Reflections on an evolving view of giftedness and talent: An interview with Rena Subotnik

Students' progress toward educational goals is usually assessed using achievement tests. Assessment of students’ growth in thinking abilities, however, requires alternate techniques. Since thinking is most often performed in problem‐solving situations, teachers can become the best observers of it by providing situations in which students can practice and demonstrate intelligent behaviors. Some indicators include: perseverence, precision of language, problem‐finding, decreased impulsivity, meta‐cognition, checking for accuracy, transference, flexibility, drawing upon previous knowledge and enjoyment of thinking.