bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Learning Characteristics of Gifted Literacy Disabled Students
Authors: Munro John
Published: January 2012

Some gifted students have specific literacy learning disabilities in areas such as reading, writing and spelling. The present study uses a ‘differentiated models of giftedness and talent’ framework to examine the learning characteristics of these students.

The students, 65 gifted primary school students in Melbourne, had a disability in literacy performance in at least one of reading prose accuracy, prose reading comprehension, or isolated word reading accuracy. Their phonemic awareness (segmentation and blending), and general ability using the WISC-III were assessed. As well, to provide an opportunity for the display of their gifted knowledge, tasks examining their ability to infer from what they had read for texts read accurately were used.

Scores on the cognitive factors of the WISC-III identified three categories or ‘profiles’ of gifted knowledge: students gifted verbally, nonverbally and in both areas. The three profiles were associated with particular patterns in literacy knowledge.

Comparison with matching cohorts of gifted students who were not literacy disabled (N = 60) and non-gifted students who had a literacy learning disability (N = 42) suggests that the literacy disability is attributed to lower use of analytic information processing strategies that influenced phonemic awareness knowledge and alphanumeric symbolic coding ability. It also showed that the gifted literacy disabled students could display their gifted knowledge during reading comprehension when provided with appropriate tasks.

The implications of this study for the diagnosis and teaching of gifted literacy disabled students are discussed.
Teachers of the Gifted: A Comparison Of Students' Perpectives in Australia, Austria and the United States
Authors: Vialle Wilma , Tischler Kornelia
Published: January 2012

What characteristics of teachers are most appreciated by their gifted students? The current study sought the views of gifted adolescents through the administration of a questionnaire, the Preferred Instructor Characteristics Scale (Krumboltz & Farquhar, 1957). The scale required students to select between a personal characteristic and an intellectual characteristic on each item in order to determine which group of characteristics was more highly valued. Three additional open-ended questions were included in the questionnaire to elicit students' views about the qualities that are evident in effective teachers. The questionnaire was administered to secondary students in academically selective schools in Australia (n = 387), Austria (n = 142) and the United States (n = 328). All three cohorts produced similar results with the means indicating a strong preference for personal characteristics over intellectual characteristics of teachers. Grade and gender differences were also noted. The open-ended questions revealed that the most effective teachers, according to the gifted student respondents, are those who have a blend of favourable personal and intellectual skills along with a range of teaching approaches.
Policy and Practice: A Twenty Year Retrospective on Gifted Education in the Australian State of New South Wales
Authors: Forster Jill
Published: January 2012

If schools are looking to make opportunities real for gifted and talented students, implementation of policy needs to be prioritised and made routine on a system-wide and a school-wide basis. This paper analyses implementation initiatives as they have occurred over the time span of twenty years from the inception of the New South Wales Department of Education and Training policy for gifted education through the first revision and now through the second revision. It considers the correspondence of policy recommendations with actual school provisions. Such information is of assistance in further policy (re)formulation and in further implementation.
Counseling Gifted Persons: Taking Giftedness into Account
Authors: Mendaglio Sal
Published: January 2012

When counseling clients who are gifted, counselors may adopt one of two positions. Some counselors may decide that counseling that is effective with other clients will suffice for counseling gifted persons. Alternatively, counselors may reflect the view that their counseling of gifted clients should reflect their differentiating characteristics. This article provides elements of a model of counseling gifted persons that reflects the latter position.
Winning Girls, Winning Women
Authors: Rimm Sylvia
Published: January 2012

Counseling gifted girls for successful careers in our society takes planning for a generation of counselors that was itself raised by families where a mother's only role was typically as homemaker. This article makes recommendations for the development of appropriate counseling for young girls growing up in today's society.
Inspection and Inclusion
Authors: Bell David
Published: January 2012

This paper outlines briefly the functions of the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) in England. It examines the role of inspection in promoting educational inclusion and describes features of good teaching, with particular reference to gifted and talented pupils. It concludes by looking ahead to Ofsted's new arrangements for the inspection of schools.
Preparation of Trainee Teachers for Teaching Able and Gifted Pupils in English Primary Schools: How Well Do Our ‘Standards’ Match Up?
Authors: Lambert Mike
Published: January 2012

There are three incentives for developing this paper: In England there is a new (or rather a renewed) focus on the educational needs of school pupils of high ability We also have new standards and requirements in teacher education (‘initial teacher training’) Teacher training in England does not have a strong evidence base on which to plan development. Courses may benefit from strengthening such an evidence base.

These factors have prompted this paper to examine some of the qualities and skills which, according to some key commentators, teachers need for effective teaching of able pupils within the ordinary classroom. It then compares these with the ‘competencies’ or standards which trainee teachers are required to achieve to become qualified teachers in England. It uses this comparison to propose some ways in which teacher training might be enhanced so that emerging teachers are better prepared to meet successfully the needs of able pupils in their mixed-ability classrooms.
An Integrated Framework for Thinking About Learning
Authors: Robson Sue , Moseley David
Published: January 2012

Recent theories and definitions of giftedness and talent take a broad view of cognition, as well as taking account of the conative, affective, and situational aspects of learning. There is also a growing body of research which suggests that thinking skills approaches can be effective in helping to create powerful learning environments and in helping individuals to maximise their potential. We believe that broad-based taxonomies, models and frameworks for understanding the processes involved in thinking and learning should inform both the identification of gifted and talented individuals and the planning of appropriate educational experiences. In this paper we put forward an integrated framework which draws on educational, psychological, philosophical and sociological work over the last half-century and helps provide for course designers, teachers and learners a ‘language for thinking about learning’. We illustrate how this framework can be used to deepen understanding and improve management of the multi-dimensional aspects of successful learning.
Everyone a Winner - Towards Exceptional Achievement for All
Authors: Huxtable Marie
Published: January 2012

This paper explores the implications of a model that works from the premise that all children may be capable of what is currently considered to be exceptional performance, in one or more areas of skill, talent or endeavour. In this scenario the role of the educator is to develop their pedagogical understanding and practice so that an increasing number of children have the opportunity to give expression to their exceptional ability during their life time. The paper goes on to introduce a framework I have been developing to enable me to reflect on and progress a learning environment which provides the experiences and support that will enable children and young people to develop the attitudes, attributes, understandings and skills of thought full and thoughtful learners, with informed aspirations, and the confidence, competence and understanding of themselves, necessary to realise them, to their own and society's benefit.
Challenging Gifted and Talented Children During Literacy Hour
Authors: Williams Mary
Published: January 2012

This article discusses the language and literacy provision that should be made for gifted and talented pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2 in UK primary schools. It considers whether Literacy hour lessons offer an appropriate medium for literacy learning and suggests practical ways in which more able pupils can be challenged to higher levels of achievement across the Programmes of Study of the English National Curriculum. The importance of providing pupils with imaginative, creative, problem-solving tasks is explored and the significance of pupils' gaining metacognitive awareness acknowledged. Suggestions are made about how to differentiate Literacy hour teaching and learning appropriately, so that the needs of gifted and talented pupils can be successfully met.
Bright Girls who Fail: The Limitations of the Active Passive Learner
Authors: Simister C. J.
Published: January 2012

School success, while being reasonably easy to achieve for more able pupils, may mask disturbing gaps in the student's intellectual development. Furthermore, the processes, skills and attitudes that are most likely to promote success within our existing school system could prove detrimental to a pupil's future prospects, with particularly significant implications for those students who conform most closely to the system. This paper examines the case for identifying ‘bright girls’, whose academic ability is rarely questioned, as a high risk group. Proposals are made to address this, with potential benefits for all pupils.
Creating a New Vision of Learning Learning for Able, Gifted and Talented Pupils: What Issues Should Lie at of Educational Decisions?
Authors: West-Burnham John
Published: January 2012

Any discussion about the nature learning in the future risks indulging in false optimism — seeking to describe Shangri-la. This is not the purpose of this discussion; rather it is to try to identify current knowledge and trends and extrapolate from them what our emerging understanding of education might lead to. We create the future, the decisions that we take now will determine the nature of schooling, educating and learning in the future.

The historically dominant paradigm of learning as the product of teaching is being replaced by a recognition that teaching is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for learning. We will focus on three areas where our understanding of the learning process is developing rapidly: the scientific basis of learning learning as a social relationship intelligence and learning.
Issues in Educating Gifted Students in Israel
Authors: Rachmel Shlomit
Published: January 2012

• Three major dilemmas: Is there a need for special education for gifted and talented children? What is the best kind of program for gifted and talented students? Which approach should be used to identify gifted students, quantitative or qualitative? Which criteria should be used, absolute or relative?
Characteristics of Gifted Students: Age and Gender Findings from Three Decades of Cohorts
Authors: Landau Erika , David Hanna
Published: January 2012

We have studied three cohorts of the students accepted to the Young Persons' Institute for the Promotion of Creativity and Excellence: October 1982, October 1993, and October 2003. Each cohort was of more than 350 students, chosen randomly from the 35-year database of the Institute. The number of 350 students for each cohort was in order to enable a ‘slicing’ as delicate as possible of the ages of the students starting their participation at the Institute's activities. The database is compounded of two parts: information of children accepted and those who were not accepted to the Institute's afternoon enrichment classes — because of not reaching the required minimal achievements. The paper presents the comparisons between the genders in all three cohorts.
Creative Thinking in Mathematics in Israeli High School Students
Authors: Livne Nava L. , Milgram Roberta M.
Published: January 2012

The authors distinguished both theoretically and empirically between academic and creative abilities in mathematics. The former was postulated as intelligence applied to mathematics and the latter as creative thinking, operationally defined as ideational fluency, applied to mathematics. The findings of a large-scale study of 10th and 11th grade students (N = 1,090) conducted in Israel indicated that creative thinking constitutes a necessary but not sufficient component in creative thinking in mathematics. The practical implications of these findings are that it would be worthwhile to add reliable measures of both general creative thinking and domain-specific creative ability in mathematics, such as the ones developed in the current study, to IQ scores and school grades in order to identify pupils with such abilities and to help them realize their mathematical talent.
Student-Text Interface in Gifted Children: Case Description
Authors: Jannai Milly Epstein
Published: January 2012

The program I will present tries to enrich learning encounters of gifted children with literary texts. These encounters are assumed to combine emotional factors with cognitive ones connected to the production of knowledge and its organization. The proposal emphasizes the interaction between these factors through sharpening children's awareness of their involvement in the reading process.

The current research proceeds from a general hypothesis that states that intensive and personalized care is needed in order to promote an appropriate balance of cognitive and affective/emotional traits in the gifted child's personality, and to reduce stress, uneven development, and lack of personal contentment, all of which are problems common to the talented.

The approach presents the meeting between reader and text as a personal encounter that allows the young reader to fashion his own instruments of textual analysis, basing himself on affective experience and intellectual abilities related to the production and organization of knowledge. The process of reading itself, aside from adult support and aid, develops the reader's awareness of the motivational, attitudinal, intellectual and other factors involved in skilled reading, permitting him to transform personal and subjective foci of interest into more abstract and defined tools of text-analysis.

The approach is organized around three foci, which emphasize different aspects of the text-reader interface: Reading materials are developed through expanding “core ideas” which reflect a personal focus of interest The role of the reader is stressed through the improvement of his awareness to his use of meta-cognition, insight and vital self-instruction. Adult involvement is particularly significant in planning the steps that will permit transforming a casual experience into a personal and meaningful life-experience.

The most salient characteristic of this program is its holistic nature, and its commitment to the creative aspects involved in reading. In the long term, in addition to the design of tools for text analysis, the program encourages the development of different kind of awareness: 1) of cognitive styles, that influence learning styles and its results; 2) of the meta-components of thinking, and 3) of “occurrences” and random feelings that give color and nuances to cognitive components and serve as a motivational background when “meeting” the text.
Excellence and Social Responsibility
Authors: Erez Ronny
Published: January 2012

Excellence is generally perceived as an individualist value, which stands in opposition to social values. This contrast is included in the framework of the much broader discussion of the relationship between knowledge and value. The ancient debate between Socrates and Protagoras raises this argument in a manner still relevant today. This paper attempts to present the problem from an historical viewpoint and to show how the curriculum of the Israel Arts and Science Academy assumes the challenge of integrating education for excellence with social value-oriented commitment. The Israel Arts and Science Academy is defined as a school for excelling students, yet it simultaneously aspires to ensure that it will graduate students socially involved in their community. In that light, the school academically addresses questions concerning the knowledge-value relationship, the relationship between pluralism and personal identity and questions of ethics in science. It also creates a framework in which its students actually experience social action and contribution.
Gifted and Talented: Working Inside Out or Outside In?
Authors: Campbell Andrew , Kerry Trevor
Published: January 2012

Brooke Weston City Technology College, Corby, UK, is a highly successful secondary school with outstanding examination results for pupils aged sixteen years. Its intake is deliberately balanced to ensure pupils of all abilities are admitted; the area has notable social disadvantages. This article examines the strategies used by the College to promote learning, strategies which maximise the performance of pupils so that value added means that an unexpectedly high proportion might be considered ‘gifted and talented’. The paper goes on to examine the underlying rationale of the Brooke Weston strategies, how they compare with those in most other schools, and what other educators might learn from the Brooke Weston practice and ethos.
Psychoeducational Service for Parents of Gifted and Talented Students: A Brazilian Experience
Authors: Souza Fleith Denise de , Gonzaga Guimarães Tânia
Published: January 2012

This article describes a counseling service for parents of gifted and talented children in Brazil. The main purpose of this service is providing an opportunity for parents to receive information on giftedness, share experiences with other families, and discuss strategies to be implemented in the familial context to enhance and cultivate children's abilities. An evaluation of the service by the participants and coordinators is provided. The importance of guiding families of gifted and talented children is discussed as well as the problems faced by these families.
Ibero-American Institute for the Development of Thinking, Talent and Creativity
Authors: Monteros Molina José Maria
Published: January 2012

In May, 1998, a group of psychologists and pedagogues of the Private Technical University of Loja, Ecuador, was established in accordance to a common goal: Delving deeply into the study, advancement and development of the human learning-potential in order to contribute to enhancing the quality of life of the Ecuadorian population. On the basis of the three fundamental elements of the “productive university-scholarship”: Teaching, investigation and social services. This article outlines the development of the project.
Alberto Merani Institute: Two Decades Educating Gifted Youngsters in Colombia
Authors: Samper Julián De Zubiría.
Published: January 2012

This paper outlines the gifted education activities implemented in the Alberto Merani Institute, Bogota, Colombia. The rationale for the program, the curriculum implemented and the results of the follow up of the gifted students attended are described.
The Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales (RIAS) and Assessment of Intellectual Giftedness
Authors: Brueggemann Amber E. , Reynolds Cecil R. , Kamphaus R.W.
Published: January 2012

The Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales (RIAS) (Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2003) is a psychometrically sound, individually administered test of intelligence developed and standardized for ages 3 through 94 years. This article describes the goals for development of the RIAS and its underlying theory, emphasizing its applicability to the identification of intellectually gifted individuals. In addition, an overview of the test's administration and psychometric properties is provided.
Cultural Competence in the Use of IQ Tests with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Children
Authors: Fletcher-Janzen Elaine , Ortiz Samuel O.
Published: January 2012

Practitioners routinely use IQ tests to identify exceptionality in children whose cultural and linguistic heritage differs from the U.S. mainstream. Frequently, such activities are devoted to the identification of a disability. Although the issues are quite similar, this article seeks to examine the issues from the perspective of identifying diverse children who may be gifted and talented and outlining the necessary components for cultural competence in this form of assessment. Historical and recent developments in mental testing are discussed as well as research that indicates differences in performance between mainstream individuals and those who are culturally or linguistically different. Additional discussion is provided regarding problems inherent in traditional practices presumed to reflect culturally competent evaluation and methods that have been developed recently that better address the problems that arise in the evaluation of gifted and talented diverse individuals. Following existing professional ethical mandates and guidelines for equitable practice, we outlined a series of competencies that form the basis of fair and equitable assessment of diverse children who may be gifted and talented. These competencies included developing self-awareness, establishing trust and building rapport, learning the family system, rethinking intelligence, modifying referral indicators, evaluating fairly, interpreting equitably, and intervening appropriately. Although not intended to be a complete prescription for engaging in and developing culturally competent assessment, it is believed that the guidelines contained herein can be used effectively to guide practice that represents current best practices in culturally competent gifted and talented assessment.
Use of the WISC-IV with the Gifted and Talented
Authors: Dilworth Gabel Amy
Published: January 2012

The goal of this paper is to provide practical information for teachers and other instructional staff working with youngsters who have been administered the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children — Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) (Harcourt Assessment, 2003) or WISC-IV Integrated (Harcourt Assessment, 2004) as part of the identification process. The WISC-IV Integrated contains all of the subtests of the WISC-IV, but adds 16 additional subtests that address information processing and allow clinicians to evaluate various hypotheses regarding student functioning. In most situations, it is likely that students evaluated for gifted and talented programs will only be administered the core and supplemental subtests, and not the additional process components included in the WISC-IV Integrated, as these subtests are most often administered to assist examiners in evaluating information processing capabilities to rule-in or rule-out various hypotheses concerning low scores on the test, and to develop interventions to address individual learning needs. Although gifted and talented students often require individualized learning experiences, further investigation of cognitive information processing strengths and weaknesses is not always pursued via these types of measures. Consequently, the primary focus of this chapter will be on the core and supplemental subtests of the WISC-IV, rather than the process subtests associated with the Integrated. The chapter is organized into the following elements: a) a basic description of the WISC-IV structure; b) WISC-IV and the Gifted population; and c) using WISC-IV data and other observations to develop interventions for students.
The Training of Teachers of Gifted Students in Universities in Australia
Authors: Whitton Diana
Published: January 2012

The training of teachers of gifted students is necessary for students to be afforded the most suitable forms of education in both mainstream and specialist classes. This paper examines the training of teachers in gifted education in Australia in light of the political structure of the country which impacts upon the options for learning for gifted students. Within the Commonwealth of Australia there are three levels of government which all have different responsibilities for the training of teachers and the education of students. The tertiary sector is governed by the Federal Government whilst the primary and secondary sectors are governed by the State/Territory Governments. This structure creates difficulties for the training of teachers of gifted students in particular that the state and territory teachers are not required to have formal qualifications in gifted education to be a teacher of gifted students despite gifted education being an educational priority.

This paper examines the limited number of courses available to teachers on gifted education and the level they are taught.
Some Thoughts on the Training of Teachers of Gifted Learners
Authors: van der Westhuizen Carol , Maree Jacobus G.
Published: January 2012

Ten years after the demise of the apartheid system in South Africa (SA), the ratio achieving gifted: non-achieving gifted is still woefully inadequate. The need for gifted learners to be better equipped for the challenges of a post-modern society and tertiary study needs to be highlighted, since far too many of the gifted currently do not stand even the remotest chance of achieving up to near their potential Furthermore, the narrative of democratic change in SA during the final decade of the 20th century has been a chronicle of the demise of a “racially and culturally segregated and differentiated education system based on the ideology of Christian National Education” (Porteus, 2003:13).
Demonstrating Resilience in a HIV & AIDS Context: An Emotional Intelligence Perspective
Authors: Ebersöhn Liesel , Maree Jacobus G.
Published: January 2012

In this article we contemplate resilience in vulnerable children as a form of emotional giftedness. By foregrounding relevant segments of six ongoing studies and focusing on ways in which vulnerable children in communities in South Africa cope with the impact of HIV&AIDS. The concepts of protective factors, processes and cumulative protection shape our understanding of vulnerable children's coping in terms of resilience as a signature form of (emotional) giftedness. In our studies we use a qualitative case study research design with groups of children in the six participating communities. We rely on dimensions of resilience to extract evidence of vulnerable children's resilient coping. The results of the study indicate that traces of resilient coping amongst the participating group of children do exist, and that these traces are closely related to the manifestation of emotional intelligence. Themes indicative of children's resilient coping include a sense of self-worth (based on added responsibility and related to education), the presence of hope and optimism, a sense of security, comfort and belonging (based on knowledge of future caregivers and remaining in a familiar community), as well as self- regulation capacity. We conclude by debating these resilient coping strategies as a form of emotional giftedness.
Teacher and Student Perceptions Regarding the Academic Needs of Gifted Students: Similarities, Differences and Recommendations
Authors: Kemp Andrew T.
Published: January 2012

The relationship between the perceptions of teachers and those of gifted students regarding gifted curriculum and instructional methods was investigated in this study. An instrument was developed that examined these perceptions related to various methods in gifted education. It was noted that the strongest agreement was found in the promotion of accelerated or advanced classes where both the students and the teachers agreed (average score of 5.1 out of 6). Likewise, it was also noted that students and teachers did not feel that work should be completed more quickly (average score 2.62 out of 6). It was found that encouragement toward advanced studies and increased opportunities to explore topics of interest would also be beneficial while forced acceleration of work would not.
Characteristics of Creativity Change in University Students
Authors: Grakauskaitė - Karkockienė Daiva
Published: January 2012

The article seeks to explore the chances of fostering the cognitive and the personality components of creativity in university students. The present work regards divergent thinking as a cognitive component of human creative power. Divergent thinking parameters covered by the present research include fluency, flexibility, and originality of thinking. Thus, this particular aspect of creativity is highlighted in this work in order to verify the chances of training for divergent thinking by means of a special training program.
A Longitudinal Study on a Gifted Child
Authors: Chen Zhijun , Zou Zhiling
Published: January 2012

Based on a previous longitudinal study, multiple methods were used to investigate the development of a Chinese gifted child, with the emphasis on her college stage, Results showed that she had grown up into a healthy, rounded, and stable gifted young adult, and had developed compound and specialized talents. Some factors were discussed to explore the pattern and condition of her development.
Film Course Makes Schooling More Attractive: An Example of Educational Reform in China
Authors: Shi Jiannong , Liu Zhengkui
Published: January 2012

Film was originally invented for entertainment, but it is successfully used as an active educational mediation in China. Seeing film was arranged as a regular course like math and language, and included in regular school programs. It becomes Film Course. This article introduces the fact of film course experiment in China, how films are selected and arranged, how to use film course to improve students' school achievement, as well as develop holistically. It turns out that film course is an effective way of attracting students back to school and enhancing their learning enthusiasm.
Parenting and Children's Cognitive Development
Authors: He Jing , Shi Jiannong , Luo Bin
Published: January 2012

This study investigated the differences in parenting between the parents of gifted children and the parents of non-gifted children in the context of some parenting dimensions, such as parents' educational values, parent-child interaction, parents' efficacy for their children, independence training, health maintenance, expectation and socialization. An 88-item questionnaire concerning the above parenting dimensions and a corresponding 88-item questionnaire concerning children's outcomes were applied respectively to 148 non-gifted and 59 gifted children and both their parents in Beijing. Data analyses revealed some substantial differences between the parents of gifted children and the parents of non-gifted children. The parents of gifted children scored significantly higher on three parenting dimensions: educational values, efficacy for their children, and parent-child interaction. These differences were identical with some previous research findings of the characteristics of parents of highly gifted or cognitive competent individuals, which had been proved beneficial to children's cognitive development.
Curriculum Compacting: The Best Way to Bridge the Education of School-House Giftedness and Creative/Productive Giftedness in China
Authors: Yang Wenzhong (Eric) , Siegle Del
Published: January 2012

The controversial about education of school-house giftedness and education of creative/productive giftedness in China has become heated in the past few years. Educational reform, however, is not an either-or choice, i.e. replacing education of school-house giftedness with that of creative/productive giftedness. These two types of education are different from each other, but they are usually interactive. This article discusses the possible combination of these two types of education through curriculum compacting. It further discusses the necessity and possibility of curriculum compacting, and concludes that the combination of examination education and curriculum compacting is the best way to reach the goal of education of creative/productive giftedness in China.
Philosophy Seminars for Five-year-olds
Authors: Maxwell Nicholas
Published: January 2012

All of us, I believe, are extraordinarily active and creative intellectually when we are very young. Somehow, in the first few years of life, we acquire an identity, a consciousness of self; we discover, or create, a whole view of the world, a cosmology; and we learn to understand speech, and to speak ourselves. And we achieve all this without any formal education whatsoever. Compared with these mighty intellectual achievements of our childhood, the heights of adult artistic and scientific achievement all but pale into insignificance. It is reasonable to suppose that there is a biological, a neurological, basis for our extraordinary capacity to learn when we are very young. It probably has to do with the fact that our brains are still growing during the first few years of life. It is striking that there are things that can only be learnt during this time. If we have not had the opportunity to learn to speak by the age of twelve, we will never really learn to speak. Lightning calculators all begin to acquire their extraordinary arithmetical skills when very young. Some things, it seems, become too difficult for us to learn as we grow older. In our early childhood we are forced, by our situation, to be creative philosophers and metaphysicians, preoccupied by fundamental issues. One has only to think of the endless questioning of young children to appreciate something of their insatiable hunger to know, to understand.
Epistemological and Educational Presuppositions of P4C: From Critical Dialogue to Dialogical Critical Thinking
Authors: Daniel Marie-France
Published: January 2012

In Quebec as in other parts of the world, education is becoming increasingly problematic, in that the list century will likely be shaped by three major trends: globalization, the explosion of knowledge and accelerated development of technologies, and the increasing complexity of life within our societies12J. DELORS, ibid., p. 47.. In future, schools must ensure a form of education that enables young people to successfully face these new challenges, that is oriented towards the development of critical thinking.
Dancing Minds: the Use of Socratic and Menippean Dialogue in Philosophical Enquiry
Authors: Fisher Robert
Published: January 2012

This paper reflects on the nature of ‘dialogic teaching’ to help answer the question: ‘What kinds of dialogue do children need?’ It draws on Bakhtin's analysis of different genres of dialogue and research into philosophy with children to describe how Socratic and Menippean dialogue can extend the creative possibilities of enquiry with children. It argues that Menippean dialogue can add value to Socratic and other more directive kinds of dialogue, illustrating this with examples of dialogue drawn from philosophical enquiries with children using a ‘Stories for Thinking’ approach. It identifies the key features of a community of enquiry and concludes with a summary of ways Socratic and Menippean dialogue can stimulate, engage and inspire ‘dancing minds’.
A Skills Based Approach to P4C — Philosophy: Fairy Tales and the Foundation Stage
Authors: Stanley Sara
Published: January 2012

This article will focus on the classroom practice of Philosophy for Children (P4C) through a skills based approach to Enquiry. The sessions involved a maximum of 27 full time reception pupils aged four and five at Chapel Break First School, Norwich. The school has a wide socio-economic mix where the figures for SEN, EAL and free school meals are all higher then the national average. P4C was introduced six years ago in response to low baseline scores, decreasing communication and poor social skills. It compliments the school's ethos of accelerated learning and higher order thinking. This article will show how parents are involved in P4C with their children and aims to show the progression of philosophical skills the children experienced in the first few weeks of starting school.
Delving Ever Deeper: Gifted Students and Philosophy
Authors: Splitter Laurance J.
Published: January 2012

This paper is a reflection on practice, specifically, the practice of introducing philosophy into the middle school grades at one of the United States’ most highly acclaimed public schools for the intellectually gifted, located in a large and highly diverse city on the East Coast. While the paper describes some salient features of the school and its philosophy program, it moves beyond mere description to ask what philosophy has to offer gifted students, and how the experience at this particular school and others like it, might have been, and might yet be, improved. One issue not taken up in the paper, other than descriptively, is the familiar conundrum of how — or even whether — giftedness is to be characterized in ways that sit comfortably with legitimate concerns about the nature of intelligence, the socio-political dimensions of culture and diversity, and the demands of equity and fairness which any democratic society worthy of the name must address. For what it's worth, I do not believe that there is any such thing as a “gifted program”, that is, a subject, or curriculum which belongs exclusively to gifted students, however they are to be identified. On the other hand, I am fearful for the future of a society which does not recognize and celebrate excellence of all kinds, and excellence in thinking, specifically. Gifted students may not deserve more attention than students generally; but they don't deserve less either.

The school in question is typical in offering a broad assortment of subjects and programs which must compete for space in a crowded curriculum. In this context, the process of introducing one more subject has not been easy. Nevertheless, the experience has provided new insights into what many would take for granted — that young people who are classified, by whatever measure, as intellectually gifted, take to philosophy like ducks to water. In this paper, I reflect on these insights, supporting both the importance of giving gifted students access to philosophy, but also the broader thesis that philosophy offers something of great importance to all children and teachers.
The Need for Recognition: P4C as a Response to Simister's “Bright Girls Who Fail”
Authors: Glaser Jen
Published: January 2012

I remember a story I once read11Louis Gold: ‘Baby ‘X’, in Fox, Thilde: Fair Play for Boys and Girls: Towards Equal Opportunity, pp26–42 that was written to confront the gender stereotypes that are so deeply embedded in our culture. The story was about ‘Baby X'. Baby X was part of a very ‘x’ pensive ‘x’ periment… Baby X was to be raised without anyone knowing whether ‘it’ was a boy or a girl The aunts and uncles had their noses out of joint as they were unsure what type of presents to buy, or what colour clothing to knit. Strangers stopped complimenting X as they weren't sure if they should be noting how ‘pretty’ X was, or how ‘clever’ — and the teachers at school were concerned as they were unsure what encouragement to give X — should X be encouraged to go outside with the boys and play soccer, or encouraged to stay inside and play shop with the girls? Was X's math good for a girl? or was X's poetry good for a boy? The story ends with the boys in X's class beginning to play with dolls, and the girls demanding an equal place in the sport teams.
An Evaluation of Philosophical Enquiry: A Process for Achieving the Future Curriculum?
Authors: Trickey Steve
Published: January 2012

This study investigated the effects of collaborative philosophical enquiry on children aged from 10 to 12 years in mainstream classes in primary schools in an educational district in Scotland. The evaluation used a variety of methods to investigate the outcomes arising from the use of collaborative classroom philosophical enquiry. This paper provides an overall summary of this evaluation and considers the implications of these findings for future developments in the curriculum.
Differentiation for Effective Instruction in Science
Authors: Sisk Dorothy A.
Published: January 2012

Scientists-in-Schools (SIS) is a research project funded by the U.S. Department of Education Javits Program for Gifted and Talented that targets the achievement gap between underrepresented students and other students. SIS, a five year project seeks to increase student achievement in Science for low income minority students to enable them to qualify for their district's gifted program. This article shares examples of differentiation in Science curriculum focusing on the use of inquiry with teachers working side-by-side with university professors in Saturday Science labs. Results indicate that the outcomes of increased student achievement, increased science content for teachers, and increased numbers of underrepresented students being identified for their district gifted program are being met. Currently, 90 teachers and 300 students have been involved in the SIS project, with 56% of the students able to qualify for the gifted program.
Differentiating Learning Experiences in a Mixed Ability Classroom: Using the TASC Problem-Solving Approach
Authors: Wallace Belle
Published: January 2012

Belle Wallace has been developing a Problem-solving approach to learning and teaching for many years. Her work is known internationally, and many schools in regions around the world are using her problem-solving approach to maximise the opportunities for differentiating learning and teaching to suit the multi-dimensional developmental needs of children in a mixed ability classroom Belle's Problem-solving Framework for Curriculum Development is known as TASC (Thinking Actively in a Social Context). This article outlines the basic theory that underpins TASC and suggests a range of generic Problem-solving Strategies utilising the whole brain and developing the thinking processes commonly used by expert thinkers and problem-solvers.
A Differentiated Gifted Program to Nurture Spiritual Intelligence
Authors: Wong Susan Siu Man
Published: January 2012

The Spiritual Intelligence Program is a part of a series of gifted programs in the G.T. School using a whole family approach to giftedness. There were 20 families joining the project, from April 2004 to June 2006. The children had 14 one and a half hour workshops during Friday afternoons, and the parents had 12 two and a half hour workshops on Friday night. The family attends a family Soul Care camp once a year. The project was well received and successful. A short introduction of this project is presented. Other audiences include a group of pediatricians, the local parents in the Methodist social centre, and Chinese Christian churches in Hong Kong, as well as in Canada. People who are rich in their spiritual lives can best express their talents, gifts, emotions, intellect, and vision in the world. They can find meaning, purpose, and connection with themselves and others.
Gifted Education in Australia: A Story of Striving for Balance
Authors: Plunkett Margaret , Kronborg Leonie
Published: January 2012

Australian educators have followed a slightly different pathway to other industrialised nations in their response to giftedness. While undoubtedly influenced by the developing educational policies of both the United States of America and the United Kingdom, the Australian approach to meeting the needs of highly able students has been distinctive. Influenced by idiosyncratic political and ideological nuances, gifted educational policies and responses within Australia vary within state boundaries; yet, the commonalties suggest an underlying ethos that could be described as unique. That uniqueness is characterised by an almost evangelical zeal for principles supporting inclusiveness and egalitarianism, which has in turn led to intense scrutiny of educational provisions for giftedness. Nevertheless, many Australian educators have endeavoured to create a supportive and effective environment for nurturing high ability students, as there are exemplary differentiated programs within both the state and private sectors. This is particularly evident in the Victorian state system where the Select Entry Accelerated Learning (SEAL) Program illustrates the philosophical commitment to creating an inclusive environment for supporting excellence.
Differentiation: Gifted Children in the Canadian Classroom
Authors: Leroux Janice A. , McMillan Edna M.
Published: January 2012

Providing programs for gifted and talented students is in the hands of provisional governments in Canada. This article examines types of differentiation actively in place in Canada including cluster grouping, mentorship programs, and mini-course enrichment. The authors stress that regardless of the model used, programs will only flourish with the support and nourishment of dedicated people.
The Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Giftedness
Authors: Bar-On Reuven
Published: January 2012

Although the gifted represent an enormous asset to our society, most societies worldwide neglect this very important segment of the population and their potential contribution, relegating it to a poorly tapped national resource. This neglect is manifested by the apparent lack of concern and effective tools for studying giftedness as well as identifying the gifted and creating special education programs to help them realize their potential. The disadvantaged gifted are even more difficult to identify and create educational programs for because of the impact of the disadvantageous conditions in which they live. The result of this neglect often has a negative effect on the gifted personally as well as extracts an incalculable price for society in general for failing to channel the most brilliant minds amongst us into the arts, sciences and leadership.
Undervalued and Under-Served: The Gifted Disadvantaged
Authors: Westhuizen Carol van der
Published: January 2012

It is a fallacy that the government does not value bright children because it wants to reduce every child to the lowest common denominator. Nothing could be further from the truth (Asmal, 2003: 4).

The omission of gifted learners as a special education needs category from policy documents such as White Paper 6 (Department of Education, 2001) In South Africa is cause for concern. Although the White Paper acknowledges that certain learners may require intensive support to develop to their full potential and that learner differences should be respected, “whether due to age, gender, ethnicity, language, class, disability, HIV or other infectious diseases” (Department of Education, 2001: 16, 6) it makes no specific mention of gifted learners. Asmal (2003:4) stated that the success of the South African (SA) school system is dependent on providing for the “blossoming of the potential of all our children”, but not by isolating gifted learners, since they could “add great value to the potential of other children through collaboration”. Naledi Pandor, South Africa's minister of education recently explained: “We must promote the broadest possible view of inclusion, in the sense of social inclusion, which poses challenges for every school that has one or more children who are ‘different’ in some way. We must embrace and celebrate that difference” (2005:5).