Montessori Education and Gifted Children

Characteristics of a gifted child may encompass strong interests, exceptional memory, the ability to think abstractly, a great sense of humour, strong verbal skills, perfectionism, sensitivity, and curiosity. Public education may not always adequately support gifted children, and the “specialised programs” may not be challenging enough for academically talented students. Gifted children often experience feelings of isolation, even if they have learned to engage with their peers and appear to blend in; they are aware of their uniqueness.

Gifted children often need a curriculum that stimulates their intellectual curiosity, enables them to progress at their own speed, and supports their special talents. Montessori education provides an optimal solution by combining a student-centred approach with the adaptability required to meet the needs of gifted students. This article will delve into the reasons why Montessori education is well-suited for gifted children, how it encourages creativity and analytical thinking, and how it instils a lasting passion for learning.

To begin, I propose to revisit what is commonly understood as giftedness and what the most recognisable personality traits of gifted children are:

Traditional definition of giftedness

Historically, giftedness has been equated with high intellectual functioning. Giftedness is traditionally defined as exceptional ability in one or more areas, which might include general intelligence, academic skills, creative or productive thinking, leadership, and arts, although its definition is complex and continues to evolve.

Recognisable personality traits of gifted children

The most noticeable characteristic of gifted children is often their cognitive abilities, their emotional sensitivity and some social behavioural traits. Just to talk briefly about them:

• Learning and memory

This rapid learning ability is frequently seen in areas like mathematics, language, and problem-solving. They may also exhibit advanced memory, recalling details or concepts with remarkable precision.

• High reasoning skills

Gifted children most likely excel at critical thinking, analysing problems from multiple perspectives, and finding solutions that are innovative or unique.

• Abstract thinking

They are often more capable of abstract thinking, meaning they can understand concepts that aren’t tangible or immediately apparent. They can deal with hypothetical situations, complex problems, and theoretical ideas.

• Deep emotional intensity

Gifted children usually feel emotions more deeply than other children. This deep emotional intensity can lead to strong reactions to events, both positive and negative. For instance, they may feel extreme joy when something excites them, or deep sadness when they encounter setbacks.

• Leadership qualities

Their ability to think critically and solve problems makes them good decision-makers. They may take charge in group settings and guide others toward accomplishing tasks.

• Humour and creativity

They tend to have an imagination that allows them to create innovative solutions or unique ideas. This creativity can be expressed in a variety of ways, from artistic pursuits to witty remarks or unconventional thinking.

• Nonconformity

Gifted children often display nonconformity in their behaviour, challenging traditional norms or questioning authority. They may not always follow the “rules” of social engagement or classroom structure, instead opting to think independently or express their ideas in unconventional ways.

As a Montessori practitioner, I often self-reflect and self-question if it is just enough to look at giftedness, thinking of it just as “brilliant minds” that “are advanced academically” and show “special talents”, instead, I believe that the real meaning of giftedness is deeper than what it seems from the “academic results”. The investigation done by the pedagogue, Mgr. Stefánia Rebeka Koleňáková and the doctor in philosophy Dominika Hosová, in the Faculty of Education of the University of Nitra, Slovakia, will help us to clarify several points regarding giftedness.

In their research, “Gifted children and the importance of knowledge for their survival (experience) in education”, the authors are focused on the analysis of the personality traits of gifted children and what the indicators are that adults and educators should consider to ensure providing a safe and inspiring educational environment to them. The authors research the aspects that education, adults, society and practitioners should have in mind to facilitate gifted children feeling included in their social environments. For them, it is important to remember what social challenges the gifted children may have to face in order to become part of society. What would it be like if their giftedness is only considered as their ability to learn quickly and more easily in comparison to their peers? For that reason, they propose that it is essential to broaden the understanding of giftedness and present a classification to demonstrate how giftedness might manifest with different “appearances”, depending on how the social context enables them to show their inner potential and the prevalence of certain personality traits.

Types of giftedness

•   The successful gifted

This group of gifted children “meet” the requirements, follows instructions and is successful, though in time loses interest in pursuing their goals. In other words, they are wholly dependent on the “social” instructions because they lack certain abilities needed to build their autonomy and individuality. At the same time, they exhibit positive self-image, seeing as they are frequently validated and continue to achieve success.

•   The autonomous gifted

They become independent class leaders who follow their own goals and are willing to take risks. They create their own rules and don't wait for others to inspire them to act. They are characterised by their well-developed social skills, inner motivation, independence, character integrity, creativity and strong interest.

•   The hidden gifted

Due to the need “to fit in”, this case is the case of the gifted children who unconsciously decide to hide their interest in learning. They are characterised by their rejection and concealment of their skill, or the rejection of activities that make up their education and would enrich and better them. Their performance at school may drop, and they have a need to belong, and may go through friends a lot. Here, it is crucial to mention that a teacher must not permit the gifted children to give up on their personal plans.

•   The demanding gifted

This group of gifted children are seen as the one who struggle to adjust to a school or use it to their advantage. They are characterised by their creativity, but also stubbornness, low or no self-control, avoidance of rules, unstable work habits and a feeling of lack of belonging.

•   The lost gifted

The lost gifted represent the most difficult group so far because their behaviour is often driven by anger, and this anger is the result of years of neglecting their needs. They feel rejected, which can lead to depression or going between offensive and defensive behaviour. Their interests are often more extracurricular, leaving their potential unsupported, and the school loses meaning.

•   The doubly gifted

In this case, we talk about children whose giftedness exists in combination with another trait that makes them unique, or perhaps a handicap, or a disorder. Often not identified due to not exhibiting the characteristic behaviour of being gifted, they can have disruptive behaviour.   

As Montessori practitioners, we have a special commitment to human development and the “formation of man”, envisioned by Maria Montessori. This is the reason why we are open to debate: how the educational system and, especially, Montessori education, can provide a supportive environment to enhance and contribute to the normal social and emotional development of gifted children? In a few sentences, we can provide the following answers:

In a Montessori classroom, all children work at their own pace and rhythm, considering their interests, strengths and weaknesses.  This means a child with learning difficulties or a gifted child can be in the same class, as they can work at a level that meets their needs.

• One of the key characteristics of Montessori education is that it supports individualised learning.  Each child has a tailored programme allowing children to work at their own ability level at a pace that is suitable for each of them as they experience their own learning pathway.

• One of the roles of the Montessori practitioner is to guide each child on this journey: to present or offer new work when the children are ready, to provide time and opportunity to work through it until they have understood the concept or mastered the skill, then to offer challenges to engage them further.

To summarise the benefits of the Montessori philosophy in relation to the needs that gifted children show, I detail the following examples: 

GENERAL NEEDS OBSERVED IN GIFTED CHILDREN	HOW MONTESSORI EDUCATION WOULD BENEFIT THEM
Gifted children show a social and emotional development that usually requires an individual approach and a rich environment with several stimuli, in which the material allows them to learn through discovery.	Independence and critical thinking. The hands-on nature of Montessori materials encourages children to learn through discovery, which helps develop problem-solving skills and independence.
	The teacher as a guide. Teachers act as facilitators, observing each child's progress and providing new, challenging work as they are ready, rather than leading a whole-class lecture.
Gifted children need to have an environment in which it is ensured free to choose, learning at their own pace, and have the opportunities to interact with different age groups.	Self-paced learning. Gifted children aren't held back by the pace of the whole class; they can master concepts quickly and move on to more challenging materials.
	Mixed-age classrooms. Children of different ages and abilities work together, which helps gifted children develop leadership skills and allows them to appreciate the diverse gifts of others.
Gifted children are exceeding the academic standards, they master the knowledge in different cultural areas, and they need to “transform” what they know in creative ways.	Beyond academics. Giftedness is seen in areas like art, music, and physical talent, which are all nurtured through hands-on activities and explorations.
	Freedom to explore. The curriculum allows children to dive deep into subjects they are passionate about, fostering intrinsic motivation and a love for learning.
Gifted children may be more sensitive to social stigma, as they might self-perceive themselves as “different”.	No stigma. Children are not singled out for being "ahead" or "behind," creating a supportive environment where everyone works at their own pace.
Gifted children often need to show that they are capable and extend their love of learning beyond the classroom. This is also manifested as a non-conformity behaviour, as it is part of a natural development of their critical thinking and sense of humour.	Lifelong passion. The focus on curiosity and the child's own interests can cultivate a lifelong love of learning that extends beyond the classroom.
	Engaging work. The challenging materials and freedom to choose activities provide a satisfying and engaging learning experience that prevents boredom.

As a conclusion, it is demonstrated that the Montessori philosophy embraces a broader definition of gifted and talented children, including the emotional and social aspects that are as important as their cognitive abilities, and they ensure a natural, holistic development of their personalities. This happens because the Montessori prepared environment is such a rich environment in which children don’t feel the “pressure of learning”; instead, they learn with joy as they are exposed to plenty of social scenarios, as it is a multiage group classroom. In consequence, I would like to mention the definition of giftedness that is more related to the Montessori philosophy: “Giftedness is defined as a multidimensional construct that encompasses high intellectual ability, creativity, and task commitment, rather than being solely represented by a high IQ score. It can include superiority in areas such as academic aptitude, leadership, and various forms of intelligence as conceptualised by multiple intelligences.” (International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioural Sciences; Second Edition, 2015)

“The child should love everything that he learns, for his mental and emotional growth are linked. Whatever is presented to him must be made beautiful and clear, striking his imagination. Once this love has been kindled, all problems confronting the educationist will disappear” (…) “It is hoped that when this sentiment of love for all subjects can be aroused in children, people in general will become more human” (…) “What is necessary is that the individual from the earliest years should be placed in relation with humanity”.  (MARIA MONTESSORI, “To educate the human potential”. Pg. 17).

References

Koleňáková, R. E. (2019). Gifted children and the importance of knowledge, their survival (experience) in education. Faculty of Education of the University of Nitra, Slovakia.

International Encyclopaedia of the Social & Behavioural Sciences (Second Edition), 2015

Montessori, M. (1989). To Educate the Human Potential. The Clio Montessori Series, Volume 6. Oxford. England

Montessori, M. (1989). The Child, Society and the World. The Clio Montessori Series, Volume 7. Oxford. England

Leonardo is one of our guides at Little Gems Montessori.  Coming across gifted children who demonstrate advanced ability or potential in one or more areas - learning to know them and meet their needs, and always being one step ahead - challenged Leonardo to learn more about these children. And, as you can read, the Montessori environment certainly meets their needs and challenges them by providing differentiated instruction through enrichment, acceleration, and flexible grouping.