This study explored whether the "right thinking style" relates to creativity as measured by 2 types of creativity tests, which were given to 109 undergraduates. Results correlated the How Do You Think scores positively with right thinking scores on the Your Style of Learning and Thinking test and negatively with left thinking scores.…

Of 341 adults, half estimated the incidence of giftedness in Quebecers and half estimated the incidence of talent, and reported on differences between being gifted and being talented. The average estimate for talented persons was 36%, with 17% for gifted persons; the perceived discrepancy was the same even for those respondents who judged the two…

Longitudinal studies of gifted and talented individuals can provide a base upon which to determine educational practice. Such studies could reveal whether life-span patterns are unique and how demographic characteristics affect aspirations and achievement. (SK)

Research on the relationship between musical aptitude and mental retardation is reviewed, examining the cortical representation of music, the influence of the degree of retardation, musical components such as melody and harmony, the nature of disability, and directions for future research. The sparsity of documentation in this area is discussed.…

Discusses C. Milbrath's thesis that artistically talented and less talented children follow different developmental paths because they rely on different ways of responding to the world. Relates this thesis to studies of the childhood work of Paul Klee, Henri Toulouse Lautrec, and Pablo Picasso. (SLD)

The study of the creative personality has established itself as a major avenue of research on creativity and creative problem solving, other areas being creative process, product, and environment (or press). With respect to personality research, over the past 50-plus years, many studies have examined characteristics, attitudes, preferences,…

This article presents a summary of research, development, and applications of Creative Problem Solving (CPS) in educational settings and, more specifically, in gifted education. The CPS framework is widely known and applied as one important goal in contemporary gifted education, as well as in relation to initiatives for "teaching thinking" in the…

Very young students can begin to use technology to organize and analyze their data in sophisticated ways. The National Center for Education Statistics (2005) reported that 67% of nursery school students and 80% of kindergarten students were using computers in 2003. By the early elementary grades, some of these students are ready to begin using…

So, "What makes a teacher of the gifted great?" First of all, they establish an atmosphere that fosters critical thinking about questions students find interesting and provocative. "Critical thinking" included making decisions, defending choices, reasoning from evidence, examining quality, and making improvements all reinforced by ongoing teacher…

This note discusses a possible method for teaching an example of problem solving to intermediate grade students. Under the guidance of the instructor, students may see the links between the 'guess' method and the arithmetic operation 'strings'. This may help enhance their logical thinking ability as well as arithmetic operation skills. For…

Numerous trends today are prompting organizations to formally seek and add new board members at a record pace. In this article, the author discusses what to look for when adding a new board member and lists some top lessons learned. He concludes with a few final thoughts that should be uppermost in the mind in every new board member search.

In this article, the author talks about Destination ImagiNation (DI), the world's largest creative problem solving (CPS) program, and describes how this program helps students. In many schools and communities, DI supplements or even serves as the talented and gifted program. CPS is also popular and appropriate for homeschool families because it…

Giftedness models published in the last two decades are mostly characterized by multi-dimensional or typological ability constructs. Prominent examples of multifactorial models of giftedness have been developed by Robert Sternberg in the form of the "Triarchic Theory of Intelligence" and his recent synthetic approaches to "Giftedness as Developing…

Merit-based financial aid has been a growth industry in the United States over the past decade. Much media attention has focused on the use of merit aid by colleges and universities to try to attract academically talented students. In this article, the author argues that merit aid programs are the wrong tools for helping develop a skilled…

"How many are gifted or talented?" Although very important, this question has received little attention from most scholars in gifted education. Four major variables are identified that directly impact prevalence estimates: (a) the type of definition endorsed--disjunctive or conjunctive, (b) the number of abilities/characteristics included, (c) the…