Parents eyeing Canyons District's magnet program for gifted kids, SALTA, should mark their calendars; the application window to test into next year’s program is closing soon on October 1. Halley Kirk, the SALTA coordinator, shed light on the essence of the program during a recent episode of Connect Canyons, highlighting the unique needs of cognitively gifted students who exhibit a natural knack for asking profound questions and grasping complex patterns, as reported by Canyons District.
Gifted children, as Kirk puts it, "are just wired differently." They are processing multiple aspects of a challenge simultaneously, whereas others might take it step by step, equating their thought processes to hearing an entire orchestra instead of a single instrument. SALTA specifically caters to these advanced thinkers by nurturing their executive functioning skills, teaching them how to evaluate their existing knowledge, self-advocate, and interact effectively with peers. These tools, Kirk emphasizes, help foster "more durable skills," where gifted students often need additional guidance. Kirk told the Canyons District.
Unlike the regular classroom environment, SALTA employs specialized training with a curriculum focusing on real-world applications of learned concepts to better suit the heightened abilities of these students. Each day in the SALTA program features an array of task-based applications and opportunities that diverge from the standard educational path, an approach that underscores the depth of learning these students require to thrive.
