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History of Gifted Education
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IQ Test
Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon have twice revised their Intelligence Quotient test by this time. It tested vocabulary and thinking skills. While this was not the end-all-be-all test, it continues to be relied on heavily in the education community for eligibility into gifted and talented programs. As to its validity, you need only ask any number of people and you will get differing views from each. But whether you agree to its validity or not, there is no denying that it has made an incredib -
Lewis Terman revised Binet-Simon’s IQ test
Lewis Terman revised Binet-Simon’s IQ test so that it was useable for both children as well as adults. It continued to be almost a living entity and its scope and reach has been felt globally. Terman is considered the father of the gifted child movement. His parameters for identifying gifted individuals, coincidentally, came from the IQ test he help “perfect”. -
Gifted Children: Their Nature and Nurture
Leta Hollingworth writes the first, and for the time, definitive book on Gifted education: Gifted Children: Their Nature and Nurture. She was more interested in actual contact with her students than her peers. She is quoted as saying, “Those who really study children – those who would study any individuals – must be prepared to take pains.” She knew she needed to be in the trenches and not study students from “on high”. During this time period she also founded one the first schools for Gift -
The launch of Sputnik
The fallout and subsequent fervor in America for all things scientific began with the launch of Sputnik. America was no longer seen as a technological superpower and that perception was the impetus America needed to “up the ante” in the space race via science and math. America needed to know who their “best and brightest” were, and spent massive amounts of money to answer that question. -
Howard Gardner Multiple Intelligences
While many theories on gifted centered on academics, standardized testing, and IQ tests, Gardner broadened the definition to include at least nine types of intelligence. As stated by Gardner, they include verbal/linguistic, logical/mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily/kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic, and existential. Once again, as stressed by Hollingworth, one needs to observe, not just calculate answers on a multiple-choice test. 2006 National Association of Gifted -
National Association of Gifted Children (NAGC)
National Association of Gifted Children (NAGC) attempted to prepare teacher candidates with a published set of standards for gifted education. While identification and education of gifted students is still not optimal, at least there is an effort toward a common goal.
