IQ Club

We created the IQ Club for children who find regular classroom tasks not challenging enough, and have an insatiable thirst for knowledge.

How do I know if my child is talented?

It is difficult to determine the individual characteristics of talented children using strict models (such as Renzulli, Mönks, Piirto) because the definition of talent has broadened. However, in general, talented children are those for whom experts identify exceptional abilities or skills in one or more of the following areas: 

• general intellectual ability,
• specific learning competence,
• creative thinking,
• leadership potential,
• artistic aptitude,
• psychomotor abilities.

If a child excels in any of the above-mentioned areas, it is recommended to provide additional educational programs beyond traditional schooling to allow them to develop their abilities. 

Therefore, after talent identification, the next task is talent nurturing.

AREAS OF TALENT:

The basis of Skillful Friends' specialized talent nurturing is the Piirto model, which further differentiates talent areas:

I. Characteristics of Knowledge Acquisition

• They have extensive knowledge about various things.
• Their vocabulary is rich, and they use unusual expressions.
• They quickly memorize facts.
• They quickly recognize cause-and-effect relationships.
• They can quickly formulate valid statements and draw conclusions.
• They think critically and independently.

II. Motivation

• They engage deeply with questions that interest them and find it difficult to be interrupted while solving a task.
• Mechanical tasks bore them.
• They strive for perfection.
• They are self-critical and not satisfied with the speed or results of their work.
• They enjoy working independently.
• They set high goals for themselves.

III. Creativity

• They ask diverse and often unconventional questions and formulate new questions based on the answers they receive.
• When a problem arises, they generate multiple ideas or solutions.
• They often provide unusual, peculiar, or remarkably clever answers.
• They do not shy away from expressing their opinions.

IV. Social Behavior

• They frequently ponder concepts such as fairness-unfairness, good-bad.
• If they have a different opinion, they provoke others and are not afraid of conflict situations.
• They have strong individual personalities.
• They do not accept opinions based on authority without critically thinking about and analyzing them.

Talent Development in the Skillful Friends Way:

Effective talent development respects individual characteristics, indirectly supports individual growth through environmental factors, focuses on activities rather than performance, is based on methodological diversity, and strengthens both independent and social activities. In the case of elementary school students, talent development is more effectively fostered through social activities rather than individual ones. It is important for children to understand that they are not alone in their thirst for knowledge. In traditional school lessons, these children often finish their tasks earlier than their peers, become bored, lose their motivation, and frequently bear most of the responsibilities in group work, solving the majority of the tasks. As a result, they miss out on experiencing the magic of collaborative work and their adaptive skills are not fully developed. In our group talent development approach, our students work not only individually but also in pairs and groups, allowing them to experience the advantages of these work forms and acquire new skills.

In terms of content, enrichment is the key principle of talent development in our school. Its fundamental goal is to expand knowledge and the learning process beyond the compulsory curriculum, solving more challenging and complex tasks that require higher-level thinking, as well as subject concentration. In the IQ Club sessions, we place great emphasis on the concentration of natural sciences, STEM subjects, and humanities, enabling our students to broaden their knowledge in multiple areas simultaneously.

At Skillful Friends, our students gain enrichment that focuses on both quantity and quality. Through depth enrichment, we provide multiple opportunities for talented children to apply their knowledge and abilities. With pace enrichment, talented children are capable of learning more within the same amount of time as their peers, and this enrichment can be achieved by incorporating novel content. Content enrichment means tailoring the curriculum to the students, taking into account their individual nature, needs, and interests, and fostering their development in these areas. Enriching processing skills primarily involves developing creative and critical thinking through exploratory and interdisciplinary activities.

     IQ Club 

If the above time is not suitable for your child, you can inquire about additional options by phone or email.