There are many questions frequently asked about gifted learners. Two of the most common are "What does a gifted learner look like?" and "How do you know a student is gifted?" The answer to these questions is not so simple. Gifted learners often exhibit many of the same common characteristics, which will be discussed below. It must be understood that a gifted individual won't show ALL of these characteristics all of the time and some gifted individuals may not appear to show any of these characteristics at all. A presence of these characteristics does not always indicate giftedness. Likewise, an absence of these characteristics does not mean an individual is not gifted. To know a student is gifted, one must truly view the child from every possible angle. All factors must be considered. You need to KNOW the child on multiple levels. Some students will be easy to identify at first glance. Others will require a keen eye and an advocate who sees their potential even when it isn't obvious to others or shown in a typical fashion. Remember, each child is unique. So, what can you be on the lookout for?