Explorations in Giftedness

Description

This book is a scholarly overview of the modern concepts, definitions, and theories of intellectual giftedness, and of past and current developments in the field of gifted education. The authors consider, in some detail, the roles of intelligence, creativity, and wisdom in giftedness and the interaction between culture and giftedness, as well as how giftedness can be understood in terms of a construct of developing expertise. The authors also review and discuss a set of key studies that address the issues of identification and education of children with intellectual gifts. This volume may be used as a summary overview of the field for educators, psychologists, social workers, and other professionals who serve intellectually gifted children and their families.

Robert J. Sternberg is Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Psychology and Education at Tufts University as well as Honorary Professor of Psychology at the University of Heidelberg. Prior to coming to Tufts, he was IBM Professor of Psychology and Education and Professor of Management at Yale University. Sternberg is President of the International Association for Cognitive Education and Psychology and President-Elect of the Federation of Associations of Behavioral and Brain Sciences. Sternberg's Ph.D. is from Stanford, and he has 11 honorary degrees. He is the author of about 1,200 publications and has held more than $20 million in grants. He is the recipient of approximately two dozen professional awards. Linda Jarvin is an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Education at Tufts University and director of its Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT). She received her Ph.D. in cognitive psychology and individual differences from the University of Paris V (France) and her postdoctoral training at Yale University. She has extensive experience with curriculum planning and development, designing and implementing professional development opportunities for K-12 teachers and college professors, and facilitating programmatic evaluation plans. Elena L. Grigorenko is Associate Professor of Child Studies, Psychology, and Epidemiology and Public Health at Yale University and Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Columbia University and Moscow State University, Russia. She received her Ph.D. in general psychology from Moscow State University, Russia, in 1990, and her Ph.D. in developmental psychology and genetics from Yale University in 1996. Grigorenko has published more than 250 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and books. She has received multiple professional awards for her work. Her research has been funded by the NIH, NSF, DOE, USAID, Cure Autism Now, Foundation for Child Development, American Psychological Foundation, and other federal and private sponsoring organizations.

"Explorations in Giftedness is a masterful survey of the fundamental issues in gifted education - from questions of definition and measurement to the issues of providing appropriate teaching for the development of successful intelligence. The authors have tackled the difficult questions posed in the field by providing the contextual and historical perspectives offered by other theorists, presenting a well-integrated theory of giftedness, synthesizing the vast research base of their studies, and then extending their theory and the findings of the research studies to practical application. Researchers, scholars, and practitioners in gifted education will all find value in this well-written and comprehensive work." - Carolyn M. Callahan, University of Virginia "Explorations in Giftedness presents readers with a concise analysis of essential topics in the field of giftedness and gifted education. The authors tackle thorny issues of why and how we identify and serve children with advanced academic abilities by providing research-based strategies for developing policy and system-wide practice. Anyone wanting to be well grounded in the field and satisfied that the goals of their efforts will lead to generations of ethical contributors and innovators on the part of gifted individuals will be well served by this volume." - Rena F. Subotnik, Director, American Psychological Association Center for Psychology in Schools and Education "....Set in a brief but respectful context describing competing points of view, the authors' work builds primarily on Sternberg's triarchic theory of successful intelligence (i.e., analytic, practical, and creative abilities), and his signature attention to the importance of wisdom, ethical behavior, and cultural context to what constitutes giftedness is manifest. By focusing on giftedness as "developing expertise," the authors integrate disparate views and, in line with their own position, apply analytic, practical, and creative approaches to controversial issues.... Recommended...." -N.M. Robinson, emerita, University of Washington, CHOICE "...If you are looking for a place where Sternberg's enormous body of work on talent, abilities, intelligence, insight, reasoning, creativity, wisdom, expertise, and giftedness is pulled together into one book, this is the book for you.... provided practical guidance for parents, psychologists, and educators who wish to foster the development of exceptional abilities in all children.... Educators wanting to use the book with their graduate students will want to provide careful guidance, in which case Explorations in Giftedness could happily be used to stimulate discussion of the big questions in the field..." -Dr. Dona Matthews, Hunter College, City University of New York, PsycCRITIQUES