In 1972, the United States Office of Education (USOE) released a lengthy and unprecedented report about gifted education in response to a Congressional mandate. Both Congress and the USOE lamented the inadequate state of gifted programmes in American schools and urged that gifted education should become a greater national priority. In this essay,…

Passion for learning (PFL) in children is a phenomenon that is little understood. The experience of PFL was studied with phenomenological and qualitative modes of inquiry. Case studies of six domains (acting, reading, filmmaking, spelling, math, and preaching) describe how the passion developed using the voices of children and parents. Their…

In this monograph, the authors advanced a set of interrelated arguments: The abilities of individuals do matter, particularly their abilities in specific talent domains; different talent domains have different developmental trajectories that vary as to when they start, peak, and end; and opportunities provided by society are crucial at every point…

This article presents the concept of creative potential and its link to talent. Psychological measures to assess creative potential in children and adolescents (EPoC) and adults (Creative Profiler) are then described. Implications for developing creativity are proposed.

No two artists think and feel alike or take the same path in their development as an artist. This also is true of children as they begin their artistic journey. For artists of any age, the passion that ignites and fuels the development of requisite skills defines a personal map of uncharted territories. Significant influences on the making of an…

This paper examines issues in identifying visually gifted children, including artistic talent and its relationship to visual giftedness; the contexts in which visual giftedness represents a specific type of intelligence; the ability of classroom teachers to identify the visually gifted; resources that may help classroom teachers identify the…

This paper provides parenting strategies for parents of gifted children. Specific activities for cultivating each of Gardner's Seven Intelligences in one's children are suggested for age levels from infancy through adolescence. Tips for coping with the extra demands gifted children place on their parents are also provided, balancing the affective…

A British study that compared 12 musically gifted children (ages 8- 11) and 12 children gifted in fine arts with controls, found environmental circumstances, especially at home, were of vital importance for exceptionally high-level performance, even when there was provision at schools for developing talent. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

This article discusses theories on children's giftedness, including opposing movements in the gifted field--the Talent Development Movement and the Columbus Group Movement--which exemplify the "gifted achiever" and "gifted child" strands of research, theory, and practice. Vygotskian theory is suggested as a conceptual framework that can…

A study examined the educational histories of 120 talented individuals in various fields for recurrent patterns. The study found patterns for childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood phases. The importance of time, task, and communities of practice in everyday life is stressed. The Academic Talent Development Program, a summer program for…

This collection of papers for school personnel and families who deal with gifted and talented children addresses teaching and counseling strategies as well as the role of the family in educating these children. "Instructional Strategies for the Gifted and Talented," by Donna Rae Clasen, emphasizes questioning as an instructional strategy. "Using…