Barbour, N.E. & Shaklee, B.D. (1998) Gifted education meets Reggio Emilia: Visions for curriculum in gifted education for young children. Gifted Child Quarterly, 42 (4), 228-237.

'In this article we provide a review of the current curriculum models used in gifted child education and early childhood education, focusing on a comparison of the two. We examine the role of the child in the curriculum making, the voice of the parents, and the responsibilities of the teacher. Finally, we turn our attention to the Reggio Emelia approach to early childhood education as a means to expand our view of "curriculum", the importance of the environment, and the crucial need to use the child's needs, interests, and abilities as the initial and sustaining focus of curriculum development.' (p.228)

 

Barclay, K. & Benelli, C. (1994) Are labels determining practice? Programming for preschool gifted children. Childhood Education, 133-136.

"We need to be especially careful not to repeat past errors with young gifted children from low-income or minority homes. We want to avoid the adverse consequences of assuming that these children arrive at school with cognitive, experiential and linguistic deficits thought to derive from their family and community situations." (p.135) Outlines an alternative approach.

 

Bryant, M.A. (1987) Meeting the needs of gifted first grade children in a heterogeneous classroom. Roeper Review, 9 (4), 214-216.

"Reading is one of the most important parts of the first grade curriculum and it is in this area that enrichment is most easily incorporated. ... The literature study presented here, based on Make Way for Ducklings, illustrates how other curriculum skills can be correlated with language arts." (p.215)

 

Burns, J.M. & Tunnard, J. D. (1991) Public programming for precocious preschoolers. The Gifted Child Today, 14 (6), 56-60.

"The intent of this article is to share knowledge gained over time by one school system and one preschool gifted teacher. It would be expected that this will help other school systems establish their own programs for young gifted preschoolers." (p.57) Describes identification and placement procedures, the structure of the program, and types of activities provided.

 

Chen, J.&endash;Q., Krechevsky, M. & Viens, J. (1998) Building on Children's Strengths: The Experience of Project Spectrum. New York: Teachers College Press. (CR372.21/P964)

Covers 'the history of project Spectrum, a 10-year research project dedicated to developing an alternative approach to curriculum and assessment &emdash; one that respects the diverse interests and abilities that children bring to the preschool and early elementary classroom.' (p.xiii) See also Volume 2: Project Spectrum: Early Learning Activities and Volume 3: Project Spectrum: Preschool Assessment Handbook.

 

Cohen, L.M., Burgess, A.C. & Busick, T.K. (1990) Teaching Gifted Kindergarten and Primary Children in the Regular Classroom: Meeting the Mandate. Eugene: Oregon Association for Talented and Gifted. (371.95/C678t)

Includes chapters on 'Definitions and characteristics', 'Identification of young gifted children', 'Assessment of level and rate of learning', 'Options and models', 'Differentiating the curriculum', 'Understanding the interests of young developmentally advanced children', 'Organizing for instruction', 'Teaching the whole child' and 'Parenting young gifted children'.

 

De Cean, K. (1997) Early entry in Kindergarten: Issues for parents and teachers. Gifted, 99, 21-23.

Discusses policy in NSW, behaviours and characteristics that could be used as indicators of suitability, and practical advice for teachers of young gifted children: eg, "Give the child opportunities to present material to his class and/or buddy class and/or other classes that are equivalent to his intellectual ability." (p.23)

 

Delinger, V. (1996) Identifying and providing programming for gifted children in regular preschool programs. Agate, 10 (2), 41-47.

"When planning the curriculum for gifted children, many preschool teachers automatically focus on cognitive areas, especially academics, but there are other areas that are equally important." (p.44)

 

Duffy, B. (1998) Supporting Creativity and Imagination in the Early Years. Buckingham: Open University Press. (370.157/D858s)

Argues that 'creativity and imagination are vital to development and that they have an important function in early childhood and throughout life.' (pp.xv-xvi) ... 'Examples of good practice are highlighted in boxes and each chapter ends with a summary, suggestions for further reading and "things to think about".' (p.xviii)

 

Gallagher, J.J. (1986) The need for programs for young gifted children. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 6 (1), 1-8.

Addresses "some new questions: How should special programming for young gifted children be designed? How should that programming be implemented? By whom?" (p.2)

 

Gross, M.U.M. (1999) Small poppies: Highly gifted children in the early years. Roeper Review, 21 (3), 207-214.

'Highly gifted children are frequently placed at risk in the early years of school through misidentification, inapproriate grade-placement and a seriously inadequate curriculum. Additional factors are their own early awareness, that they differ from their age-peers, and their consequent attempts to conceal their ability for peer acceptance. Teachers who have had no training or inservice in gifted education, and who are reluctant to use standardized tests of ability and achievement, may rely only on gifted behaviors to identify extremely high abilities in young children. This may compound the problem by ignoring early indicators of demotivation and underachievement. ... Parents of the highly gifted become aware of their children's developmental differences at an early age; yet parent nomination is under-utilized by primary and secondary schools, and information provided by parents regarding early literacy and numeracy in their children is often disregarded or actively disbelieved.' (p.207)

 

Harrison, C. (1999) Visual representation of the young gifted child. Roeper Review, 21 (3), 189-194.

'An analysis of the drawings of young gifted children can provide data useful in the process of identification of giftedness, indicating advanced development in many areas. An analysis of both the drawings and the processes involved can also help gain an understanding of the nature of giftedness in early childhood. This article outlines the patterns and processes of visual representation which occur during early childhood and suggests some differences which may be apparent in relation to the young gifted child. The use of children's drawings as indicators of giftedness is also outlined.' (p.189)

 

Harrison, C. (1995) Giftedness in Early Childhood. Sydney: KU Children's Services. (Q371.95/H318g)

Includes chapters on 'Philosophy and definitions', 'The nature of giftedness during early childhood', 'The identification of giftedness', 'Responding to giftedness in early childhood' and 'Supporting the parents and families of young children who are gifted'. Sample nomination forms are included in an appendix.

 

Harrison, C. (1994) Parenting the gifted child in early childhood. Gifted, 81, 9-10, 12.

"Most importantly parents need to be reassured that they have the capacity to meet their child's needs if they use their observations and interactions with the child as the key to appropriate experiences." (p.10)

 

Hertzog, N.B. & Fowler, S.A. (1999) Perspectives: Evaluating an early childhood gifted education program. Roeper Review, 21 (3), 222-227. [See under Program Evaluation]

 

Hertzog, N.B., Klein, M.M. & Katz, L.G. (1999) Hypothesizing and theorizing: Challenge in an early childhood curriculum. Gifted and Talented International, 14 (1), 38-49.

'The authors describe how challenge is manifest in an early childhood gifted program which encourages inquiry through the project approach to curriculum development. The paper is based on a two-year study in which the investigators documented a) the processes of learning, b) the processes of facilitation, and c) the outcomes of learning (products, ideas, language, etc.). Using as an example one sequence of project investigations in a K/1 classroom, this paper describes how children developed understandings of concepts related to shadows. Interactions between children are described in-depth which demonstrate the social nature of their learning and the evaluative nature of children's thinking and comments. Content which emerged from children's questions, hypotheses, theories, predictions, and experiments is described.' (p.38)

 

Jackson, N.E. & Roller, C.M. (1993) Reading With Young Children. Storrs: National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. (CR372.4/J13r) [See under Language Arts]

 

Karnes, M.B., Shwedel, A.M. & Williams, M. (1983) Combining instructional models for young gifted children. Teaching Exceptional Children, 15 (3), 128-135.

Argues that the best features of the open classroom approach and of Guilford's Structure of the Intellect model should be combined for teaching young gifted children. Also contains details of 10 activities as examples of "a method by which creative and productive thinking for gifted preschool children can be integrated into an informal setting such as the open classroom." (p.132) The activities are designed to be freely chosen and completed independently, with minimal teacher supervision.

 

Koopmans-Dayton, J.D. & Feldhusen, J.F. (1987) Gifted preschoolers. The Gifted Child Today, 10 (6), 2-7.

Discusses characteristics and identification of gifted preschoolers, ways in which parents can help at home, and what the school can do to meet the needs of such children. Includes a list of further reading.

 

Kremer, M. (1993) Help with gifted preschoolers. Gifted, 79, 20-21.

Includes suggestions for 'activities to share with your pre-school child'.

 

Lockert, J. (1997) Identifying gifted preschoolers: Appropriate practices. Agate, 11 (2), 12-20.

Discusses a range of identification options. "The most supported means of identifying gifted preschool-aged children is the use of multiple assessments or the case study or portfolio approach. ... This approach combines information from standardized and other published assessment tools, as well as more informal methods." (pp.16-17)

 

McBride, N. (1992) Early identification of the gifted and talented students: Where do teachers stand? Gifted Education International, 8 (1), 19-22.

"This paper reflects on some of [the] literature and addresses the results of a recent study of early education (Years 1, 2, 3) teachers. It highlights the significance of teachers' perceptions in identifying children as gifted and the techniques being used by some teachers." (p.19)

 

Maker, C.J. (1981) An experimental programme for young gifted children. New Horizons in Education, 65, 14-20.

Describes a summer enrichment program "as an example of what kind of curriculum schools should offer for these children." (p.19)

 

Maker, C.J. (1986) Suggested principles for gifted preschool curricula. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 6 (1), 1986, 62-73.

"A general framework consisting of four curricular dimensions (content, process, product, learning environment) and criteria for developing and judging appropriate curricula for gifted students are presented. ... Examples of teaching activities and techniques appropriate for gifted preschool students can be generated from this framework." (p.62)

 

Maker, C.J. & King, M.A. (1996) Nurturing Giftedness in Young Children. Reston: Council for Exceptional Children. (Q371.95/C855n)

'This book is about children and classrooms - real children and real classrooms. It is about how to create classrooms that are humane, nurturing, and exciting - classrooms that enable and encourage the unfolding of giftedness in young children.' (p.v)

 

Meador, K.S. (1994) The effect of synectics training on gifted and nongifted kindergarten students. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 18 (1), 55-73. [See under Creativity]

 

Morelock, M.J. & Morrison, K. (1999) Differentiating 'developmentally appropriate': The Multidimensional Curriculum Model for young gifted children. Roeper Review, 21 (3), 195-200. [See under Curriculum Planning]

 

Morelock, M.J. & Morrison, K. (1996) Gifted Children Have Talents Too! Melbourne: Hawker Brownlow Education. (CR371.95/M839g)

In the context of this guidebook, we offer a new concept for classroom practice or home education with young gifted children - Multidimensional programming. The concept of 'Multidimensional programming' simply means that in constructing programs for young gifted children, we advocate the consideration of three constituent dimensions: (a) constructing programs designed to meet the intellectual, emotional, and social needs of young gifted children, (b) constructing programs to facilitate the identification and development of talents in young gifted children, and (c) constructing programs that are developmentally appropriate for children manifesting gifted behaviour." (p.6)

 

Parke, B.N. & Ness, P.S. (1988) Curricular decision-making for the education of young gifted children. Gifted Child Quarterly, 32 (1), 196-199.

Outlines four basic tenets: "young gifted children ... have the capability to learn at greater depth and more quickly, and they have interests which may predate those of their peers"; "curriculum should be drawn from their special interests and needs"; "the curriculum of young gifted children must emphasize exploration and play"; "young gifted children should be engaged in the curriculum decision making process". (p.196)

 

Plowman, P.D. (1987) Preschool gifted children. The Gifted Child Today, 10 (6), 24-26.

Answers six questions often raised by parents of preschool G/T children - on identification, learning needs, early intervention programs, what to look for in selecting a preschool and how to become better informed about G/T children.

 

Porter, L. (1999) Gifted Young Children. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. (371.95/P846g)

Includes chapters on 'A rationale for gifted education', 'The meaning of giftedness', 'The making of talent', 'Recognising advanced development in young children', 'Assessing development advances in young children', 'Emotional adjustment of gifted children', 'Gifted young children's self-esteem', 'Promoting resilience in gifted young children', 'Meeting gifted young children's social needs', 'Meeting gifted young children's learning needs', 'Teaching gifted children considerate behaviour', 'Children whose gifts are disguised', 'Counselling gifted young children and their families' and 'Formulating a policy on advanced learners'.

 

Rimm, S.B. (1983) PRIDE: Preschool and Kindergarten Interest Descriptor. Melbourne: Hawker Brownlow Education. (CR371.952/R577p) [See under Definition / Identification]

 

Robinson, N.M. (1993) Identifying and nurturing gifted, very young children. In K.A. Heller, F.J. Monks & A.H. Passow (Eds) International Handbook of Research and Development of Giftedness and Talent. Oxford: Pergamon. pp.507-524. (371.95/H477i)

Covers prodigies, early signs of precocity, parental identification, evidence for the emergence of specific abilities, cognitive studies, parenting the young gifted child, evaluation of preschool programs, and early entrance.

 

Smutny, J.F. (Ed) (1998) The Young Gifted Child: Potential and Promise, an Anthology. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press. (371.95/Y68)

This book contains contributions from many well-known writers in the field and comprises 41 chapters subdivided into section on 'Identification: Creative strategies and techniques', 'Special populations: Challenges and opportunities', 'Parenting the gifted child: Enabling and encouraging parents', 'Meeting social and emotional needs to effect growth' and 'Creating effective educational experiences for gifted young children'.

 

Smutny, J.F., Walker, S.Y. & Meckstroth, E.A. (1997) Teaching Young Gifted Children in the Regular Classroom. Minneapolis: Free Spirit. (CR371.95/S666t)

Includes chapters on 'Identifying the young gifted child', 'Compacting the curriculum and extending learning', 'Cluster grouping to help all children learn cooperatively', 'Building partnerships with parents', 'Understanding and meeting children's social and emotional needs', 'Meeting the needs of children from diverse populations' and several chapters on specific subject areas.

 

Tegel, K. (1994) Characteristics of very young gifted children. Gifted, 81, 11-12.

Suggests nine "characteristics or traits which may be demonstrated by gifted children in the years before school" (p.11), e.g., "3. Recognising that a large group of objects can have many varied sub-groups." (p.11), "7. Correctly using words heard in story or conversation in completely different contexts." (p.12)

 

Weber, P. (1999) Mental models and the identification of young gifted students: A tale of two boys. Roeper Review, 21 (3), 183-188. [See under Definition/Identification]

 

Wellisch, M. (1997) A pilot study: Teacher views on the concept of giftedness in the early childhood setting. Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 22 (2), 22-28.

"This study explores early childhood teachers' perceptions of young gifted and talented children and their programming needs through open interviews with three rural teachers. The findings indicate that the gifted children in their care, aside from perhaps the exceptionally or profoundly gifted ..., still remain unidentified; and that the teachers see their roles primarily as facilitators, reserving the use of a more interventionist approach mainly for children with deficit needs." (p.22)

 

Whitmore, J.R. (Ed.) (1986) Intellectual Giftedness in Young Children: Recognition and Development. New York: Haworth. (371.95/I61)

Includes chapters on 'Early development of cognitive abilities and giftedness', 'Socioemotional vulnerabilities of young gifted children', 'Identification and assessment of gifted/talented handicapped and nonhandicapped children in early childhood', 'Evaluating program options for young gifted children', 'The special needs of gifted girls' and 'Preventing severe underachievement and developing achievement motivation'.

 

Wright, L. & Borland, J.H. (1993) Using early childhood developmental portfolios in the identification and education of young, economically disadvantaged, potentially gifted students. Roeper Review, 15 (4), 205-210. [See under Identification]

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This page updated: 23 January 2006 Webmaker: Howard Smith. hsmith4@une.edu.au