Definitions of Giftedness

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Definitions of Giftedness

• EDPS 540
• Rebecca L. Mann

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There is no magic, universally accepted
definition for giftedness. Definitions range in
restrictiveness from Terman's top 1 of the
population to "every child is gifted". Here are
some of the more prominent definitions

• Lewis Terman (1926)
• never did define giftedness
• decided to use the top 1 level in general
  intellectual ability as measured by the
  Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale

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• Harry Passow (1955)
• Capacity for superior achievement in any socially
  valuable area of human endeavor
• Limited to academic fields as languages, social
  sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics such
  art fields as music, graphic and plastic arts,
  performing arts and mechanic arts and the field
  of human relations.

• Paul Witty (1958)
• Outstanding potentialities in art, in writing, or
  in social leadership can be recognized largely by
  performance
• Definition of giftedness be expanded
• Can consider any child gifted whose performance,
  in a potentially valuable line of human activity,
  is consistently remarkable

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U.S. Office of Education Definition (Marland,
1972)

• Gifted and talented children are those identified
  by professionally qualified persons who by virtue
  of outstanding abilities are capable of high
  performance. These are children who require
  differentiated educational programs and/or
  services beyond those normally provided by the
  regular school program in order to realize their
  contribution to self and society.
• Children capable of high performance include
  those with demonstrated achievement and/or
  potential in any of the following areas
• 1. General intellectual ability
• 2. Specific academic aptitude
• 3. Creative or productive thinking
• 4. Leadership ability
• 5. Visual and performing arts
• 6. Psychomotor ability

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U.S. Office of Education Definition (1988)

• The term "gifted and talented students" means
  children and youth who give evidence of high
  performance capability in areas such as
  intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership
  capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who
  require services or activities not ordinarily
  provided by the school in order to fully develop
  such capabilities.
• (Psychomotor ability has now been excluded.)

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Howard Gardner (1983)Theory of Multiple
Intelligences

• Originally he proposed seven separate and
  somewhat independent intellectual domains, each
  chosen because it represents a culturally
  valuable and relatively autonomous set of
  problem-solving skills.
• Linguistic
• Musical
• Logical-mathematical
• Spatial
• Bodily-kinesthetic
• Intrapersonal
• Interpersonal
• Gardner never intended his Theory of Multiple
  Intelligences to be used as an educational model.

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Abraham Tannenbaum (1983)

• Developed talent exists only in adults
• Definition potential for becoming critically
  acclaimed performers or producers of ideas in
  spheres of activities that enhance the moral,
  physical, emotional, social, intellectual or
  aesthetic life of humanity.
• Factors that serve to link promise with adult
  fulfillment
• Superior general intelligence
• Exceptional special aptitudes
• Non-intellective facilitators
• Environmental influences
• Chance or luck
• Developed Talent
• Scarcity talents people who make startling
  breakthroughs in their field
• Surplus talents people who significantly add to
  the beauty of our environment
• Quota talents specialized skills related to
  business, goods and services
• Anomalous talents skills within the practical
  domain.

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Joseph Renzulli (1986)The Three-Ring Conception
of Giftedness

• Renzulli divides giftedness into two broad
  categories
• Schoolhouse Giftedness- great success in
  test-taking and lesson-learning
• Creative-Productive Giftedness - areas of human
  activity where a high value is placed on the
  development of original material and of products
  designed to suit defined audiences
• Creative-productive persons possess a
  well-defined set of three interlocking clusters
  of traits. These clusters consist of above
  average, though not necessarily superior,
  ability, task commitment, and creativity.
  Giftedness consists of an interaction among these
  three.
• Renzulli believes that gifted behaviors take
  place in certain people, at certain times, and
  under certain circumstances.

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• in certain people,
• at certain times,
• under certain circumstances

Creative-productive persons possess a
well-defined set of three interlocking clusters
of traits. These clusters consist of above
average, though not necessarily superior ability,
task commitment, and creativity. Giftedness
consists of an interaction among these three. .
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Robert Sternberg (1988) Triarchic Theory

• Intellectual giftedness is exhibited in three
  different ways.
• Analytic or Componential Giftedness
• Academic talent
• Synthetic or Experiential Giftedness
• Creativity, intuition, ability to cope with
  novelty
• Practical or Contextual Giftedness
• Applying analytic and/or synthetic abilities to
  everyday, pragmatic situations
• Giftedness is a well-managed balance of the three
  abilities. The gifted individual is a good
  mental self-manager.

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The Columbus Group (1991)

• Giftedness is asynchronous development in which
  advanced cognitive abilities and heightened
  intensity combine to create inner experiences and
  awareness that are qualitatively different from
  the norm. This asynchrony increases with higher
  intellectual capacity. The uniqueness of the
  gifted renders them particularly vulnerable and
  requires modifications in parenting, teaching and
  counseling in order for them to develop
  optimally.

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Robert Sternberg (1993)Implicit Theory of
Giftedness

• Criteria for Giftedness There are five criteria
  which gifted individuals have in common.
• Excellence - The person is superior in some
  dimension(s) relative to peers.
• Rarity - The person possesses a high level skill
  in an area that is rare relative to peers.
• Productivity - The areas in which the person
  excels must lead to some productivity or
  potential productivity.
• Demonstrable - The excellence the person
  possesses must be demonstrable through one or
  more valid tests and assessments.
• Value - The excellence the person possesses must
  be valued by his or her society.

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Francoys Gagné (1993)Gagne's Differentiated
Model of Giftedness and Talent.

• Gagné links giftedness with natural or untrained
  human abilities he calls aptitudes.
• Talent corresponds to superior performance in one
  or more areas of human activity.

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High Ability Education in Indiana Senate Bill 408

• Mandate All Indiana school corporations will
  identify students of high ability in the general
  intellectual and specific academic domains and
  provide them with appropriately differentiated
  curriculum and instruction in areas of core
  content in grades K-12. 

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• IC 20-10.1-5.1-2 "high ability student
• (1) performs at, or shows the potential for
  performing at, an outstanding level of
  accomplishment in at least one domain when
  compared to other students of the same age,
  experience, or environment and
• (2) is characterized by exceptional gifts,
  talents, motivation, or interests.