History

Plato 324-427BC

• Plato - belief in a intellectual elite (Passow 1979)

• He was interested in giftedness, believing that it was a function of biology and training (Ebenstein 1990).

Lombroso• Lombroso - 1889

–wrote about the connections he believed to exist between genius

and madness. (Neihart, 1999)

Galton• Galton – 1869

– A study of eminent men - achievement 1. intellectual capacity

2. Zeal

3. work ethic

Terman• Terman - 1877-1956

– dismissed the myth that related giftedness to mental defect.

– adopted Stern's "mental quotient" to produce the best-known psychological concept -- IQ.

Whipple• In 1919, Guy Montrose Whipple, Ph. D.

wrote a book entitled Classes For Gifted Children: An Experimental Study of Method and Instruction.

Theory

Leta Stetter Hollingworth 1886-1939• Psychologist and educator published more than 30 studies of the gifted

and was the first advocate of multiple criteria in the identification of the gifted. She was the first counselor of the gifted and the first to study their emotional and social development, and she taught the first course in gifted education in 1922-23.

• designed the first program for emotional education/the affective curriculum.

• battled to refute beliefs of her time that females were innately inferior • initiated one of the most famous experimental programs for gifted learners

at the Speyer School in New York City. • publication two books:, Gifted Children: Their Nature and Nurture (1926)

and Children above 180 IQ-Stanford-Binet.• found that the IQ range of 125-155 was socially optimal, and that children

above 170 IQ were at higher risk for social and emotional problems because their intellectual abilities were so far beyond those of their same age peers. Among her findings was the fact that many exceptional children suffered from adjustment problems due to two things: inept treatment by adults and lack of intellectual challenge.

• "Isolation is the refuge of genius, not its goal" [Hollingworth, 1942] • "In the ordinary elementary school situation, children of 140 IQ waste half

of their time. Those above 170 IQ waste practically all of their time" (Hollingworth, 1942, p. 299)

Raymond Cattell - (1905-1998) • Designed a series of intelligence tests that were

widely utilized, improving on earlier versions by Binet. Best known for his personality tests such as a 16 PF, HSPQ, CPQ (Children’s Personality Questionnaire), CAQ (Clinical Analysis Questionnaire), 8 State Scales, also designed non-verbal tests and presented a theory of fluid and crystallized intelligence which is widely applied now.

• Fluid Intelligence: Intelligence which allows us to learn new things, regardless of past experience. (Innate Intelligence)

• Crystallized Intelligence: Ability to solve problems based upon previous experience.

Joseph Renzulli - 1936

3 Ring Model and Schoolwide Enrichment Model • Developed the Schoolwide Enrichment Model, which evolved

from his original Enrichment Triad Model, and is based upon a vision that "schools are places for talent development." The model uses the pedagogy of gifted education to make school more challenging and enjoyable for all students. The Schoolwide Enrichment Model "blueprint" for total school improvement serves as a practical plan for K-12 teachers and administrators to make this vision a reality. While detailed enough to provide educators with the means to successfully implement the program, the model provides the flexibility for each school to develop its own unique program in accordance with local resources, student population, and faculty interests and strengths. Two major objectives of the Schoolwide Enrichment Model include: providing a broad range of advanced-level enrichment experiences for all students and using student responses to these experiences as stepping stones for relevant follow-up.

Howard Gardner – 1943Theory of Multiple Intelligences

• Arguing that "reason, intelligence, logic, knowledge are not synonymous. . .", Howard Gardner (1983) proposed a new view of intelligence which, despite the fact that it was not designed as an educational prescription, is rapidly being incorporated in school curricula. In his Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Gardner described intelligence as multifaceted, and expanded the concept of intelligence to also include such areas as music, spatial relations, and interpersonal knowledge in addition to mathematical and linguistic ability.

Robert Sternberg – 1949Triarchic Theory & Implicit Theory

• Sternberg does not believe that intellectual giftedness can be represented by a single IQ number. He developed the Triarchic Theory of Human Intelligence. The Triarchic Theory includes – Analytic Giftedness (the kind of giftedness measured by

typical IQ tests)– Synthetic Giftedness (which has to do with creativity,

insightfulness and intuition)– Practical giftednes (which involves applying abilities to

everyday pragmatic situations). • Sternberg also defined an implicit theory of

giftedness that specifies five conditions that gifted people must have in common. The five conditions are excellence, rarity, productivity, demonstratability and value.

Tannenbaum’s Star Model 2003

• The dynamic and static interaction of:

Chance

Environmental influences

Non-intellective requisites

Special aptitude

Innate abilities

Definitions

• There is still no universally accepted definition of giftedness

– Jarvis Gifted and Talented Education Act (1988)

– Sternberg (1997) – Gagne (1999) – Ramos-Ford and Garner (1997)

– Piirto (1999)

Problems with Research

• Research has been population specific.

– Inadequate samples of females or people from culturally diverse and various socioeconomic groups.

Criticism

• The use of intelligence and achievement tests has been criticized because of the following findings:

– Low ceilings on IQ tests. – IQ tests are useful in identifying underachievers.– Intelligence tests are limited in their use with

individuals who are culturally different.

– Achievement tests are not designed to measure the full extent of achievement of children who are

academically gifted.

The Gifted Girl

• Number of girls identified as gifted appears to decline with age.– Gender-role socialization.– Problems demonstrating their abilities in

careers and other pursuits.

• Cultural expectations are changing, and as a result, options for women who are gifted are rapidly expanding.

Historically Underrepresented Groups

– Identify more accurately students from underrepresented groups who are gifted:

• Employ nontraditional measures.• Use multiple criteria.• Allow broader ranges of scores for inclusion in

gifted programs. • Elicit peer and parent nominations.• Conduct assessments by persons other than

educational personnel.• Obtain information provided by adaptive behavior

assessments.

Research Based Strategies

Differentiated Education

• The approaches used to serve gifted and talented students are generally referred to as differentiated education.

• Sandra Kaplan – developed the model of differentiation promoted by HISD.

Strategies for Differentiation

• Grade skipping

• Telescoping

• Acceleration

• Compacting

• Independent study

• Tiered assignments

Places to Differentiate

•Content•Method of Instruction•Products of Learning

Grouping GT Students

• Cluster groups

• Interest groups

• Skill groups

• Multi-aged groups

Models for Differentiation

• Acceleration.

– Acceleration allows students to achieve at rates consonant with their capacities.

• Enrichment.

– Enrichment refers to experiences that extend or broaden a person’s knowledge.

• Special programs and schools.

– Special programs and schools have been designed to advance the talents of individuals in nonacademic areas.