The article relates the concept of giftedness and ways of identifying giftedness to Jean Piaget's theories of intelligence. Four implications are indicated, including that distinctions between gifted and nongifted children can be made at the end of the concrete operational level (about 8-10 years old). (CL)

The author suggests methods for developing thinking and feeling processes (as conceptualized in type II Enrichment in J. Renzulli's Enrichment Triad model) for gifted and talented students. A taxonomy is presented which addresses four objectives: (1) cognitive and affective training, (2) slow-to-learn skills, (3) use of research and reference…

A teacher reports on class activities used to teach gifted seventh- and eighth-grade students the thinking skills of application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. (DB)

The paper reviews definitions of differentiated curricula for gifted students and considers approaches for differentiation. Curriculum content can be modified by making it more abstract, more complex, more varied, and organized differently from the regular curriculum. Process modification can be accomplished through higher level thinking,…

Twenty activities which develop gifted children's creativity; power of reasoning; and ability to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate are listed. (DB)

The author presents logic/strategy games to develop logical thinking in primary-grade gifted students. Procedures and materials are described for such games as Odd Man On, Even-Out, and Hex. A list of references on the development of logical thinking in young gifted, creative, and talented children is also provided. (SBH)

Gaming (the use of formal games for specific academic purposes) is a method for teaching formal thinking processes that is particularly suited to the gifted student. Various games can be used to develop deductive reasoning, the concept of subsets, inductive reasoning, and attention to detail. (Author/SW)

The article offers suggestions for helping gifted elementary students learn to use independent thinking skills to challenge their own thinking as well as to solve mathematical problems. (DB)

This report describes the second year of an award-winning summer enrichment program aimed at developing independent learning skills and encouraging lifelong learning in gifted elementary students. The program featured contact with university scholars actively involved in problem solving, introduction to general bodies of knowledge, and in-depth…

The article describes some of the self-concept needs of gifted Black students and presents a model for helping Black secondary students develop positive self-concepts. (CL)

Head Start children (n=446), divided into intervention and comparison groups, received programing to enhance thinking skills. Intervention group children identified as gifted also received programing in their talent area. Intervention group children, whether or not identified as gifted, made significant gains over the comparison group in cognitive…

Data on the development of intelligence and the concept of giftedness are interpreted for use in the classroom and are applied to the development of strategies to optimize learning. The Integrative Education Model is introduced, with its purpose of empowering the learner physically, emotionally, cognitively, and intuitively. The teacher's role is…

A program was developed to increase teachers' and caregivers' understanding of the characteristics of young gifted children, and to provide an overview of brain development and function. The program used a variety of techniques, including yoga, guided visualization, creativity and flexible thinking skills, story writing, and kinesiology, to…

Panoramic scanning is the capacity to perceive, interpret, and appreciate complex problems from a big-picture vantage point. Barriers to panoramic scanning (sensory bombardment, superficial polarized thought, and tunnel vision) and facilitators (broad interests and knowledge, pattern finding, and connection-making skills) are identified. Educators…

This research attempted to identify categories of cognitive development existing in creative writing samples (written by over 5000 gifted children ages 9-18) that provide a basis for developmental analysis. Four categories with three levels of development in each were identified: (1) self, (2) others, (3) problem solving, and (4) abstractness of…