The new myths of gifted education (w/ Podcast)

November 2, 2009

More than 25 years after myths about gifted education were first explored, they are all still with us and new ones have been added, according to research published in the current Gifted Child Quarterly (GCQ), the official journal of National Association for Gifted Children.

Providing specialized and organized gifted education courses was a relatively new concept in 1982 when an article entitled "Demythologizing Gifted Education" was first published in GCQ. Research at that time found that certain myths were widely believed, such as the idea that the gifted constituted a single, homogeneous group of learners, or that just one curriculum would serve all equally.

FLV player

Which misperceptions about gifted education have been debunked through the years, and which still remain? Dr. Carolyn Callahan, Editor of Gifted Child Quarterly, sits down with former editor Donald Treffinger to discuss his special issue on demythologizing gifted education in Volume 53, issue 4, a revisitation of his groundbreaking 1982 special issue.

In "The Myths of Gifted Education: A Contemporary View," the journal takes a new look at the current state of gifted education. Researchers found that all 15 of the 1982 myths are still with us, though some have been modified over time, and several new ones have emerged. A few of the now 19 myths in this special issue of GCQ include:

• Creativity is too difficult to measure
  
• Gifted education means having a program
  
• High ability students don't face problems and challenges
  
• It's "fair" to teach all children the same way
  
• Advanced Placement (AP) is an adequate secondary program

"Our hope is that this issue will stimulate lively discussion, critical thinking, and creative research in the field," writes guest editor Donald J. Treffinger. "We hope to help 'shake loose the grip' of some common myths and suggest promising directions for more productive foundations for inquiry and practice."

More information: "The Myths of Gifted Education: A Contemporary View" a special issue of Gifted Child Quarterly (published by SAGE) is available free for a limited time at http://gcq.sagepub.com/content/vol53/issue4

Source: SAGE Publications

• pcunix - Nov 02, 2009
  • Rank: not rated yet
  New?
  
  I was in a Gifted and Talented class in 1958 - fifth grade and 1959, sixth. After that, they called it something else and the teachers weren't really up to the task but supposedly they were still giving us a special program.
  
  Did they really need such scholarly study to debunk these? Just looking at the titles made me laugh at the absurdity of many of these.
  
  
  • report abuse
  • • Current rank
    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5