Problem 3
Learning Goals:
- How is giftedness determined?
- How or who decides whether children should move up grades?
- What are the implications on children (gifted and not-gifted) when a student is
moved up a grade?
- What are alternative solutions for gifted children?
Subotnik – rethinking giftedness and gifted education, a proposed direction forward based
on psychological science
Intro:
Perspectives of giftedness:
1. High IQ
- most concentrated attention to giftedness is at high intellectual abilities
- giftedness is a generic, innate quality of an individual that needs to be recognized by
some type of cognitive assessment or IQ test
- gifted people are assumed to have reasoning abilities that allow them to be
successful across all academic domains and remain gifted throughout their lives
whether or not they achieve
- contrary to this many say outstanding academic ability requires more than
intellectual ability
- the conception of giftedness as primary general intelligence (g) is common in public
2. Emotional fragility
- another conception is the unique emotional fragility resulting from their innate
sensitivities
- high-IQ people are not just superior in their intellectual functioning but also
volitional, emotional and social functioning
- they need special programming, ongoing emotional support and understanding
- their vulnerabilities are seen as inherent to their giftedness
3. Creative-productive giftedness (by Renzulli)
- manifested in recognized high level performance and innovative ideas
- psychological characteristics (task persistence, creativity and motivation) are as
important to creative productivity as is intellectual or academic ability
- these characteristics should be cultivated in school programs
- recognized the contributions of psychosocial variables to the manifestation of
giftedness
4. Development in various domains
- based on what’s learned from gifted people in arenas outside academics
- gifted people in athletic and other competitive domains and the arts are mainly
educated outside of school (private tutors etc.)
- most knowledge on this used to be based on anecdotes, but growing knowledge
, - elite sport and performing-arts are examples of combining talents with strength
training and coaching
5. Practice and unequal access to opportunities
- dismisses the role of ability, attributing outstanding
- importance of practice to develop expertise
- importance of special advantageous chance factors like being at the right place at the
right time
- giftedness as a development process that’s domain specific and malleable
- although the process may start with demonstrated potential, giftedness must be
developed and sustained by ways of training and interventions
- acquisition of psychosocial and social skills, and engaging in a domain fully are
required to pursue difficult new paths
- the goal of this process is to transform potential talent during youth into outstanding
performance and innovation in adulthood
- studying giftedness who will be gifted in the long term??
o from early identified children, few of them become outstanding in adulthood
o there are also examples of outstanding people who were not recognized in
childhood
- the disconnect between gifted performance in childhood and adulthood shows that
the current system of education and identification should be replaced with one that
provides the necessary resources
- 2 stages of the process of talent development:
o talent identification:
targeting of domain-specific talent
o talent promotion:
how the person demonstrating talent is instructed, guided and
encouraged
too often left to chance
Defining Giftedness
- giftedness:
o reflects the values of the society
o is typically manifested in actual outcomes especially in adulthood
o is domain specific
o is the result of the coalescing of biological, pedagogical, psychological, and
psychosocial factors
o is relative not just to the ordinary but to the extraordinary
important points:
- ability is necessary but not sufficient enough for the development of special talent
- interest and commitment to a domain is essential
- gifted achievement also depends on appropriate teaching of psychosocial skills
(persistence and effort)
- in every domain the percentage of outstanding adults is smaller than children with
gifted potential
Learning Goals:
- How is giftedness determined?
- How or who decides whether children should move up grades?
- What are the implications on children (gifted and not-gifted) when a student is
moved up a grade?
- What are alternative solutions for gifted children?
Subotnik – rethinking giftedness and gifted education, a proposed direction forward based
on psychological science
Intro:
Perspectives of giftedness:
1. High IQ
- most concentrated attention to giftedness is at high intellectual abilities
- giftedness is a generic, innate quality of an individual that needs to be recognized by
some type of cognitive assessment or IQ test
- gifted people are assumed to have reasoning abilities that allow them to be
successful across all academic domains and remain gifted throughout their lives
whether or not they achieve
- contrary to this many say outstanding academic ability requires more than
intellectual ability
- the conception of giftedness as primary general intelligence (g) is common in public
2. Emotional fragility
- another conception is the unique emotional fragility resulting from their innate
sensitivities
- high-IQ people are not just superior in their intellectual functioning but also
volitional, emotional and social functioning
- they need special programming, ongoing emotional support and understanding
- their vulnerabilities are seen as inherent to their giftedness
3. Creative-productive giftedness (by Renzulli)
- manifested in recognized high level performance and innovative ideas
- psychological characteristics (task persistence, creativity and motivation) are as
important to creative productivity as is intellectual or academic ability
- these characteristics should be cultivated in school programs
- recognized the contributions of psychosocial variables to the manifestation of
giftedness
4. Development in various domains
- based on what’s learned from gifted people in arenas outside academics
- gifted people in athletic and other competitive domains and the arts are mainly
educated outside of school (private tutors etc.)
- most knowledge on this used to be based on anecdotes, but growing knowledge
, - elite sport and performing-arts are examples of combining talents with strength
training and coaching
5. Practice and unequal access to opportunities
- dismisses the role of ability, attributing outstanding
- importance of practice to develop expertise
- importance of special advantageous chance factors like being at the right place at the
right time
- giftedness as a development process that’s domain specific and malleable
- although the process may start with demonstrated potential, giftedness must be
developed and sustained by ways of training and interventions
- acquisition of psychosocial and social skills, and engaging in a domain fully are
required to pursue difficult new paths
- the goal of this process is to transform potential talent during youth into outstanding
performance and innovation in adulthood
- studying giftedness who will be gifted in the long term??
o from early identified children, few of them become outstanding in adulthood
o there are also examples of outstanding people who were not recognized in
childhood
- the disconnect between gifted performance in childhood and adulthood shows that
the current system of education and identification should be replaced with one that
provides the necessary resources
- 2 stages of the process of talent development:
o talent identification:
targeting of domain-specific talent
o talent promotion:
how the person demonstrating talent is instructed, guided and
encouraged
too often left to chance
Defining Giftedness
- giftedness:
o reflects the values of the society
o is typically manifested in actual outcomes especially in adulthood
o is domain specific
o is the result of the coalescing of biological, pedagogical, psychological, and
psychosocial factors
o is relative not just to the ordinary but to the extraordinary
important points:
- ability is necessary but not sufficient enough for the development of special talent
- interest and commitment to a domain is essential
- gifted achievement also depends on appropriate teaching of psychosocial skills
(persistence and effort)
- in every domain the percentage of outstanding adults is smaller than children with
gifted potential
