Archambault, F.X., Westberg, K.L., Brown, S.W., Hallmark, B.W., Emmons, C.L. & Zhang, W. (1993) Regular Classroom Practices With Gifted Students: Results of a National Survey of Classroom Teachers. Storrs: National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. (Q371.956/R344)

"The major finding of this study is that third and fourth grade teachers make only minor modifications in the regular curriculum to meet the needs of the gifted students. This result holds for public school teachers, for private school teachers, and for teachers in schools with high concentrations of the four types of ethnic minorities included in this research. The same general conclusion also applies to teachers and classrooms in various regions of the country ... and to teachers and classrooms in rural, urban, and suburban communities. Teachers who make provisions for the gifted are likely to assign them advanced readings, independent projects, enrichment worksheets, and reports of various kinds. Some classroom teachers also attempt to eliminate material that students have mastered, provide the opportunity for more advanced level work, give gifted students some input into how classroom time is allocated, and expose gifted students to higher level thinking skills, however, these modifications are not used widely." (p.vii)

 

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (1994) Challenging the Gifted in the Regular Classroom: Video. Alexandra: ASCD. (CR371.95/C437, VIDEO)

See Tomlinson & Kiernan, below.

 

Bailey, S. (1995) Networking: Birds of a feather work together. TalentEd, 50, 17-24.

Includes examples of 'networks at a distance' for talented students and of teacher networks.

 

Borland, J. (1995) What Research Tells Us ... About Planning and Implementing Programs for the Gifted. Kensington: University of NSW. (On order)

Audiotape.

 

Chance, P.L. (1998) Meeting in the middle: Gifted education and middle schools working together. Roeper Review, 21 (2), 133-138.

'This study analyzes gifted education models and middle school models to identify specific areas of commonality and/or conflict. Through the use of content analysis, many common and compatible areas between gifted education and middle school education are identified. The results of this study offer very positive implications for appropriately meeting the needs of all students, including gifted children, within the middle school context.' (p.133)

 

Council for Exceptional Children (1996) Gifted Education and Middle Schools. Reston, VA: CEC. (Q371.95/C855g)

'This book and the accompanying video provide an overview of some bridges or areas of agreement between the fields, some areas of tension, and some promising directions that could engage educators in mutual planning of appropriate services for all middle-school students, including those we sometimes call gifted.' (p.1)

 

Dalton, J. (1990) Sharing the adventure: Sharing the responsibility. Gifted Education International, 6 (3), 157-166.

"This article, in a very practical way, discusses the importance of a creative, supportive classroom environment as a major vehicle for the identification and nurturing of children's talents. It provides detailed guidance on questioning techniques, the development of co-operative learning together with the fostering of the independence of each learner." (p. 157) Suggests that Contract Activity Packages, self-contained units that teach a specific topic or theme, match the learning style characteristics of the gifted. Included are samples of objectives, activity alternatives and reporting alternatives.

 

Feldhusen, H.J. (1990) Individualized Teaching of Gifted Children in Regular Classrooms. Buffalo: D.O.K. (371.956/F312i)

"This book is designed to help elementary classroom teachers learn how to (1) individualize instruction and (2) provide instruction appropriate for meeting the needs of a cluster of gifted children (3-6) in a regular heterogeneous classroom. ... It depends heavily on learning centers, on the development of self-direction and independence among the children, freedom to let children surge ahead in the basic skills areas, and formal planning of their learning activities by the children each day using a learning agreement." (p.5)

 

Flack, J. (1996) Creative ventures: Creative producers. TalentEd, 52, 4-5.

"The key strategy here is to help talented students move from being consumers of information to becoming creative producers of meaningful educational products." (p.4) Several possible products are discussed.

 

Flack, J. (1995) Creative ventures: Classroom experts. TalentEd, 51, 12-13.

"When required work is finished, students can use class time productively through on-going investigations of their areas of expertise, sharpening their skills, extending their knowledge bases or working in other ways to be the best possible experts on rap music, folk art, Spanish culture, space travel, mystery literature or Internet access." (p.13)

 

Hyland, T. (1989) Socrates in the classroom. Forum, 31 (2), 51-53.

Discusses prospects and problems associated with teaching philosophy in schools in Britain. Agrees that the Lipman 'philosophy for children' program would nourish children's 'natural inquisitiveness and search for meaning as well as making a contribution to the general intellectual development of pupils' (p. 52) but points out that such top-down models of curriculum change are not readily accepted in schools.

 

Kadwell, S. (1984) Developing an area of interest. TalentEd, 3, 7-12.

Outlines seven stages in creating a program based on a child's area of interest, using a highly talented kindergarten child's interest in cars as an example of the webbing technique and subsequent questions/activities.

 

Kerry, T. (1982) Teaching Bright Pupils in Mixed Ability Classes. London: Macmillan. (371.956/K41T)

Subtitled 'A self-instructional handbook of strategies and suggestions for teachers.' Contains some useful advice and ideas for improving classroom skills.

 

Kirschenbaum, R,J. (1992) Focus on the structure of the problem in enrichment or acceleration programming for the gifted and talented. Gifted Education International, 8 (3), 139-144.

"An integrated enrichment/acceleration program for gifted and talented students should include intensive study along with opportunities for inquiry, independence, and in-depth investigations. The enrichment component would facilitate problem-finding and problem-stating activities whilethe acceleration component teaches students how to solve complex problems." (p.144)

 

Kolloff, P.B. & Feldhusen, J.F. (1986) Seminar: An instructional approach for gifted students. The Gifted Child Today, 9 (5), 2-7.

Notes that "one very effective but unfortunate way of breeding a sense of elitism is to assert that the only valuable area in which giftedness should be recognized is the academic-intellectual realm." (p.2) Uses case studies from American high schools to illustrate what is meant by this approach.

 

Mann, C. (1994) New technologies and gifted education. Roeper Review, 16 (3), 172-176.

"The topics discussed include constructivism, new learning environments, empowerment of students, and some promising applications of telecommunications, image processing, and expert systems." (p.172)

 

NSW Department of Education. (1987) Enrichment ideas for the talented: Star module for talented children no.1. Readings on the Education of the Talented Child, 14, 1-94.

Covers 'Concepts and theories of creativity', 'Examples of different types of enrichment and special opportunities', 'Exploration of interests' and 'Possible ways to initiate and supervise an independent study'.

 

Parker, J. (1997) School Provisions for Gifted Students: Resource Sheets for Parents and Teachers. Melbourne: Hawker Brownlow Education. (CR371.95/P241s)

Covers 'The needs of gifted students', 'Desirable outcomes for gifted students', 'How good schools cater for gifted students', and 'Parent concerns about gifted student needs'.

 

Pohl, R.R. (1995) School and class strategies: A discussion paper 1995. Gifted, 90, 11-14.

Discusses withdrawal, mentors, grouping, creativity, acceleration, portfolios and vertical timetabling.

 

Risemberg, R. & Zimmerman, B.J. (1992) Self-regulated learning in gifted students. Roeper Review, 15 (2), 98-101.

"Self-regulated learning, the processes and strategies that students use to initiate, direct, and monitor their learning, is receiving greater attention in the area of gifted education. A review of the available research indicates that gifted students spontaneously utilize self-regulatory learning strategies more frequently in comparison to nongifted students. When trained to use strategies, gifted students also use them more effectively and can transfer these strategies to novel tasks. Implications are that self-regulation measures may be a useful adjunct in diagnosing giftedness and that self-regulation training may further enhance gifted students' academic achievement." (p.98)

 

Ryan, T. (1992) A clever classroom? Classroom, 12 (6), 20-22.

"When teachers say they don't have any gifted students in their class, they often mean they don't have a genius in the room." (p.20) Outlines three strategies for use with all children in mixed ability classrooms - the picture strategy, the prediction strategy, and the quiz show strategy.

 

Southern, W.T., Jones, E.D. & Stanley, J.C. (1993) Acceleration and enrichment: The context and development of program options. In K.A. Heller, F.J. Monks & A.H. Passow (Eds) International Handbook of Research and Development of Giftedness and Talent. Oxford: Pergamon. pp.387-409. (371.95/H477i)

"If appropriately done, acceleration must be enriching, and enrichment must, in the long run at least, be accelerative. ... The opposition implied by 'versus' should be consigned to the junk pile of harmful stereotypes where it belongs." (p.406)

 

Sternberg, R.J. & Clinkenbeard, P.R. (1995) The triarchic model applied to identifying, teaching, and assessing gifted children. Roeper Review, 17 (4), 255-260. [See under Definition/Identification]

 

Tittle, B.M. (1984) Why Montessori for the gifted? G/C/T, 33, 3-7.

Suggests a close match between the Montessori approach to education and the characteristics of gifted children - e.g. "the Montessori method allows the learner to work with any material as long as he wishes. When he is absorbed with number work, no one urges him to leave it and turn to other things." (p.6)

 

Tomlinson, C.A. & Kiernan, L.J. (1994) Challenging the Gifted in the Regular Classroom: Facilitator's Guide. Alexandra: ASCD. (CR371.95/C437, FACILITATORS GUI)

"This program looks at conceptions and misconceptions about gifted learners and examines ways in which classrooms can be stretched and adapted to address their learning needs." (p.7) The Guide includes an Introduction, outlines for two workshops, a set of 10 handouts and 6 overheads and a set of readings.

 

Watson, P. & Wrinkle, J. (1991) Tactics to Tackle Gifted-Talented Thinking. Muleshoe: Watson/Wrinkle Publications. (371.953/W341t)

"Our first approach is based on writing skills and incorporates the higher-level thinking skills of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. ... Second, the section on teaching units offers lesson plans extending from one day to three weeks. ... Realizing the need of variety with Gifted/Talented students, our third section presents ideas for extending vocabulary study and a variety of topics based on literary works. ... In the final section, we offer a format for developing an Independent Study Plan." (pp.i-ii)

 

Westberg, K.L. & Archambault, F.X. (1997) A multi-site case study of successful classroom practices for high ability students. Gifted Child Quarterly, 41 (1), 42-51.

"A multi-site case study was conducted to describe 10 elementary school and classrooms with a reputation for implementing differentiated practices to meet the needs of high ability students. ... The themes that emerged across the sites include: (a) teachers' advanced knowledge and training, (b) teachers' willingness and readiness to embrace change, (c) collaboration, (d) teachers' beliefs and strategies for differentiating the curriculum, (e) leadership, and (f) autonomy and support." (p.42)

 

Westberg, K.L., Archambault, F.X., Dobyns, S.M. & Salvin, T.J. (1993) An Observational Study of Instructional and Curricular Practices Used With Gifted and Talented Students in Regular Classrooms. Storrs: National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. (Q371.956/R43293104)

"This report describes the procedures used in the study and the results obtained from systematic observations of gifted and talented students in 46 third and fourth grade classrooms. ... The results indicated that little differentiation in the instructional and curricular practices, including grouping arrangements and verbal interactions, was provided for gifted and talented students in regular classrooms. Across five subject areas and 92 observation days, gifted students received instruction in homogeneous groups only 21 percent of the time, and the target gifted and talented or high ability students experienced no instructional or curricular differentiation in 84 percent of the instructional activities in which they participated." (p.v)

 

Whybra, J. (1992) Exceptionally able children: A whole school approach. Gifted Education International, 8 (2), 86-92.

"The author outlines several approaches to identification and provision for exceptionally able pupils in Essex, U.K. He suggests a multi-dimensional approach to procedures for identification with an emphasis on inclusion rather than exclusion of pupils. He suggests an equally global approach to provision, advocating a whole-school approach with a number of well-argued and practical procedures for implementation. The article includes a 'mind-map' which could be usefully adopted by any school wishing to analyse and evaluate its provision for very able learners. A list of resource centres is also provided." (p.86)

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