Most of our information on how teachers of the gifted and talented think while they plan and implement instruction is from the perspective of the researcher, not from the teacher's perspective. One expert teacher was studied in great detail using ethnographic and phenomenological techniques. More specifically, a teacher was studied as he…

This exploratory qualitative investigation examined the nature of 7 secondary school students who are highly artistic to link visual arts programs that best accommodate their learning needs. Instrumentation for data collection included 1 questionnaire, 3 in-depth semistructured one-on-one interviews, artwork documents, observations, and field…

For some three decades psychologists and educators have been working with incomplete or outdated ideas of what constitutes giftedness. Conceptual leadership in the field has moved from a definition based on IQ to expertise- and cognitive science-based definitions. Practice lags behind. Similarly, curriculum concepts are changing to foci based on…

Research in cognitive neuroscience suggests that the brains of mathematically gifted children are quantitatively and qualitatively different from those of average math ability. Math-gifted children exhibit signs of enhanced right-hemisphere development, and when engaged in the thinking process, tend to rely on mental imagery. They further manifest…

Social cognitive theory emphasizes a dynamic interactive process to explain human functioning. This theory ascribes a central role to cognitive processes in which the individual can observe others and the environment, reflect on that in combination with his or her own thoughts and behaviors, and alter his or her own self-regulatory functions…

A metacognitive approach which stresses knowledge about cognitive phenomena for teaching gifted children is proposed. The author suggests that teachers-in-training must first be exposed to metacognitive experiences in a program stressing awareness and control of learning processes. (CL)

Gifted students can learn to direct their thinking to maximize learning and creative production. They do this by stating what they intend to do, choosing strategies and appropriate conditions for thinking, and self-monitoring. The article describes techniques for developing self-directed thinking and applies these techniques to a class assignment.…

The use of drama in the classroom provides concrete opportunities to explore such higher-level thinking abilities as synthesis, evaluation, and divergent thinking. Suggested activities for use with upper elementary and secondary students involve pantomime, verbal improvisation, expressing emotions, and developing characters. (JDD)

This study compared two teachers' levels of implementation of the DISCOVER approach to gifted education and the resulting effects on number of students identified as gifted and on problem-solving behaviors. Significant relationships were found between level of implementation and positive changes in mathematics problem solving and numbers of…

The study examined methods of mathematical problem solving with 34 gifted and 34 average Dutch 10 year olds. Typical questioning protocols are diagrammed and results tabulated. Preliminary findings suggest the potential value of explicit teaching of advanced mathematical problem-solving skills to pupils of average ability. (DB)

Addresses the importance of integrating the intellectual and moral education of gifted students. A framework synthesized from the works of Dewey and Guilford explicates basic structural components of the intellectual and moral dimensions of development. Suggestions for facilitating complex learning through complex teaching and the complex…

The article discusses the use of the Structure of Intellect (SOI) model as a basis for developing thinking abilities in a variety of curriculum areas: (1) the integration of subject matter areas and SOI operations; (2) thematic lessons that sequence specific cells of the SOI model; (3) directed teaching lessons to develop student awareness of…

A triarchic model for identifying, teaching, and assessing children who are gifted is presented. The model involves three abilities: memory-analytic, creative-synthetic, and practical-contextual. Results are presented of the Yale Summer Psychology pilot project that is based on this model. Expanding the model to other fields beyond psychology is…

The articles in this journal for reading teachers stress the importance of comprehension in the reading process. The topics discussed include the following: inferences and comprehension, the learning process involved in comprehension, the gifted student and reading comprehension, the cloze procedure, language clues to reading comprehension,…