Talented and gifted

Talented and Gifted Electronic Textbook

Prepared by Deb Frechette - EDU 553 - Spring 1997

This electronic textbook is divided into three sections: Philosophies and Strategies, Resources, and Program Examples. The Philosophies and Strategies section provides a wide variety of ideas concerning the gifted and talented student. The Resources section provides an abundant list of a multitude of resources available to assist the teacher and parent of the gifted and talented students. Lastly, the Program Example section includes several examples of successful Gifted and Talented Programs. All references were obtained from the World Wide Web between January and February 1997.

Philosophies - Strategies

Career Planning for Gifted and Talented Youth: This site provides a systematic collaborative approach for Gifted and Talented students to learn that college planning is part of life career development.
Curriculum Compacting: Discusses how teachers can help all of their students by "compacting" the curriculum or reducing the amount of redundant work a student must do. For students who already have competency in a given lesson, activity or subject, and pass a test or adequately complete an alternative form of assessment before the concept is discussed in class, some type of replacement material is provided to work on instead of covering things they already know. Activities that expand or enrich the subject should be provided.
Gagné's Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent: The Gagné approach suggests talent progressively emerge from the transformation of aptitudes into well-trained and systematically developed skills, characteristic of a particular field of human activity or performance.
Identifying and Monitoring Gifted Students: This site provides policies and principles related to the identification and monitoring of Gifted Students.
Leadership Development for the Gifted and Talented: This article discusses "leadership" as a potential area for development in the Gifted and Talented student.
Massachusetts Education Reform: Massachusetts Department of Education seeks to set high and challenging standards of learning and teaching for all students, and to create schools and classrooms that can achieve these standards through an education reform grant program. This grant program seeks to assist districts and schools to develop curriculum, instructional approaches, assessment strategies, and school restructuring initiatives, as identified in the state curriculum frameworks, to meet the needs of all students with high learning potential and a range of multiple intelligences.
National Association for Gifted Children Addresses Questions and Issues: The National Association for Gifted Children discusses several questions and issues related to the gifted child: the characteristics of gifted children, different forms of intelligence, why it is important to know if your child is gifted, whether gifted children are good at everything, whether a gifted child is an advantaged child, and the gifted child - invisible in the law.
National Excellence: A Case for Developing America's Talent: National Excellence: The Case for Developing America's Talent discusses what has changed since a report that alerted Americans to the pressing needs of gifted and talented youngsters over 20 years ago. This report describes the "quiet crisis" that continues in how we educate top students. Youngsters withgifts and talents that range from mathematical to musical are still not challenged to work to their full potential.
National Foundation for Gifted and Creative Children - ADD / ADHD: This site contains a list of Characteristics of Gifted/Creative Children.
QAGTC - Characteristics and Possible Associated Problems: This site lists characteristics of Gifted and Talented Children and Possible Associated Problems.
Strategies for Teaching Gifted Learners: This web site provides a variety of strategies that can be used to teach gifted students in grade Pre-K through Adults. Also provides a list of books appropriate for gifted students grade K - 8.
Teacher's "Quick" Guide to Internet Use in the School: The what, why, and how of using the Internet in the school

Resources

Accessing Information and Resources About the Gifted: This site is intended to be a gentle guide to what is giftedness and how to use the identified Gifted Resources. The intent of this site is to provide a convenient starting point for accessing information and resources for gifted students, their parents and teachers. Some of the general information about giftedness at the end of this page has been taken from public domain ERIC digests.
Educational Standards and Curriculum Framework Documents: An annotated list of Internet sites with K-12 educational standards and curriculum frameworks documents - brought to you by the Putnam Valley Schools, Putnam Valley, NY.
ERIC - Educational Resources Information Center: The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), a federally-funded national information system provides, through its 16 subject-specific clearinghouses, associated adjunct clearinghouses, and support components, a variety of services and products on a broad range of education-related issues.
ERIC - Digest of Gifted and Talented Entries: Contains a digest of Gifted and Talented entries from ERIC.
ERIC - Digest of Gifted and Talented Entries (ED/GOV): Contains a digest of Gifted and Talented entries from ERIC. (ED.GOV)
ERIC - Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act of 1994: Contains information regarding the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act of 1994.
Gifted and Talented Easy Access to Resources: This web site provides easy access to the following resources: National Foundation for Gifted and Creative Children, The Center for Talent Development Network, Gifted and Talented, National Center on the Gifted and Talented, John Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth, Connie Belin and Jacqueline N. Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development, National Association for Gifted Children, Center for Excellence in Education, Gifted Resources, Gifted Resources Homepage, Odyssey of the Mind, and National Geography Bee.
Gifted and Talented Info (Grouped by Categories): This site contains information related to gifted and talented grouped in the following way: fun stuff, articles, journals, research, schools, internet, and miscellaneous. Also categorizes resources for parents and teachers/school.
Gifted and Talented Newsletters Articles: This site contains articles related to the research conducted by the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT). This theory-driven, practitioner-oriented research focuses on identification and programming for high ability students. Provides mechanism for practitioners to incorporate findings to ensure appropriate and challenging programs and services for students.
Gifted and Talented Research Articles: A list of links to some favorites for current research articles related to Gifted and Talented education.
Gifted and Talented Teacher Resources: More links that point to resources that are likely to be of interest to teachers with the Talented and Gifted (TAG) program. In some instances they are links to individual web sites, in other cases they are links to directories of resources on the Internet.
Gifted and Talented (TAG) Resources Home Page: This Gifted Resources Page contains links to all known online gifted resources, enrichment programs, talent searches, summer programs, gifted mailing lists and early acceptance programs, including CTY, EPGY, CTD, NRC/GT, TIP, RMTS, ERIC, NCSSSMST, Odyssey of the Mind, and many, many others. It contains links to 4+ years of TAG-L mailing list archives (over 10 MB). It also contains contact information for many local gifted associations and government (mostly US state) programs.
Mr. C's Classroom Links: Excellent accumulation of links to a variety or resources grouped by subject area. Also contains resources specifically identified to support Gifted and Talented Program.
Queensland Association For Gifted and Talented Children Inc.: The QAGTC is an open association of people who share a common interest in gifted and talented children. This site offers ideas, answers to questions, books, videos, etc.
TAGFAM -- Families of the Gifted and Talented: This site offers an eclectic journal written by and for the families of the gifted and talented children.
TAG Family Network: Homepage of the TAG Family Network, an organization dedicated to appropriate education for talented and gifted youth and advocacy. This site contains current information on gifted education with links to many other world wide sites of interest to parents, educators and children.

Talented and Gifted/Enrichment Program Examples

DMS: Enrichment Classes: This site provides samples of enrichment classes used during a three-year course of study at Dunn Middle School. Students generally receive instruction in the visual and performing arts, foreign language, music, drafting, research and development, design, tools and materials, computer, mediation/conflict resolution and life skills.
Education of Gifted and Talented Students in Western Australia: A comprehensive overview of the Education of Gifted and Talented Students in Western Australia.
Gifted/Talented "Pull-out" Program - Index Cards: This site provides "index cards" full of information by subject area/topic related to a Pull-out program in Indiana.
ODC Mission, Philosophy and Goals: This site provides an example of a programs mission, philosophy and goals.