A legacy of promise: Reflections,suggestions, and directions from contemporary leaders in the field of gifted education

Abstract

Six contemporary leaders from the field of gifted education responded to questions concerning past, present, and future issues surrounding the education of gifted and talented youth. This report was designed to provide expert perspectives on (a) the accomplishments of gifted education, (b) core non‐negotiables about educating gifted children that all teachers should know, and (c) future challenges and directions for this field of study and practice. Qualitative analysis of the responses yielded core themes in each of the major areas, which are reported with summaries of responses and quotes from each respondent.     

A plan for child find in gifted education

Educators of children with special needs are required by law to employ “child find” to identify children with disabilities in their communities. Similar efforts to locate gifted children are required in a few states, but the practice is not mandated at the federal level. A rationale for child find is provided, as well as the guidelines of child find regarding locating gifted children among the states requiring this practice. Examples of current child find resources are provided, as well as implications for future research. Agencies that may participate in locating potentially gifted children are provided, along with suggested strategies for initiating a child find plan.     

Policy and practice in gifted education

The main purpose of this study was to investigate how policy has become practice in the area of gifted education in the New South Wales government school system. In general, it was a heuristic study of the articulation of policy and practice. A conceptual framework applied to the policy process was used to consider the extent to which the policy intent was realised. At each level of the policy process perceptions and practice were revealed through interviews, documents, content analyses and, in addition, at the school level, through questionnaires as part of a case study approach. The study clarified and gave validity to general assumptions in the areas of policy-making and gifted education. Findings showed that providing for gifted and talented children was not a priority, was not systematic and was not routine. Specifics were lacking through the policy process, resulting in the ad hoc nature of provision for gifted children which varied according to individual initiatives. As the then Minister for Education saw it, the situation was ‘a pepper pot of exciting activities alongside inaction (Metherell 1989).     

Mary Monroe Atwater: A transformative force in science education

This article highlights the transformative contributions of Mary Monroe Atwater to the field of science education. Influenced by worldviews shaped by a segregated macro-society and the privileges of a micro-society, Mary stood against oppression in the early years of her academic career by desegregating academic settings and being the first and only African American in varied arenas for many years. As an aspiring academic, Mary challenged dominant paradigms and as an activist academic, she changed the landscape of science education. She broadened the knowledge base through scholarship and praxis and diversified the science education community through personal and professional efforts that were pioneering in nature.

Reflective thinking and education for the gifted

Using the questions posed by a gifted twelfth grade girl during on American History class, this article defines the nature of reflective thinking as a search for meaning that involves both imaginative as well as critical, logical thought processes. Such thinking is essentially poetic in nature. The author concludes by drawing implications for the education of gifted persons.     

Alternative inquiry and its potential contributions to gifted education: A commentary

There is no absolute knowledge. And those who claim it, whether they are scientists or dogmatists, open the door to tragedy. All information is imperfect. We have to treat it with humility” (Bronowski, 1973, p. 353).     

A validation study of the thinking styles inventory: Implications for gifted education

This study examined internal and external validity of the Thinking Styles Inventory (TSI) developed by Sternberg and Wagner (1991) within the framework of Sternberg's (1988) theory of mental self‐government. Participants were 96 adolescent students who were in a summer residential program at the time of testing. The results provide evidence of the external discriminant validity, but only lend partial support to the internal validity of the instrument, suggesting the need to theoretically clarify the relationships between and among posited thinking styles as well as empirically test the validity of these thinking styles measures. Implications of thinking styles for gifted education are discussed.     

Vocational education: Can it serve the gifted?

Vocational education offers additional opportunities and resources for gifted students.     

Philosophical sense: An ampliative twist in gifted education

Philosophy has not been widely recognized as a means of approaching theory development in gifted education. This article provides an historical overview of the foundations of philosophy related to the field, as well as a structural means of developing philosophical sense for exploring the Natures of knowing, being, and values and valuing through sensitivities of social, political and economic factors of life. The goal is to explore issues beyond the psychologized (developed from theory but not sufficient for reality) manner prevalent within the field. A dichotomy (talent development vs. giftedness) is used as an example of how philosophical sense can structurally organize exploration of controversial issues, enabling scholarly work and adding varied viewpoints to understanding rather than fractionalizing focus into theoretical camps incessantly promoting prized viewpoints at the expense of divergent opinions (and evidence).     

REDSIL: A forth generation evaluation model for gifted education programs

There is a current interest in evaluation of gifted programs. Unfortunately, program evaluation efforts to date have fallen short in terms of usefulness for making program improvements. The REDSIL model is based on different assumptions and uses qualitative methodology in an attempt to overcome shortcomings of previous efforts. This three phase model has been field tested and determined useful.     

Mystery to mastery: Shifting paradigms in gifted education

We provide here a brief historical analysis of a movement in progress from a belief‐based “mystery” model to an evidence‐based “mastery” model of giftedness and talent development. We have observed that educators concerned about exceptionally capable learners are moving from a categorical notion of “the typical gifted child” with somewhat mysteriously defined attributes and learning needs, toward the perspective that some children have exceptionally advanced learning needs that require more flexibly responsive educational attention. We discuss factors that differentiate the two models, and observe some benefits of the shifting paradigm, arguing that by conceptualizing gifted education as providing a dynamically responsive educational match for students who otherwise experience a mismatch with the curriculum normally provided, the mastery model is socially, educationally, and politically more defensible. We discuss some practical implications of this shift in perspective.