Gifted French Immersion Students
Gifted and talented students are also grouped under the umbrella of students with special needs. Parents may choose French immersion because they feel that learning a second language will offer a suitable challenge to their exceptionally bright child. This may or may not be true depending on the child’s area(s) of giftedness. A child gifted in visual or performing arts will not necessarily be challenged by simply being in a French immersion program. Such a child would need other enrichment opportunities in English or in French. Janice A. Leroux (1992) states:“For some gifted students, the novelty of the second language will entice them to herculean efforts to achieve; for others who are talented in spatial or logical mathematical skills, the effort may result in frustration and self-doubt. The resource teacher must take the time to understand the students’ various abilities and needs before planning relevant instructional strategies.”
