This article offers an abbreviated curriculum to help middle school students learn to use humorous strategies to cope with stress. An introductory discussion reviews the literature on coping and the benefits of humor. Outlined for the curriculum are student goals, unit concepts and generalizations, differentiated learner objectives, differentiated…

This article describes a university program in China for teenage students highly gifted in science. It reports on the program's initiation, improvement, and expansion to 12 additional universities. Also covered are methods employed in student selection, the curriculum, program administration, and student development. (Author/DB)

This brief article identifies software that supports visual spatial intelligence, a characteristic of many intellectually gifted children. Such software should be complex, flexible, and include visual components. The review of five software titles provides information on appropriate ages, computer compatibility, and source, as well as an…

This study compared the social status of highly gifted (N=42) and moderately gifted (N=86) secondary students across academic and social settings. Giftedness was not significantly related to social status in either setting. Two social statuses, popular and rejected, were significantly stable across settings and were related to peer nominations for…

This study examined possible differences between teacher ratings of Anglo-American and Hispanic students based on the student's acculturation level in the context of using behavior rating scales to identify students for gifted education programs. Findings indicated significant differences between teacher ratings of Anglo-American and Hispanic…

This article describes the use of an admission's portfolio by the graduate degree program in gifted education and talent development at Minnesota State University, Mankato. The benefits of the admission's portfolio are discussed, including retention of students and insights that assist with guiding students toward meaningful graduate products and…

A study of six undergraduates enrolled in a class on giftedness found significant growth in knowledge of how to differentiate curricula for able learners, an improved knowledge of programming options, and recognition that many of the approaches appropriate for gifted learners would be beneficial for all students. (Contains eight references.) (CR)

This interview with Martin Seligman, a past-president of the American Psychological Association and the author of seminal works in the areas of both learned helplessness and optimism, discusses his interest in positive psychology and giftedness, fostering creative genius, his childhood and move from philosophy to psychology, and future plans.…

This article describes the misdiagnosis of some gifted children as having attention deficit hyperactivity disorders because of their disruptive behavior in classrooms. Behaviors associated with gifted children and behaviors associated with children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are discussed, along with characteristics of gifted…

This article argues for a redefinition of how secondary music teachers might think about teaching content. Rather than considering performance-based education that reaches only a small portion of the population, music teachers should consider composition, improvisation, and active listening as important additional concerns for a wider population…

This interview with three performing master teachers at the Interlochen Arts Academy features personal teaching approaches that develop the problem solving skills that are essential for advanced musical study. A positive master teacher-student dynamic is revealed that nurtures technical facility, as well as interpretive decision-making. The role…

Discusses what to look for in identifying language disorders in culturally and linguistically diverse exceptional students (CLiDES). Describes Roseberry-McKibbon's Dynamic Dozen, highly successful teaching and learning strategies for working with CLiDE students. (Author/VWL)

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)

A study of the 10% most able students in Sweden (n=744) found entrance into higher education was influenced by the choice of program in upper secondary school, the marks received, the students' attitudes to school, and satisfaction with their performance. Parental and teacher support had an influence on males. (CR)

Provides an overview of gifted education as viewed by contemporary leaders and researchers in the field, who responded to questions about past, present, and future issues, focusing on the accomplishments of gifted education, core non-negotiables about educating gifted children that all teachers should know, and future challenges and directions.…