Professor, the head of the project “Endowment and its development” Valerian Gabdulkhakov in one of his interviews somehow gave interesting figures. According to him, as a result of diagnostic studies conducted by KFU scientists and teachers of basic schools in 2016-2017, it was established that giftedness can manifest itself in several ways. As obvious giftedness, which is “in full view” (1-3% of the total number of children). As a giftedness is age-related, that is, at one age a child shows obvious giftedness, and then, after several years, this giftedness disappears. And as a giftedness, which for some reason has not shown itself in the educational or other activities of this child.

And in time, unopened opportunities gradually fade away due to lack of demand. The percentage of gifted (from the point of view of psychologists) sharply decreases over the years: if at the age of ten they are about 60-70%, then by the age of fourteen – 30-40%, and by seventeen – only 15-20%.

A person who can discern giftedness in a child is a psychologist. It is precisely on the formation of such a psychologist who sees a gifted child and helps him become a talented person, the new master’s program “Psychology of innovative education and the development of children’s giftedness”, which opened this year at the Institute of Psychology and Education of KFU, is oriented.

– According to the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, about 20 million children are enrolled in secondary schools in our country. Of these, about 20-30% are gifted, ”said the head of the master’s program – candidate of psychological sciences, associate professor Gulshat Shakirova. – Endowment is a twofold phenomenon. On the one hand, it seems to us that gifted children are always something positive. For a gifted child is different from other children. And in this case we are talking about organic, prosperous giftedness: that is, when all the basic indicators of the child correspond to the level of development, and he himself adapts to environmental conditions. However, such children from the number of gifted only 5%. The rest are at great risk of social exclusion and rejection by their peers. And then their giftedness comes to naught.

The documents of the national educational initiative “Our New School” noted that a support system for talented children should be created, as well as an extensive system of search and support for talented children and their support throughout the entire period of formation of personality.

– Some psychologists believe that creatively gifted children in a regular school do not receive proper understanding from adults and peers, they are ridiculed and almost harassed. Therefore, the solution is to “put” them in special schools.

To support gifted children in Russia, educational institutions are created in which young geniuses can develop their potential. In such schools, teaching and development is focused on the disclosure, for example, of mathematical, linguistic, and artistic abilities. The educational environment of gifted children is special, it involves an individual approach to teaching each child in complicated programs, when high achievements are expected from each student.

So, in the Republic of Tatarstan there are 15 boarding schools for gifted children.

– In schools with innovative teaching, psychology specialists who require special professional knowledge and skills are of particular importance. The training of psychologists for gymnasiums, lyceums and schools for gifted students is carried out as part of the master’s program “Psychology of innovative education and the development of children’s giftedness”.

The new master’s program is new and unique not only for Kazan University, but for Russia and even the world as a whole.

– At the Moscow State Pedagogical University, Diana Bogoyavlenskaya, one of the developers of the concept of giftedness, created a master’s program “Psychology of creativity and giftedness.” There are also in the Moscow State Pedagogical University. But it is precisely the combination of two aspects – innovative education and an understanding of giftedness – that does not exist either in Russia or abroad. This is an absolutely authoring program.

Among the 14 applicants for the master’s program, the majority are already practicing psychologists who lack theoretical knowledge of the peculiarities of working with gifted children and adolescents, as well as with teachers and parents. And training under this master’s program will allow them to ensure the formation of basic competencies of psychologists for gifted children.