Education of the Gifted in World Perspective.

Overview & Synopsis

Various approaches to educating the gifted and talented around the world are illustrated through descriptive reviews of gifted education in selected countries, including: Australia; Poland; England, Scotland, and Wales; and Israel. Following these reviews is an examination of several issues in gifted education around the world. This examination encompasses: the domination of intellectual giftedness within the concept of giftedness, identification procedures which involve assessment of intellectual or academic aptitude, the use of special classes or integrated classes, acceleration versus enrichment, curricular and instructional differentiation, teacher education, out-of-school provisions for gifted education, affective development of the gifted, the gifted disadvantaged, and research and evaluation in gifted education. The paper concludes with the observations that gifted education has a cyclical history in many countries and seems to be an esoteric endeavor rather than part of the educational mainstream. (JDD)