Great performance is a wonder to observe. We may notice creativity, excellent technique, or content mastery. What we may not notice is a set of mental and social skills that allow a person to show his or her best work. This article recommends that these psychosocial skills be explicitly and deliberately cultivated via programming, coaching, and…

When used informally, talent development refers to the deliberate cultivation of ability or giftedness in a specific domain. However, recent discussions have used talent development to refer to a particular framework for viewing giftedness and the education of gifted children. In this article, the authors will present their views on the meaning of…

Determining what giftedness is all about means focusing on many aspects of the individual. In this paper, the author focuses on letter D of the ABC's of being smart. She starts with specifics about giftedness (details), and then moves on to some ways of thinking (dispositions).

Recognising and nurturing giftedness in young children presents an important challenge to educators. This study sets out to identify and support gifted children through the provision of a rich learning environment in the Nursery (Kindergarten) setting. Practitioners in the Nursery aimed to provide cognitively challenging activities appropriate to…

When a battery of tests commonly associated with intelligence was administered to 144 13 year olds identified as extremely precocious, the verbally precocious students scored higher on verbal and general knowledge types of tests, and mathematically precocious students scored higher on tests of nonverbal reasoning, spatial ability, and memory.…

The Structure of Intellect (SOI) learning abilities test and curriculum emphasize teaching that promotes individualized learning and divergent thinking and recognize special problems in identifying underachievers, minority gifted students, and differing abilities in boys and girls. The model addresses these variations by taking the view that…

This paper discusses the significant underrepresentation of linguistically and/or culturally diverse (LCD) students in gifted and talented programs due to the absence of adequate assessment procedures and programming for gifted minority students and the need for professionals in gifted and bilingual education to work together to overcome these…

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…

Describes higher levels of morality by contrasting Kohlber's Cognitive Developmentalism and Dabrowski's Positive Disintegration. It argues that far from being a gift, high-level morality is a function of the whole person. It is something chosen and striven for, and the result of compassion and some kind of disintegration. (Author/CR)

The parent of a gifted child provides the following recommendations for parents: encourage learning and growth in areas of the child's passion; explain to the child that the way he feels is normal for him; make available resources written for children that explain giftedness; and educate yourself. (Contains 3 references.) (CR)

Examined the accuracy with which children in grades two and four judge their own and their peers' ability. Children showed only modest levels of accuracy in predicting probable performance and judging success at a task for themselves and others. They also showed limited ability to differentiate among attributes. (SKC)

This journal issue presents articles that attempt to expand common ideas of intelligence and giftedness. Following a brief article offering "Notes, Quotes, and Anecdotes" by Francis Carter, the first major article is "Democratizing Our Concept of Human Intelligence" (by Wendy M. Williams). In it, the limitations of IQ tests are explored as are the…

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…

The McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (MSCA) was administered to kindergarten-aged chilren to obtain General Cognitive Indices (CGI). A short form of the MSCA was developed to select six subtests that best predicted the CGI. (Author/BEF)

A study involving three children with impaired hearing, three typical children, and three showing intellectual advancement, found children scoring above 130 IQ at age four demonstrated significantly advanced pretend play as toddlers. Mothers of the high IQ children engaged in scaffolding behaviors involving higher stages of pretend transformation,…