About Creativity, Giftedness, and Teaching the Creatively Gifted in the Classroom (original) (raw)

Creative Education for Gifted Children

Creativity is an essential attribute for the development of creative potential. However, it is not always developed properly in the school context, especially when it is about gifted students education. Because these children need a specialized service to attend their special needs. In this sense, this study aims to contribute in order that education professionals reflect and become aware of the importance of creativity in education. The method of this research was based on national and international studies which focused on the area of High Abilities/Giftedness and creativity in the school context. The conclusion is that the development of creativity depends on a good teacher education in preparing activities that arouse curiosity and interest of each gifted, enabling the student creative and independent, investigative and critical thinking. Furthermore, teachers should provide new opportunities of reflection on the process of teaching and learning.

Creativity Among Gifted and Non-Gifted Students

An overview of the literature on gifted students suggests that students can be gifted by showing intelligence and/or creative abilities. Whether teachers are able to recognize intelligent and/or creative students is a matter of being skilled and can have a tremendous impact on students’ course of education. In out study, we included students of Slovenian primary schools who were either recognized as gifted or non-gifted by their teachers. To find out what differences occur in the creativity levels of gifted and non-gifted students, their creativity levels were recorded using the LV1Test, measuring their artistic-creative and artistic-appreciative abilities. Data analysis reveals that the gifted students were more successful in gaining a higher average score on the test, as well as the majority of individual items in the test.

Potentials and Constraints: Engaging Gifted & Talented Students Creatively & Imaginatively

This explanation will show that imagination is not an idle mental game, building castles in the air, but a vitally necessary function (Vygotsky, 1930/1967, pp. 8-9). As an initiating structure from which to begin diversified learning processes, quality literary texts provide immense playgrounds of imagination, ideas and exciting uses of language for children to explore. The intriguing interplay of language and illustration to be found in many children's books sets up a high-level model of creativity, through which children can learn to engage in meaning-based responding and making, individually or collaboratively. Predicated on the requirement in the English syllabus for students to demonstrate creative and imaginative thinking, this qualitative study used observations of gifted and talented children in class with the purpose of analysing their engagement in creative processes arising from a literature focus. Three children from a Year One class were nominated by their teacher for case studies. A five-week teaching program, written by the researcher who is also a teacher at the school, prioritised imagination as an important process in every lesson, in conjunction with specific comprehension strategies. These strategies were applied to two focus texts with overlapping themes of ocean voyages, discovery, danger and returning home: The Jumblies by Edward Lear and Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Framed dichotomously, the research highlighted the potentiality in a curriculum mandate to foster student creativity in full acknowledgement of all the factors in the school environment that can constrain inspired learning. Discussion of the participation and responses of each case study student is set within the wider educational policy and theoretical contexts of the project.

Creativity and Education: Interactive Teaching Practices with a Gifted Student

Creative Education, 2015

There is increasing recognition of the need to encourage students of diverse educational levels to develop independent and creative reasoning. Teachers are therefore fundamental mediators in the planning of teaching strategies intended to develop these competencies. Taking these assumptions as a reference, a study 1 was developed with the aim of investigating the interactive dynamics used in a Brazilian school to work with a high ability/gifted student, as well as to identify how this student's relations with other subjects at school (colleagues, teachers, deputy head teacher (pedagoga)) are established. The qualitative research method was used, collecting data based on semistructured interviews, focusing on a case study. The study involved one gifted student, his parents, six teachers and one deputy head teacher (pedagoga). The study showed that despite getting on well with his teachers, he has difficulty in making friends with students of his age. With regard to his involvement at school, he performs mental calculations easily and expresses himself mathematically in a creative manner, proposing differentiated ways of solving problems in the classroom. Nevertheless, the study confirmed that some teachers still have difficulty in working with gifted students. On the other hand, despite the difficulties, some teachers have made efforts to develop teaching practices based on social interaction, enabling the sharing of knowledge and skills among students, in addition to encouraging students to seek meaning in what they study. These practices are similar to the quest for meanings that Vygotsky (1997, 2004, 2008, 2009) emphasizes. The conclusion is reached that encouraging and developing creative activities are fundamental elements for performance and the incorporation of meanings with regard to contents taught at school.

Perceptions of gifted students on their levels of creativity

International Journal of Special Education and Information Technologies

Creativity and intelligence are among the basic characteristics of students. Gifted students are, however, seen as more creative and intelligent than their peers. This study aims to reveal the perceptions of gifted students about their creativity. The study group consists of 241 students at different grade levels studying at the science and art center. This descriptive research, which aims to examine the creativity perceptions of gifted students in terms of various variables, used the survey model. Research data was collected through the “How Creative Are You?” scale. Analysis of the data revealed that more than half of the gifted students found themselves to be above-average creatives. It was observed that there was no significant difference in the creativity perceptions of gifted students according to age, gender, place of residence, educational status of parents, effort to finish a job they started, or frequency of reading books. Keywords: Art center; creativity, giftedness; scie...

The Importance of Teacher Training for Development of Gifted Students’ Creativity: Contributions of Vygotsky

Creative Education, 2017

The creativity is expressed in all individuals, but it manifests itself in different proportions and it may be carried out at different levels. Development levels of this attribute depend on the teacher's mediation in the process of learning. Creativity can be a challenge for most teachers, since they are unaware of its importance and unwittingly they inhibit by teaching methods that are not aimed at instigating the potential of students. Thus, this article aims to highlight the importance of teacher training for the development of gifted creativity. In conclusion, the mediation of teachers makes the difference in gifted education. As Vygotsky explains, it is precisely through the mediation that it is possible to develop the creative potential. In this sense, the training of the teaching staff reflects in how the mediation will take place during the process of teaching and learning. Therefore, it is essential that teachers are prepared to create a stimulating environment of potential and talents, as well as in performing a work with creativity of their students.

Creative Educational Practices for Inclusion of Gifted Children

Creative Education, 2014

Inclusion of gifted students depends on several aspects to happen in the school context, and one of the most important aspects to include these children at school is creative educational practices. Teaching with art is a good possibility to make children feel motivated to attend school. In the school context, the inclusion of these children could mean an important progress for science in various fields of knowledge. But many schools are still not prepared to attend gifted, and without even realizing it, they have exclusive and discouraging educational practices for attending these students. In this sense, this research aims to emphasize the importance of good teacher training for developing creativity of gifted students at school. The method of this research was based on a study of national and international bibliographic researches focused on the area of High Abilities /Giftedness, inclusive education and Creativity. It is concluded that the inclusion of gifted students depends on a good teacher work developing creativity during their classes. The teacher as a principal mediator of the teaching-learning process should provide creative educational practices emphasizing artistic activities such as painting, drawings, theater among other practices for attending gifted children. Only in this way can these students develop their curiosity and desire to attend classes at school.