Describes a four-level system for planning and implementing learning centers for gifted early-childhood classrooms. The levels are: teacher-planned/teacher-directed, teacher-planned/student-directed, student-planned/teacher-directed, and student-planned/student-directed. The philosophical, curricular, and instructional foundations for the…

In-depth interviews with 40 highly successful Canadian women in seven career fields point to the importance of relationships, role models, and intrinsic motivation as factors for success. Results suggest a model for career development that is uniquely female and is based on a sense of agency, cooperation, and versatility. (Author/DB)

Describes a curriculum enrichment activity for gifted middle school students. Students design a long-range space travel vehicle and plan for colonizing a discovered planet. Students contact people in science and industry and produce a handbook for space travel and colonization. (DB)

Two data collection activities focused on improvement in the identification of giftedness among Australian aboriginal children. Interviews with urban aboriginal community members were followed by a survey of aboriginal teachers in Queensland. Findings resulted in the modification of Frasier's model of identifying gifted minority and disadvantaged…

Discusses mental retardation and giftedness, stressing the importance of individual differences in the differential design of educational strategies and the application of approaches developed with special populations to normally developing children. Current social inequalities affect both fields in particular ways. Numerous research agendas can…

This case study chronicles a 4th grade teacher's experiences in facilitating a program involving 18 university students as mentors for six gifted students. Major findings indicate a thoughtfully designed program resulting in partnerships that provided the high-ability students with an intellectually stimulating experience combined with strong…

Discussion of trends in gifted education finds a tension between "matriarchal" (equality-oriented) and "patriarchal" (excellence-oriented) pedagogy and promotes "patriarchal pedagogy" as more appropriate for, and beneficial to, the development of gifted education in the United States. This approach fosters access by gifted students to appropriate…

Important work of Daniel Goleman, Peter Salovey and John Mayer on emotional intelligence (EI) is discussed to illustrate recent theorizing on EI. The article discusses conceptual and measurement problems that presently challenge the usefulness of the EI construct and urges further research. (Author/CR)

Comparison of 90 Honors College students and 95 more typical peers on the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale found that the honors students scored significantly higher, with a moderate effect size, on the subscales of Concern over Mistakes, Personal Standards, Parental Expectations, and the total score of overall perfectionism. (Author/DB)

Parents of gifted children are advised to follow a four-step plan of information gathering and advocacy when their children are not receiving an appropriate educational program. Examples of three parents following this procedure are presented, along with a checklist for program and teacher evaluation. (DB)

This case study describes the mainstreamed and accelerated educational program being provided to a 15-year-old boy in England who is highly gifted and has Asperger's Syndrome, a condition with many autistic-like characteristics. The boy's special education program to develop his social, communication, and independence skills is highlighted. (DB)

Identifies administrative implications of preliminary findings from a Canadian longitudinal study comparing performance and attitudes of homogeneously and heterogeneously grouped gifted fifth graders. Although no statistically significant differences were found at the beginning of fifth grade, by year's end, five statistically significant…

This article describes the 1997 Summer Gifted Program at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, a program designed to provide 102 gifted junior secondary schools students with enrichment courses and activities. The program's identification and selection procedures, organization of classes, curriculum, teacher selection and training, and evaluation…

A study investigated the effects of a creative thinking program on Korean gifted and typical preschoolers. Compared to a control group (n=40), the 40 program participants (both gifted and typical) performed significantly higher on tests of cognitive ability and creative abilities of originality, imagination, and fluency. (Contains six references.)…

In this article, a 22-year-old with autism discusses his diagnosis at 18 months, his experiences in school, and his trouble communicating despite his high intelligence. His giftedness in mathematics is highlighted, along with his interest in computer games. He also describes strategies he uses to deal with stress. (CR)