According
to the DMGT, giftedness is a superior natural ability that is evident
without systematic learning or teaching. Professor Gagné uses the term
‘gifted’ to designate any person who possesses a natural aptitude that
placed them among the top 10% of their age group. Whereas, talent
implies a mastered skill that has been developed exceptionally well.
Professor Gagné claims that for gifts to translate into talents, they
must be developed through a variety of catalysts. These catalysts
include intrapersonal factors such as perseverance, general curiosity,
intrinsic motivation, and ambition, and environmental factors like
family, school, and quality of the peer group.
Nature and Nurture Working Together
There
are over 1.27 million gifted children in the country according to data
gathered by the Department of Education (DepEd) in 2010. A big number of
these potentially gifted Filipinos are overlooked because of the lack
of proper guidance and support.
While
environment plays an important role that can aid in developing
children’s raw abilities, it can also present less than ideal
influences. Giftedness and talent do not flourish on their own.
“Nurturing
the potentially gifted is a shared responsibility of the family, as
well as both public and private sectors, if they are to be developed
maximally,” shares Dra. Letty Ho, President, Philippine Center for
Gifted Education, Inc.
Celebrating Homegrown Talent and Skill
It
is not enough to have the talent – It’s how the talent is utilized to
achieve greater success in a broader scale, like in ones community or
even country. Improvements in economic growth are closely related to the
level of cognitive skills of the population.
Professor
Françoys Gagné, Ph. D, emphasizes that “individuals, young and old,
differ in many respects: their aptitudes or potentialities, their
personal qualities, their needs and their interests, their will-power
and their perseverance, their investment in time and energy in the
development of their talents, the characteristics of their social
environment, and the qualities of significant people around them. All
these elements can contribute to a person’s level of professional
success; they are the ingredients of outstanding success, in school and
in adult life.”
Professor
Gagné’s visit to the Philippines could not come at a more opportune
time, with the Philippine Center for Gifted Education, Inc. bidding to
spearhead the establishment of the ASEAN Association for Giftedness, and
the country showing strong economic growth.
Giftedness
and talent could be a driving force for the Philippine economy to
continue the steps it is taking towards becoming a progressive country.
Nurturing homegrown talent can benefit the country greatly by spurring
its development.
Heritage Through Generations
For
over 25 years, Promil Pre-School has been an advocate of nurturing
Filipino children’s gifts into talent. With the right balance of support
from parents, proper care through the right learning environment, and
proper nutrition from Promil Pre-School, gifts can be nurtured into
exceptional talents that benefit a larger community.
“We are one with Professor Gagné in
promoting the proper nourishment of children’s gifts to become talents.
This is one of those instances where proper education can really make
the world of difference,” says Dian Yu, Product Manager, Wyeth
Nutrition, Inc.
From
National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal to Andrea Veneracion, who gave the world
the Philippine Madrigal Singers, to world-class performer Lea Salonga
and boxing champion and politician Congressman Manny Pacquiao, Filipinos
whose gifts were developed into talents have proven to contribute
immensely to the advancement of the country and building of national
pride.
“This is a vision that Promil Pre-School shares with Professor Gagné.
The brand was founded on the premise of making it easier for people to
reach their full potentials and become gifts not just to themselves or
their families, but also to their community. We believe that
well-rounded and fully-developed talented individuals are those who are
able to use their exceptional abilities for the greater good,” adds Yu.