Nineteen gifted students and 11 average students, age 11, completed Einstellung Test problems and were queried about their metacognitive knowledge. A three-way interaction among giftedness, speed, and flexibility was found, with metacognitive knowledge as the criterion. Regardless of speed, inflexible children had less metacognitive knowledge than…

The TRIFOCAL Model for curing underachievement syndrome is presented and is related to the Future Problem Solving (FPS) program, specifically the steps that involve changing expectations, role model identification, and changing reinforcements at school. A case study is presented of an underachieving sixth grade student who became actively engaged…

Literature concerning "idiots savants" is reviewed, and various theories and possible explanations are discussed, as are common areas of expertise and cognitive traits. Several case studies are used to illustrate the possible relationship between autism and idiots savants. Educational implications of these findings are considered.…

The Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Agricultural Sciences is a summer enrichment residence program for outstanding high school sophomores and juniors, designed to acquaint youth with scientific and professional opportunities and challenge them to use their intellects. This article describes the application process, faculty and staff,…

This paper reviews research findings and research needs in the area of identification of gifted students from disadvantaged and culturally diverse groups. The Frasier Talent Assessment Profile system is presented as a way to utilize data from test and nontest sources to identify these children. (JDD)

The debate over how to educate gifted children reflects a larger conflict in American education: equity versus excellence. Many teachers see gifted programs as a challenge to their competence; others consider cooperative learning as a threat to the education of gifted students. (IAH)

The article explores the value of three categories of factors in predicting achievement in fast-paced mathematics classes for 108 high ability adolescents: ability, previous experience and exposure to the content area, and individual student characteristics. Previous experience variables were the most important in predicting learning outcomes.…

A table is provided for determining the frequency of occurrence of Verbal-Performance discrepancies on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) in profiles of high Intelligence Quotient children. Warnings are offered regarding the adverse effect of subtest substitution or omission when administering the WISC-R to highly…

The study investigated two levels of learning choice and control with 150 gifted South African students (grades 6-8) exposed to the Cognitive Research Trust (CORT) thinking skills program (prestructured) or the Integrated Education Model program (flexibly structured). Results suggested both programs affected locus of control and creativity but not…

This article challenges the assumption that a continuum of learning opportunities appropriate for exceptional persons is possible when the concept of normal distribution is used. It proposes an alternate model, a bull's eye, to accommodate the open-ended potential of the gifted population. (Author/DB)

The gifted program at a secondary school near Montreal (Quebec, Canada) is described. The program serves 7 percent of the school's 1700 students and includes special classes, facilities, and opportunities. The program is pyramidally structured, feeding from foundation development and self-enrichment into specialization. Core staff, mentors,…

Gifted-, normal-, and math-disabled children solved addition problems. Their problem-solving strategies and solution times were recorded. The gifted group showed the most mature distribution of strategy choices, and a verbal counting rate less than 50 percent of the rate of the other groups. (BC)

The initial step in providing gifted children with appropriate educational opportunities is to identify them. Recently, education has taken more definite steps toward identification of gifted students. The paper describes characteristics of gifted children, discusses how parents can work with the school, and makes suggestions for fostering…

A Western Kentucky University Javits project focuses on ways to extend educational opportunities for gifted middle school students, through the involvement of teachers, teacher educators, and parents. Teachers' views of talents were broadened via staff development and involvement with gifted students in summer experiences, and curriculum…

A Javits Grant Project of the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools uncovers the strengths and gifts of traditionally underserved primary-level gifted children. The program design celebrates the multiple intelligences of children with economic disadvantage, limited English ability, or learning disabilities. (JDD)