" peer, to identify the grounds for moral actions and actions of other people. However, in this regard, a gifted child
often shows superiority over peers. A higher level of mental development, the ability to grasp cause-and-effect relationships, to perceive what is happening deeper and more subtly - all this creates a good basis for understanding the motives of other people's behavior. Therefore, moral egocentrism is characteristic of a gifted child to a lesser extent than ordinary children, and it is easier to overcome.
Communicative egocentrism. The famous Swiss psychologist J. Piaget, the discoverer of child egocentrism, observed a lot of the speech of preschoolers. He determined that in most cases a small child in his speech does not try to put himself in the place of the listener.

Children attending the pilot school were given an unusual task. The psychologist read them the unfinished story and asked him to continue. The story was very short: “Seryozha lived on the twelfth floor of a large multi-storey building. in the air currents and fell on the lawn, sidewalk, trees ... "

Imagine that you are a friend of this boy. You walked along the sidewalk and saw what your friend was doing. What would you tell him and what would you do? Then pretend that you are a policeman ... this boy's grandmother ... his sister ... his dad or mom ... etc.

The children's responses showed that the majority responded stereotypically. The roles change, but the answers remain the same. A different picture is observed in gifted children, they more easily take the position of another person.

Egocentrism, manifested in a gifted child, should not be classified as a negative quality. It practically has nothing to do with egoism and really manifests itself only in the cognitive sphere. Where, again, a gifted child thinks of others better than they really are. Egocentrism in this case is a feature of age-related development.

The difficulty of overcoming cognitive egocentrism is not determined by the difficulty of a gifted child's perception of a different point of view: it depends on the gifted child's optimistic belief in the intellectual abilities of others. All this in no way casts doubt on the importance of pedagogical work to overcome egocentrism in gifted children. The inability of gifted children to develop a patient and friendly attitude towards a less gifted person often leads to frustration, acrimony and misanthropy.

A somewhat easier gifted child overcomes moral and communicative egocentrism, which is based on high mental abilities and the higher abilities for metacognition that are formed on this basis.

Leadership

A true leader is a rare phenomenon, a gift, a true leader is always a creator. But not every creator is capable of being a leader.

In communicating with peers, a gifted child quite often takes on the role of a leader and organizer of group games and activities. Many researchers identify as one of the important traits of gifted children - the tendency to command other children. But it is worth considering this phenomenon more closely.

The organizational abilities of a gifted child, manifested in this way, in most cases are not based on suggestive abilities (the ability to influence other people), not on the ability to insist on one's own, and not even on the ability to get along with other people, like an adult. The main reason for the tendency of a gifted child to command his peers is his intellectual superiority over them, flexibility and fluency of his thinking. He better than others imagines the most effective nature of the development of game actions, predicts possible errors and discrepancies in game behavior and, warning them, takes on the role of a leader. This is quite clearly manifested at the senior preschool age level.

For younger students, the situation changes somewhat. Some gifted children are no longer interested in collective games, preferring individual games and activities to them. Main reasons: negative experience of communication with peers in collective games received earlier (usually the result of pedagogical flaws); characteristics of character (temperament), the consequence of which is not the desire to establish themselves in the role of a leader, but an interest in certain activities. This is usually expressed in a passion for in-depth intellectual work, self-sufficiency

Summary: How and how a gifted child stands out among peers. How to identify your child's talents. How to raise a gifted child. Gifted children: features of mental development.

Each child is unique, but with all the individual uniqueness of the real manifestations of children's giftedness, there are quite a few features that are characteristic of the majority of gifted children. Moreover, along with the deep ones, hidden from the unprofessional look, there are quite a few of those that often manifest themselves in the behavior of the child, in his communication with peers and adults, and, of course, in cognitive activity.

Their value is that they can almost always be noticed not only by practical psychologists, but also by kindergarten teachers, school teachers, and parents. Special attention should be paid to those qualities that significantly distinguish gifted children from their peers, conventionally called normal. Knowledge of these features is necessary for the adequate construction of the educational process.

These properties were identified and described not only by psychologists. Success has always been attractive, and therefore historians and biographers were the first to highlight the peculiarities of thinking and specific behavioral characteristics of talented people. Most of them came to the conclusion that in childhood many outstanding people (Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, G. Galileo, Peter I, I. Newton, G. Hegel, Napoleon Bonaparte, Charles Darwin, etc.) the most common characteristics were:

90% of them had high intelligence, curiosity, asked many questions, tried to stand out;

75% of outstanding people "matured" early, were mentally developed beyond their years, were distinguished by morality, criticism, straightforward honesty, were serious;

Almost 90% of them were persistent, had a strong will and a pronounced desire for high achievements;

At least 75% were hard workers, tolerated loneliness well, and were tough. They received satisfaction from their work, were expressive, open to spiritual experience and fantasy.

Here is another list of qualities that are common to future creators.

1. Have acquired knowledge in the chosen field early.
2. Showed high intelligence, good memory.
3. Were passionate about their work, energetic.
4. Demonstrated a pronounced independence, desire to work alone, individualism.
5. Know how to control themselves.
6. Have a desire to connect with other gifted people, young people and adults.
7. They were able to draw practical experience and quickly acquire artistic and intellectual experience.

Researchers-biographers argue that many politicians (Jefferson, Lincoln, etc.), already in childhood, were versatile, optimistic, had an attractive power, had a good command of speech, and were sociable.

Scientists (I. Newton, D "Alambert, R. Descartes, etc.) from childhood were distinguished by their versatility and breadth of interests, from an early age they were judicious and critical.

The very attempts of such descriptions suggest that many outstanding people - scientists, artists, managers - had a number of personal qualities that significantly distinguished them from other people. The qualities that ensured them success in life. It is natural to assume that the formation and development of these qualities in children can be viewed as a guarantee of future outstanding achievements, and, consequently, as a special pedagogical task for the development of creative abilities.

The list of characteristics of the creator offered below is not complete, and it is unlikely that it can be completed. It is appropriate here to recall the philosophical principle of the inexhaustibility of the object of research. Therefore, perhaps, some other properties can be distinguished, but one thing is obvious - the qualities that we describe, undoubtedly, distinguish a true creator from a mediocre person. I will also note that many of them are characteristic of all people to varying degrees, but the level at which they manifest themselves is different.

FEATURES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Curiosity

One of the first characteristics that distinguishes a gifted person is traditionally considered curiosity. The love of knowledge, or curiosity, originates from curiosity. Curiosity - the thirst for novelty, intellectual stimulation, defined in Russian psychology as the need for "mental impressions", is characteristic of every healthy child.

Curiosity, manifested quite early, at all age stages continues to be the most important distinguishing feature of a talented person. The development of curiosity is possible only due to another important feature noted in a number of studies. It's about emotions. Emotions are known to be an indicator of the presence of needs and the degree of their satisfaction. The manifestations of curiosity are closely related to the action of the center of positive emotions. Researchers who have studied this process say that mentally gifted children enjoy mental exertion, like gifted athletes enjoy increased physical activity.

However, in a significant part of children, curiosity, the desire to explore the world around them, does not fully develop into curiosity. Gifted children, to a greater extent than their "normal" peers, are characterized by the desire to learn, explore the world around them. A gifted child does not tolerate restrictions on his research, and this property, manifested quite early, at all age stages continues to be his most important distinguishing feature. The best way of personal development, the real guarantee of intellectual superiority, is a sincere interest in the world, manifested in search activity, in the desire to use every opportunity to learn something.

History has preserved information about the manifestations of curiosity in childhood among many future geniuses. I. Newton, MV Lomonosov, Peter I and many other creators were distinguished by an incredible craving for knowledge from childhood.

Oversensitive to problems

One of the most important qualities of a true creator is the ability to be surprised and see problems and contradictions, especially where everything seems clear and understandable to others. Thus, Albert Einstein laid the foundation for the future theory of relativity, while still a teenager. He suddenly thought about something that no one had thought: what would happen if you run at the speed of light?

Even Plato noted that cognition begins with surprise at what is commonplace; "... only for those who are not used to thinking independently, there are no problems; everything seems self-evident only to those whose mind is still inactive," wrote S. L. Rubinstein. Such "blindness", expressed in the inability to perceive new things, is usually characteristic of limited people, regardless of their degree of education or social status.

Thomas Edison argued that the average person's brain does not perceive even a thousandth of what the eye sees. He made this conclusion after one of his own psychological experiences. Twenty-seven of his laboratory assistants every day for six months walked along the same road that led from the lamp shop to the main building of the plant. A cherry tree grew nearby. But when T. Edison began to question laboratory assistants about what kind of tree grows near the road, not one of them not only could not characterize this tree, but even, as it turned out, did not even know about its existence.

Many researchers associate the development of hypersensitivity to problems or its suppression primarily with the nature of learning. Dogmatic content, combined with the dominance of reproductive teaching methods, are the main factors suppressing children's hypersensitivity to problems. And, on the contrary, problem-based learning, focused on the child's independent research practice, develops both this ability and other qualities necessary for creativity. This idea, many times substantiated theoretically and proved experimentally, is one of the well-known, but, unfortunately, by no means one of those generally recognized in mass pedagogical practice.

The development of this ability is closely related to the ability to change the point of view on the problem. It is this property that often provides a breakthrough to the previously unknown.

People often treat new information and discoveries with great distrust, especially those that significantly change the usual views. Many, unfortunately, not only do not have the ability to subtly feel, see problems, but even often refuse to notice what their outstanding contemporaries directly indicate to them.

And often it comes to curiosities. For example, Homer's Iliad described the location of the legendary city of Troy in some detail. But everyone considered it an artistic fiction, and for archaeologists and historians of the 19th century, Troy was out of reach. No one, except the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, had the idea to look for Troy based on Homer's descriptions. G. Schliemann began to view Homer's Iliad not just as a literary work, but as a serious historical source. As a result, sensational archaeological finds known to the whole world have become.

Over-situational activity (cognitive amateur performance)

This concept was noted by a number of psychologists (D. B. Bogoyavlenskaya, V. A. Petrovsky, etc.). We are talking about the desire to constantly deepen into the problem (the ability to "situationally not stimulated activity"). So, for example, D. B. Bogoyavlenskaya, conducting experimental work with children, noticed that for a gifted child, solving a problem is not the end of the work. This is the beginning of future, new work. “In this ability not to“ fade away ”in the answer received,” writes DB Bogoyavlenskaya, “but to“ ignite ”in a new question is the secret of higher forms of creativity, the ability to see something new in an object, something that others do not see."

Another well-known fact is no less curious. Once A. Einstein was asked what he sees as the main difference between his own intelligence and the intelligence of other people. "If people are looking for a needle in a haystack," he replied, "then most of them stop as soon as they find it. But I keep looking, finding a second, third, and perhaps, if I'm very lucky, even the fourth and fifth."

High level of development of logical thinking

The well-known Russian psychologist V.N.Druzhinin, analyzing the approaches of the majority of domestic and foreign experts to the problem of the ratio of intelligence and creativity, identifies three main positions:

The first rejects any separation of these functions; this point of view is characteristic of the majority of Russian scientists; well-known foreign researchers who adhere to this approach include G. Yu. Eysenck;

Increased interest in divergent problems

Since childhood, creators are distinguished by the fact that they are not afraid of divergent tasks. This is the conventionally called tasks that have not one, but many correct answers. People who are not inclined to creativity and exploratory behavior prefer problems with clear algorithms for solving them and a single correct answer. Situations of uncertainty that inevitably arise when solving divergent problems irritate and even frighten them.

The ability to solve divergent problems is the most important condition for success in creative activity: scientific research, creation of works of art, management work, entrepreneurship. Actually, such are practically all the important tasks that a person solves in life: what profession to choose? Where to live? how to communicate with others? with whom to start a family? how to rest?

True, most people, as noted by some specialists in the field of psychology, for example, the famous industrialist and researcher of the psychology of creativity, Henry Ford, are looking for a job for themselves that would not require the use of creative abilities. Most people feel uncomfortable in situations where choices are needed, when independent decision-making is required. The desire to take advantage of instability, ambiguity, everything that annoys ordinary people, is one of the main features of the creator.

Originality of thinking

Many experts consider the originality of thinking as one of the main features of the thinking of a creatively gifted person. But at the same time, along with the ability to produce original ideas, another way of creativity is also possible - to develop existing ones. If the first method is especially appreciated in scientific and technical creativity, then the second - in artistic.

The originality of a creative person is natural, it does not look like a deliberate desire to stand out. Sometimes she causes surprise or ridicule of others. The inhabitants of Königsberg were amused by the punctuality of the philosopher Immanuel Kant: by the time he went out for a walk and returned from it, it was possible to synchronize the clock. The purely original ideas of the mathematician Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky became the reason that he was considered crazy.

Flexibility of thinking

Flexibility of thinking is closely related to the richness and diversity of the child's past experience (the amount of knowledge, abilities, skills, etc.), but it is not fully determined by it. Experimental studies indicate that the relationship between them is very complex. So, in some situations, the volume of knowledge not only does not contribute to the generation of new ideas and strategies, but, on the contrary, acts as a constraining factor.

The amount of information in itself does not yet guarantee the ability to combine and create new ideas and strategies on this basis. In the course of special studies, it was determined that the decisive factor contributing to the development of this intellectual characteristic is not the experience itself, but the methods of its assimilation.

Ease of generating ideas (thinking productivity)

We have already described this quality when characterizing creativity (see the article "Children's giftedness"). It is usually seen as the ability to generate a large number of ideas. This quality is very close to the previous one, but characterizes a slightly different facet of giftedness. The more ideas there are, the more opportunities for choosing the optimal ones, comparison, development, deepening, etc. The abundance of ideas, on the one hand, is the basis, on the other, a necessary prerequisite for creativity.

A large number of ideas are characteristic of a gifted person as a reaction to a problem situation. The new idea in this case is not just an associative union of several primary, simpler ideas and concepts. The combination of these primary ideas and concepts should be substantively justified, and this happens only if the objective phenomena and relations behind these concepts are reflected. At the same time, the emerging ideas of this kind may seem completely unrealistic at first glance, but with deep study they often serve as the basis for fundamentally new approaches and solutions ("crazy ideas").

It is noticed that the ease of generating ideas is the higher, the less the pressure of stereotypes, which are acquired in the process of assimilating experience (knowledge, abilities, skills) and are often directly dictated by its content. The child is relatively free from this due to the limitedness of his experience, and if we set the task of developing the ability to easily generate ideas not only in gifted people, who have this quality to a greater extent, but in all children, then we should think not only about methods of assimilating experience, but and about its content.

Most scientists, stressing the importance of this quality, still consider it to be something like a secondary characteristic of creativity. True, despite this, geniuses are usually very productive: Mozart created over 600 pieces of music; Bach wrote cantata a week; Thomas Edison conducted 1,093 experiments.

Ease of association

Ease of association can be represented as the ability to develop generalized strategies based on the identification of connections and relationships hidden from the ordinary view and their further detailing. It is most clearly expressed in the ability to find analogies where they are traditionally not seen, in the ability to find a way to solve a problem using various, including seemingly outsider, information. This becomes possible with the ability to see the connections between different phenomena, events, distant in content.

A gifted child is much more productive than his "normal" peers, to perceive connections and relationships between phenomena, objects, events, and even concepts. These connections, due to the presence of this and the above described abilities, can be unconventional and unusual, which, as you know, is the basis of creativity.

Alexander Graham Bell compared the inner surface of the human ear to a movable steel membrane and based on this analogy invented the telephone. It is known that the physicist Niels Bohr had the ability to imagine light as both a particle and a wave, which led him to develop the principle of complementarity. Physicist and philosopher David Bohm argued that geniuses are able to develop several different thoughts at the same time, since they are able to soften the contradictions between ambiguous options or incongruous phenomena.

Ease of association is manifested not only in the ability to find simple and complex analogies, and then, on this basis, create something new. Among the humanities, it is more often seen in the metaphorical nature of thinking. Aristotle saw metaphor as a sign of genius. He was convinced that a person who is able to find a correspondence between two different spheres of existence and connect them with each other is especially gifted.

Predictive ability

Creatively gifted people are more predictive than ordinary people. This is a rare quality that includes imagination, intuition, the ability for deep analysis. For the bulk of people, the so-called presentism of thinking is characteristic - they cannot imagine the future and the past as qualitatively different from the present.

The ability to predict is characteristic not only of gifted children, but also of all children. The well-known psychologist A.V. Brushlinsky noted that a person, solving a mental problem, thereby at least minimally anticipates (predicts) the desired future solution. In gifted children, this quality is expressed so clearly that it extends not only to the process of solving educational problems, but also to a variety of manifestations of real life: from predicting consequences that are not distant in time relative to elementary events, to the possibility of predicting the development of social phenomena.

Many people who have achieved outstanding success relied on their assumptions, premonitions, on what was hidden somewhere in the depths of the subconscious. The power of foresight, based on the subconscious, extends well beyond the limited limits of the field of consciousness. Intuitive thinking is a special talent that needs to be developed. A number of psychodiagnostic techniques are built on the basis of the phenomenon of forecasting depth.

The ability to predict largely depends on the degree of development of the above-described personality characteristics, such as: a tendency to tasks of a divergent type, flexibility of thinking, ease of generating ideas, ease of association. The integral nature of this personal property allows us to consider it one of the main signs of giftedness.

Science fiction writers have always been considered outstanding specialists in scientific forecasts. Jules Verne, who predicted many discoveries of the future in his works, was considered by his contemporaries not only as a writer, but also as their fellow scientist. The outstanding Russian chemist Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev called Jules Verne a scientific genius. The French engineer Leber considered him a co-author of his idea of a double-bottomed submarine (like the Nautilus). In 1903, when another submarine, Projector, made the transition from Bridgeport to New York, its creator, American designer S. Lake, sent a congratulatory telegram to J. Verne. The famous Russian researcher and designer KE Tsiolkovsky said that he looked at the rocket for a long time from the point of view of "amusements and small applications." To make serious calculations he was prompted by the books of J. Verne.

High concentration of attention

This quality is difficult to evaluate otherwise as positive, but it is precisely this quality that often becomes the reason for the difficulties that a gifted child encounters in conditions of mass education. Most of the teachers are guided by the conventionally "normal", ordinary student, who, as everyone knows, and teachers in the first place, has very modest opportunities in this sense. An ordinary child of older preschool and even primary school age has a fairly "low threshold for disconnection", which is expressed in rapid fatigue, inability to do one thing for a long time, in instability of attention.

Gifted children demonstrate almost exactly the opposite qualities in this regard: a child is often absorbed in an activity that interests him so much that it is almost impossible to distract him, and he is able to do his job for a long time, and can return to him within a few days. This quality manifests itself in gifted children quite early. Many researchers are inclined to consider it the most important indicator of giftedness: it expresses the previously noted unity of motivation directly related to the content of the activity and the child's creative skills (see the article "Children's giftedness") in the areas where his creative abilities (intellectual, artistic and etc.).

The ability to concentrate one's own attention on any object is closely related to the phenomenon discovered by the famous Russian scientist Ukhtomsky. In the course of his own scientific research, he came to the conclusion that one of the fundamental properties of the central nervous system is its ability to create foci of activity and foci of inhibition. This focus of activity in the brain, which subjugates all other nerve cells that are in a state of excitement, is called dominant. Thanks to this ability of the brain, extraneous factors not only do not distract from the desire to achieve the main goal, but on the contrary, even strengthen this desire. An inhibition zone is always formed around the active focus of excitation.

Excellent memory

Indeed, a person can store a huge amount of information in his memory, and formally he cannot be denied the title of "erudite" or "scientist". But intelligence and erudition are not at all the same.

Assessment ability

The evaluation function as an integral, structural element of giftedness is considered by many specialists. Evaluation is a derivative of critical thinking. It assumes the ability to evaluate the products of one's own activity, as well as understanding both one's own thoughts and actions and the actions, thoughts and actions of other people.

The well-known psychologist A.M. Matyushkin noted that the ability to assess provides self-sufficiency, self-control, confidence of a gifted, creative child in himself, in his abilities, in his decisions, thereby determining his independence, non-conformity and many other intellectual and personal qualities.

Features of inclinations and interests

Already in childhood, the level of creative giftedness can be judged by the interests and inclinations of a person. In gifted children, they are often very broad and at the same time stable and conscious. This is manifested in special persistence in achieving the goal. A little musician can spend hours practicing complex skills of playing the instrument without any coercion on the part of adults. His peers, who have no vocation, who are taught music "by tradition," are happy to avoid classes for any reason. Future ballerinas and gymnasts willingly go to strict self-restraint and hard work in order to master the subtleties of skill. A novice naturalist is ready for any sacrifice for the opportunity to observe animals in nature or to keep their pets at home. This focus and commitment is one of the most accurate indicators of giftedness. It is no coincidence that experienced teachers are ready to work overtime with a student passionately thirsting for knowledge, even if he does not yet show particularly outstanding abilities and seems to many "unpromising".

Another property characteristic of a significant portion of gifted children is the breadth of interests. They succeed in a lot, they like a lot, and therefore they want to try themselves in various fields. Often, an abundance of hobbies leads to a waste of energy that is irrational from the point of view of pragmatic adults. A typical reproach from their side: "You are sprayed, you do not bring anything to the end, yesterday you played chess, today you are already drawing, and tomorrow you will invent a new engine. So you will not achieve anything in life." However, the breadth of interests is quite natural for children and adolescents. Plunging into different activities for a while, a person studies himself better, enriches himself as a person, and learns new valuable skills. Learns to combine, find associative links, non-standard solutions. Many outstanding people devoted themselves not to one, but to two or more spheres of activity. The philosopher and theorist of anarchism Pyotr Kropotkin was a major geographer and geologist. Zoologist Gerald Durrell is one of the most widely read contemporary writers. Leonardo da Vinci, Mikhail Lomonosov, Blaise Pascal, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz were distinguished by their extraordinary diversity of interests.

There is one more important aspect of the problem. The diversity of interests protects against "obsession", which is often characteristic of talent. A person who has completely devoted himself to one business, one idea, sacrifices to it - willingly or unwillingly - many other life values. Sometimes it comes to curiosities. The founder of cybernetics, Norbert Winner, remembered only what he was currently working on. When his family moved to a new apartment, the scientist's wife put a note in his wallet with a new address. N. Winner jotted down some formulas on a piece of paper, then realized that they were incorrect, and threw out the piece of paper. In the evening, forgetting about the move, he went to the old address. Of course, he did not find anyone there and returned to the street in confusion. He met a girl, to whom he immediately began to explain that he was Professor N. Winner, whose family had recently moved from this house, but he did not know where. N. Winner asked if she accidentally knew where to look for a new apartment. After carefully listening to him, the girl replied: "Yes, dad, mom thought you would forget it."

Biographers have described many cases from the life of outstanding people, testifying not only to their outstanding intelligence, but also to actions that look just stupid. I. Newton did not like to be distracted from work and for his cat made a hole at the bottom of the door so that she could enter and leave the house herself, without disturbing the owner with meows. When the cat had seven kittens, the great physicist added a window for each of them!

FEATURES OF PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Striving for self-actualization

Many researchers consider the desire to reveal their inner potential to be the main motive for human creativity (G. Goldstein, K. Rogers, etc.). In this regard, it is natural to assume that the sprouts of this aspiration are manifested already in childhood and should be supported and formed.

A. Maslow argued that creativity is an integral characteristic of human nature itself, and creative abilities are not the lot of the elite, they are inherent in each of us. But at the same time, according to A. Maslow himself, self-actualization in practice is a great rarity. Only about 1% of all births reach it. Most people, for various reasons, never reveal their creativity.

Perfectionism

The teacher gave the task to little Niels Bohr to draw a house with a garden and a fence. The boy began to draw, but suddenly found that he did not know how many poles were in the fence. Without thinking twice, he ran out into the street and counted them. Niels could not allow his drawing to be at least somewhat untrue.

Independence

Independence is formed by the entire lifestyle that encourages a person from childhood to make decisions, perform actions and be responsible for them. The development of independence cannot be carried out according to certain recipes. The main factor suppressing the independence that is forming in the child is total external control, expressed in strict disciplinary requirements that do not allow individual variations. But in this case, permissiveness and a greenhouse atmosphere are no less harmful, protecting the child from problems and the possibility of making independent decisions. The famous English philosopher and educator John Locke once noted that slave discipline breeds a slave character, and his German colleague Johann Friedrich Herbart noted another facet of this process: without clear disciplinary rules, you cannot cultivate a strong character.

Social autonomy

The teachers of Niels Bohr, who grew up in liberal Denmark, were sympathetic and loving to his original way of thinking (later contemporaries called Bohr "one of the most prejudiced physicists"). The teacher could comment with imperturbable humor on the rumble coming from the school laboratory: "It's okay. It's Bor." Lucky in this respect, and Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, who was forgiven in the Lyceum for the disagreements with mathematics, recognizing his bright poetic gift. But Albert Einstein felt very uncomfortable and showed poor results while studying at the Prussian barracks-type gymnasium. But as soon as he moved to Switzerland, where schools were more tolerant and respectful of students, he immediately became one of the best students.

The rejection of conformism, characteristic of a creatively gifted child of senior preschool and primary school ages, should not be equated with intellectual and moral nihilism. Numerous studies of their "normal" peers indicate that this age period is a period of clearly manifested tendencies to imitate, to be like elders. The imitativeness of many actions and statements during these years is traditionally considered an important condition for mental development. Suggestibility, impressionability of a child of this age, a tendency to believe in the truth of what he is taught, the focus of mental activity on repeating, internally accepting external requirements - all this creates favorable conditions for the enrichment and development of the psyche.

Impressiveness, suggestibility, inclination and ability for mental and practical actions on the basis of the proposed model are characteristic of a gifted child in the same way as of his "normal" peer, but this is not the main determining factor in his cognitive activity and behavior. He is characterized by relative freedom from generally accepted restrictions, he is not inclined to achieve success in situations that require normative behavior and activities according to the model. In addition, as noted by the famous psychologist NS Leites, imitation itself in the initial teaching, in the conditions of the inevitable insufficiency of some knowledge, turns out to be to a large extent creative; it requires intuition, improvisation, unceasing mental initiative.

Egocentrism

Many researchers note a high degree of egocentrism in gifted children. They argue that the better you know something, the more likely you are to behave egocentrically based on your knowledge.

Cognitive egocentrism. Egocentrism manifested in the cognitive sphere is usually called “cognitive”. Our own research practice allows us to conclude that this type of egocentrism is most typical for gifted children of both preschool and primary school ages. Gifted children are practically unable to understand how things that are simple and understandable to them cannot be comprehended by those around them. This type of egocentrism is stable and largely persists in the future.

Misha, a third grader, found an original way to solve a very difficult problem. The teacher asked him to explain how he got the solution. Misha presented his decision to the class at the blackboard. But the teacher noticed that many children did not understand Misha's explanation. The teacher again asked Misha to tell about his decision. With difficulty hiding his irritation, Misha told him again. Despite this, the course of Misha's thoughts remained incomprehensible to many guys. When the teacher for the third time asked him to explain everything again, Misha was indignant, threw up his hands and said: "How much can I explain to you, it's so simple! Look ..."

Misha really sincerely could not understand why something that is easy and accessible to him is incomprehensible to those around him.

Moral egocentrism. It is not easy for a gifted child, just like his "normal" peer, to identify the grounds for moral actions and actions of other people. However, in this regard, a gifted child often displays superiority over his peers. A higher level of mental development, the ability to grasp cause-and-effect relationships, to perceive what is happening deeper and more subtly - all this creates a good basis for understanding the motives of other people's behavior. Therefore, moral egocentrism is characteristic of a gifted child to a lesser extent than "normal" children, and it is easier to overcome.

Communicative egocentrism. The famous Swiss psychologist J. Piaget, the discoverer of child egocentrism, observed a lot of the speech of preschoolers. He determined that in most cases a small child in his speech does not try to put himself in the place of the listener.

Egocentrism, manifested in a gifted child, should not be classified as a negative quality. It practically has nothing to do with egoism and really manifests itself only in the cognitive sphere. Where, again, a gifted child thinks of others better than they really are. Egocentrism in this case is a feature of age-related development. It is overcome with time.

A somewhat easier gifted child overcomes moral and communicative egocentrism, which is based on high mental abilities and the higher abilities for metacognition that are formed on this basis.

The difficulty of overcoming cognitive egocentrism is not determined by the difficulty of a gifted child's perception of a different point of view: it depends on the gifted child's optimistic belief in the intellectual abilities of others. All this in no way casts doubt on the importance of pedagogical work to overcome egocentrism in gifted children. In adulthood, this property leads to extremely negative consequences.

According to the just statement of the American psychologist K. Takheks, the inability of gifted people to develop a patient and friendly attitude towards a less gifted person often leads to disappointment, acrimony and misanthropy that kill potential leaders.

Leadership

A true leader is a rare phenomenon, a gift, a true leader is always a creator. But is the converse true? Is a creator always a leader? Unfortunately, we have to admit that it is not. True, one cannot fail to notice that in the modern world the importance of collective creativity is growing. And this requires from the creator, who wants to achieve noticeable results, not only the ability to work in a team, but also the ability to be a leader.

In communicating with peers (non-gifted children), a gifted child quite often takes on the role of a leader and organizer of group games and activities. Based on this observation, many researchers identify as one of the important traits of gifted children - the tendency to command other children. Parents often talk about this with excitement and trepidation, intuitively understanding the value of these characteristics of their child. But one has only to consider this phenomenon more carefully, as a rather complex picture emerges.

The observations carried out by us in the course of experimental work with children allow us to conclude that the organizing abilities of a gifted child thus manifested in most cases are of a somewhat different nature than that of an adult. They are usually not based on suggestive abilities (the ability to influence other people), not on the ability to insist on one's own, and not even on the ability to get along with other children. True, I will note that all these abilities can be manifested in a gifted child, but then we can talk about a special "leadership" endowment.

The main reason for the tendency of a gifted child to command his peers is his intellectual superiority over them, flexibility and fluency of his thinking. He better than others imagines the most effective nature of the development of game actions, predicts possible errors and discrepancies in game behavior and, warning them, takes on the role of a leader.

This is manifested quite clearly at the level of senior preschool age. For younger students, the situation changes somewhat. Some gifted children are no longer interested in collective games, preferring individual games and activities to them. Main reasons: negative experience of communication with peers in collective games received earlier (usually the result of pedagogical flaws); characteristics of character (temperament), the consequence of which is not the desire to establish themselves in the role of a leader, but an interest in certain activities. This is usually expressed in a passion for in-depth intellectual work, self-sufficiency.

Competitiveness

Competition, competition is an important factor in the development of personality, strengthening, hardening of character. The experience of victories and defeats acquired in the course of various intellectual, artistic, sports competitions is extremely important for later life. Without it, it would be naive to count on the upbringing of a creator who is not afraid of life's difficulties. Through competition, the child forms his own idea of his capabilities, asserts himself, gains confidence in his abilities, learns to take risks, and gains the first experience of "reasonable adventurism."

The source of the propensity for competitiveness in gifted children should be sought in the child's superior capabilities, in the ability to highly differentiated assessment. Self-esteem built on this basis, even if it is not overestimated, but adequate, is able to stimulate interest in competitive forms of interaction with peers. But, noting this phenomenon as natural, many researchers constantly talk about the need to compete not so much with "normal" children as with equally gifted children. Moreover, the experience of not victories, but defeats is especially valuable. It is no coincidence that this circumstance is also enshrined in the well-known popular saying: "For one beaten, two unbeaten are given."

Features of emotional development

As one of the main features of the development of the emotional sphere of a gifted child, most researchers note increased vulnerability. Its source is also the noted hypersensitivity, rooted in the peculiarities of intellectual development. The ability to grasp cause-and-effect relationships, combined with an advance in the number and strength of perception of surrounding phenomena and events, gives rise to a deeper and more subtle understanding of them. Gifted children not only see more, feel more subtly, they are able to follow several phenomena at once, subtly noticing their similarities and differences. The ability to grasp what has gone unnoticed by others, combined with their inherent self-centeredness, leads to the fact that they take everything personally. Therefore, outwardly neutral remarks, remarks, actions can have a strong impact on a gifted child, while his "normal" peers are indifferent to them.

Increased emotional sensitivity may well be seen as a result of a higher development of research abilities. But from the point of view of improvement, another feature of creative people is much more important - the ability to enjoy creativity. This is what, according to Stendhal, distinguishes genius from all other people. Indeed, the title of genius is awarded only to those who experience special pleasure from the creative process and continue to work despite obstacles.

Creative Perception of Accidents

In the concept of giftedness by the famous American psychologist A. Tannenbaum, one of the points is made up of the so-called random factors - "to be in the right place at the right hour." Accidents and accidents are because they cannot be predicted. But the ability to find benefit in unforeseen circumstances can and should be learned. This is one of the traits of a person with high mental abilities. This seriously increases the chances of success in almost all areas of life.

Many scientific discoveries and inventions were born thanks to a happy coincidence. The biographies of almost all outstanding people contain descriptions of fateful accidents. Chance often made it possible to see something that one would never intentionally seek. True, even with randomness, not everything is as simple as it might seem at first glance. The famous philosopher F. Nietzsche believed that the most important thing in any discovery and invention was created due to chance, unexpectedness, but most people do not face such a situation. What is called an accident, in fact, he believed, is an enlightenment, and someone who is ready for this meeting meets him.

For example, 19th-century French chemist Bernard Courtois was working in a laboratory when his cat, playing, pushed two bottles next to it off the table. One contained sulfuric acid, the other contained an alcoholic infusion of seaweed ash. The liquids mixed, giving off a cloud of blue-violet vapor. This is how iodine was found. German physicist Wilhelm Konrad Roentgen even received the Nobel Prize for his accidental discovery of X-rays.

You cannot predict an accident, you cannot create it on purpose, but the ability to find benefit in an unforeseen combination of circumstances is really a gift. Good luck comes to those who are ready for it (more precisely, it comes to others, but it just goes away, remaining unnoticed). As one wise man said, "The more I work, the luckier I get."

Without the ability to detect absurdities, to see the funny in a variety of situations, it is impossible to imagine a creative person. This ability is manifested and formed from childhood. It is evidence of giftedness and at the same time an effective mechanism of psychological defense.

In different countries, numerous series of psychological studies have been carried out, specifically considering the problems of the ratio of IQ to humor, the level of development of creativity and humor. Researchers say there is a direct correlation. Manifestations of humor are as multifaceted as life itself, and it is easy to detect both their presence and their absence.

Creativity is definitely a gift from nature. It is widely believed that if a person is given a gift, then he will not go anywhere, will not disappear and will necessarily manifest somewhere. There are even sayings: "Talent will always break through," "Talent cannot be spent on drink." However, recent studies refute this point of view. Giftedness exists only in constant movement, in development, it is a kind of garden that must be cultivated tirelessly. We remember that Alice, who got into the fairyland, had to run to stay in place, and run twice as fast to move forward. Likewise, the creative gift does not tolerate stagnation and self-satisfaction. It exists only in dynamics - it either develops or fades away.

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