The gifted child with attention deficit disorder: An identification and intervention challenge

Studies of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often emphasize the problems, diagnosis and treatment, but rarely consider the characteristics which are remarkably similar to those of creativity. This study reviews the literature on ADHD traits, their similarity to gifted and creative behaviors, and the implications for educational interventions. A case study of a boy identified with ADHD provides the focus for our discussions. The conclusions point to the need for more varied instructional interventions, emotional and social support, and collaboration between educators and parents.     

Language,discourse and teaching the language arts: The development of imaginative self‐understanding

Paul Ricoeur asks that we conceive of the imagination less in terms of visual images than in terms of language. He develops this idea as part of the hermeneutic work of interpreting literary texts and posits that the world disclosed by the literary work provides a space for the imaginative consideration of new possibilities for the self. I describe some principles for educating children in a literary tradition that may assist in the development of linguistic expression and self‐understanding. Furthermore, some suggestions are made concerning the education of language arts teachers in this regard.     

Suggestions for staff development in teaching critical thinking

Trends towards the devolution of responsibility for decision‐making to the school level are evident in education systems throughout the world. Underpinning policies of devolution are assumptions that school communities will work collaboratively to make decisions appropriate to the local context. However, collaborative processes do not occur automatically. In this paper, a case study of one school committee is presented to outline the processes used and to highlight the difficulties experienced in working collaboratively to develop a school behaviour management policy.     

A Contribution of the Computer to Biology Education at the University

Summaries

English

At the O.P.E. Laboratory, computer‐based biology dialogues result in a new pedagogical situation which could not be achieved by any other method.

This paper describes part of O.P.E. embryology dialogues, designed for undergraduate medical and biology students, and concerning interactions between inductive and competent tissues during embryonic development. Each student using these dialogues is in a position to proceed, in an active manner, through three principal stages in the knowledge of the competence concept: determination of experimental criteria of a state of competence; analysis of evolution of competence in course of time; detection of modifications of competence of a tissue towards sequential inductors.

In the course of the dialogue, each student has to interpret various experimental results, verify hypotheses and conduct in his own way a series of simulated experiments (students have no other chance of carrying out this kind of embryology experiment). The validity of the student's reasoning and his experimental methodology are constantly controlled.

These computer‐based biology dialogues are not intended to supersede other pedagogical activities. They are designed to be a new and specific contribution to comprehension, mastery, and even modelling, of biological concepts and mechanisms, and appear to meet actual requirements of biology education.