Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca

Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences

Department of Educational Sciences

DOCTORAL THESIS

IDENTIFICATION AND EDUCATION OF GIFTED CHILDREN

Candidate: Gabriela NAGY

Doctoral Adviser: Prof. VASILE CHIS, Ph.D.

Cluj-Napoca, 2008

DOCTORAL THESIS

IDENTIFICATION AND EDUCATION OF GIFTED CHILDREN

-SUMMARIZED-

KEY WORDS: GIFTED CHILDREN, IDENTIFICATION, EDUCATION, TRAINING EXPERIMENT, PERSONALIZED INTERVENTION PROGRAM

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION Towards a Pedagogy for gifted children........................................................................................9 CHAPTER I. PSYCHOPEDAGOGICAL AND SOCIOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS CONCERNING GIFTED CHILDREN ............12 I.1. Theories concerning the ontogenetic development of the child..............................12 I.1.1. General theoretical aspects.............................................................12 I.1.2. The Structuralist theory concerning child development........................................12 I.1.3. The Psychoanalytical theory concerning child development.................................13 I.1.4. The Modern Psychosociological theory concerning the childs cognitive development.............................13 I.2. Gifted children-psychopedagogical considerations.....................................................14 I.2.1. Giftedness, adaptation and non-adaptation psychopedagogical considerations ....14 I.2.2. The psychopedagogical domains of manifestation of general giftedness..15 I.2.2.1. Intelligence and its characteristics...................................................... 15 I..2.21.1. Determining factors for intelligence I.2.2.1.2.Cognitive components of intelligence I.2.3. Precocity.................................................................................................................15 I.2.4. Talent......................................................................................................................16 I.2.5. High ability giftedness............................................................................................16 I.2.6. The genius.Determining factors for geniality.........................................................16 I.3. Conditions for the manifestation of gifted children I.3.1. Psychological conditions I.3.2 Pedagogical conditions I.3.2.1. Instruction styles favoured by gifted children I.3.2.2. Favoured cognitive styles specific to gifted children I.3.2.3. Behaviours specific to gifted children I.3.3. Material and legislative conditions I.3.4. Provenance of gifted children I.3.4.1. Family milieu I.3.4.2. Family I.4. The concept of creativity..................................................................................................16 I.4.1. Components of creativity...................................................................................16 I.4.1.1. Creativity as process...............................................................................17

I.4.1.2. Creativity as product..............................................................................17 I.4.1.3. Creatiivity as genaral human potential I.4.23. Ways of assessing creativity I.4.3. Relations among intelligence, creativity and personality I.5 .The phenomenon of giftedness in Romania I.6. Conclusions......................................................................................................................17 CHAPTER II. WAYSOF IDENTIFYING CHILDREN CAPABLE OF HIGHPERFORMANCE..................18 II.1. The need for identifying gifted children..........................................................................18 II.2. Procedures for identifying the gifted................................................................18 II.2.1. A set of subjective procedures for identifying the gifted ................18 II.2. 2. Identification by learning performance......18 II.2.3. The Total talent portfolio method........................................................................18 II.3. Determining the level of giftedness by psychodiagnostic investigationmethods...19 II.4. Methods for interpreting psychodiagnostic investigation data........................................19 II.5. Contrasting aspects within the group of gifted children..................................................19 II.5.1. Children with learning disabilities........................................................................19 II.5.2. Children from different cultural milieux...............................................................19 II.5.3. Types of visual - spatial children....................................................................19 II.5.4. Implications related to childrens sex...................................................................19 II.5.5. Particular aspects of early identification of gifted children..........................20 II.6. Conclusions.....................................................................................................................20 CHAPTER III. EDUCATION OF GIFTED CHILDREN...................................................... .........................21 III.1.Pedagogy of giftedness....................................................................................................21 III.1.1.Characteristics of the instructive-educational process with gifted children...21 III.1.2. Adaptation of the curriculum for gifted children...............................................22 III.1.3. Organizing classes and groups for gifted children.............................................22 III.1.4. Learning strategies to be turned to account for an active and creative pedagogy........................................................................................................................23 III.1.5. For an active and creative pedagogy of giftedness III.1.5.1. Active learning for the gifted III. 1.5.2. Creative learning adapted to the gifted III.1.6. Differential and personalized training of gifted children III.2. Institutional strategies in support of gifted childrens education...23 4

III.2.1. Centres of excellence for gifted children. Centres of excellence in Arad-case study......................................................................................................23 III.2.2. Strategies for education of children capable of high performance in extracurricular contexts.........................................................................................................24 III.3.Formation of teachers for the differential training of the gifted..................................24 III.4. Psychopedagogical councelling of gifted children III.4.1.Specificity and forms of psychopedagogical councelling of gifted children III.4.2. Role and behaviour of the psychopedagogical councillor in working with the gifted III.5.Conclusions.....................................................................................................................24 CHAPTER IV. COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM OF INTERVENTION FOR GIFTED CHILDREN (PERSONALIZED PROGRAM FOR THE EDUCATION OF THE GIFTED CHILDREN) ...............................................................................................................................25 IV.1. Designing the intervention program...............................................................................25 IV.2.Description of the program - major psychopedagogical coordinates.............26 IV.3. Describing of the strengths of the program...................................................................26 IV.3.1. The functional perspective of the formative program....................................26 IV.3.1.1.Qualities of the Curriculum...................................................................27 IV.3.1.2. Characteristics of curriculum design....................................................27 IV.3.2. Structural perspective of the training program...................................................27 IV.3.2.1. Curricular content................................................................................27 IV.3.2.2.Didactic methodology...........................................................................27 IV.3.2.3. Modern equipment si TIC for the gifted IV.3.2.3.1.IAC and its advantages for the gifted IV.3.2.3.2. The Internet, learning means for the gifted IV.3.2.3.3.The e-learning system and the gifted IV.3.3. Operational perspective .................................................27 IV.3.3.1. Inclusive and intercultural approaches to the training program IV.3.3.2. Flexibility and re-use of the training program IV.3.3.3. Assessment and re-use of the training program IV.4. Specificmanagement of the Personalized program for gifted childrens education in schools IV.5.Competencies of teachers implementing the program for educating the gifted IV.6. Conclusions....................................................................................................................28 CHAPTER V. THEDOCUMENTATION STAGE OF THEINVESTIGATION..................................................29 V.1. Argumant.................................................................................................................29 V.2. Objectives of documentary research .............................................................................29 V.3. Description of the sample of subjects for the documentary stage...................................29

V.4. The content sample of the investigation..................................................................30 V.5. Methodology of the documentary investigation. Methods and instruments used...........31 V.6. Results of the documentary research...............................................................................31 V.6.1. Analysis of the interest of the gifted in certain subjects.............................31 V.6.2. Pre-test administration........................................................................................31 V.6.3. Pre-test results.....................................................................................................32 CHAPTER VI. TRAINING EXPERIMENT-IDENTIFICATION AND EDUCATION OF GIFTED CHILDREN BY DOMAINS OF INTEREST .33 VI.1. Pre-experimental documentation........33 VI.1.1. Topicality of the investigation theme........33 VI.1.2. Theoretical and practical importance of the problematics under study.....33 VI.2. Theoretical premises and main direction of research.........................33 VI.3. Objectives of the research...................34 VI.3.1. Main objective of the research.........34 VI.3.2. Derived objectives of the research...........35 VI.4. Hypothesis of the research..........35 VI.5. Stability of the research stages ..........................36 VI.6. Selection the experimental mediums..............................36 VI.7. Selecting the population samples (experimental and control)36 VI.8.Research strategies.......................37 VI.8.1. Methods, techniques and strategies for the identification of gifted children......37 VI.8.1.1.Identification of gifted children by the observation method VI.8.1.2. Specificity and relevance of the observation method at pre-school and early school age VI.8.1.3.Designing and validating an observation grid VI.8.1.4.Assessment of observations made (corroborated with teachers opinions) VI.8.1.5.Identification of the gifted by psychopedagogical testing.....38 VI.8.1.6.Nomination by parents...38 VI.8.1.7.Nomination by teachers.................38 VI.8.1. 8.Nomin ation by peers . ... ....... ...38 VI.8.1.9.Analysis of school achievement................38 VI.8.1.10.Synthesis of preliminary results...38 VI.8.1.11. Conclusions VI.8.2. The second stage of the experiment................38 VI.8.2.1. The system of assessment standards to be observed during the training program............................39 VI.8.2.2. Instruments used in application - oriented research methodology .....39 6

VI.8.2.3.Determining the sample of subjects...............40 VI.8.2.4.Determining the content sample................40 VI.8.2.4.1.Enriched curriculum...40 VI.8.2.4.1.1.Educational valences of the enriched curriculum................41 VI.8.2.4.1.2.Conclusions......41 VI.8.2.4.2.Individualization of instruction...41 VI.8.2.4.2.1 Specificity of learning with the gifted ..41 VI.8.2.4.2.2.Conclusions VI.8.2.4.3.Mentoring........41 VI.8.2.4.3.1.What does mentoring imply? .......42 VI.8.2.4.3.2.How can the mentor effectively assist the gifted?....42 VI.8.2.4.3.3. Conclusions VI.8.2.5.The training program and modern technology VI.8.2.6.Conclusions CHAPTER VII. ANALYSIS AND INTEPRETATION OF EXPERIMENTAL DATA.................................43 VII.1.Presentation of results obtained during the experiment proper.........................43 VII.2. Descriptive statistics.....................................................................................................43 VII.3. Results of statistical analysis obtained following application of the training program..................................................................................................................................44 VII.3.1.Data concerning the level of school results following application of the training program............................................................................................................................45 VII.3.2.Analysis data concerning the impact of the three components of the training program............................................................................................................................46 VII.3.2.1.Imp act of the Improved Curriculum component upon the evolution of the gifted VII.3.2.2.The Individualiza tion of learning component and its influence during the training program VII.3.2.3.Ment oring and its impact upon the education of the gifted VII.3.3.Data concerning the influence of the training program upon the personality and behaviour of the gifted ...47 VII.3.4.Results obtained following application of the battetry of general ability (TAG) tests .............................................................................................................................49 VII.3.5. Data concerning the school results obtained following application of the pre-test and of the post-test by gifted children in the experimental and the control groups...49 VII.3.6.Data concerning the school results obtained following application of the re-test (distance testing) of gifted children in the experimental and the control groups.55 VII.4. Correlational study 7

VII.5.Regression analysis CHAPTER VIII. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS, PERSONAL CONTRIBUTION AND APPLICATIONS..57 VIII. 1. Perso nal contr ibuti ons. ....... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ... ..... ..........57 VIII.2.General conclusions..........................................................................................................57 VIII.3.Applications......................................................................................................................58 BIBLIOGRAPHY......................................................................................................................59 General bibliography.............................................................................................................59 Special bibliography-Romanian authors................................................................................60 Pedagogy-Psychology Journals.............................................................................................61 Bibliography-foreign authors.................................................................................................63 Webography...........................................................................................................................66

INTRODUCTION
Moto: The human intellect has very few things to do on the way to discovery. A development of cognition appears, called intuition or whatever you might wish to call it, and the solution comes of itself, and you dont know wherefrom or why all great discoveriews were achieved in that way. (A. Einstein)

Towards a Pedagogy for gifted children Why are we interested in a pedagogy for gifted children? It has been noticed lately that more and more specialists direct their preoccupations towards the problematics of children of high potential, towards identifying them, towards finding the most adequate methods for developing that potential and towards creating legislation in this field. This aspect is marked by the necessity of recognizing individual differences and observing them, based on human rights:gifted children need adequate educational opportunities to develop their inborn aptitude potential. Educational interventions for gifted children find their place among the preoccupations of the organisms accredited to deal with education, and an opinion about and special room for excellence are seen to have been built and found within the current educational system, by the setting up, in an increasing number of counties, of centres of excellence. Implemented at the level of educational policy, the regulations, well-specified by law1, concerning the problematics of high potential children, are admirable. The development of educational strategies and the working out of the support curriculum, as well as the writing out of materials for instructors, are capital needs in the pedagogy of high potential children. Training of instructors for the instruction-education process with gifted children represents another essential neeed;besides vocation, they need competences for designing a differential curriculum, to support pupils with high aptitude potential. Changes should be made in the initial and continuing training of teachers, in the sense of introducing specialized courses for training in this field. Application-oriented research is necessary, particularly in the domain of identification and cultivation of talents. Any individual, whoever that might be, represents a particular individuality built out of a number of features bearing the imprint of genotype anf phenotype. Besides genetic inheritance, the social-cultural milieu the individual was brought up in represents a defining factor. The individual blends all these features in a unique way, which gives him/her identity, defining him/her as a distinct and original person, as Allport put it: Orginizing individual life is, first, last and ever, a main fact of human nature2 . We can put people into typologies, but we should not forget about the uniqueness of the individuals, of each of them. Each person differs from another:first we differ as to sex, then each of us is unique, acquiring some originality through the fact thsat we were born on some particular day or in some particular historical era, into some particular family, in some particular social milieu, and we have come some way in life marked by various influences. G.W.Allport noted: No door should be closed in the study of personality3. Theoretically, part of what is transmitted hereditarily comes from the mother and the other part comes from the father, in random percentage. So, no two human beings can be identical or, rather, have the same development potential (except for the monozygotic twins, but there is room for discussion and interpretation even here). In order to understand the uniqueness of human personality, we must see that a man is:
1

1 The law concerning the education of the gifted and performance-capable children was adopted on December 13, 2006. 2 Allport, G.W., Strucure and Development of Personality, E.D.P., Bucuresti, 1991. 3 No aspect should be neglected in the study of personality.

-identical to other people as to species (human); -similar to some people (social-cultural group); -unique, as a non-repeatable and original personality. Each person is identical with the others by his/her mere belonging to the human species, has characteristics resembling those of the people in his/her social and cultural group, for example he/she speaks a particular language (mother tongue), he/she is unique in all he/she is, different from the others. By his/her way in life he/she is different from the others by his/her unique destiny. Regardless of the variables of the metaphysics of his/her destiny, his/her existence is a certitude, distinct in its peculiarities for each indfividual, his/her personal life follows some particular course. Within the great human variety there are people who distinguish themselves by physical, psychic, moral traits;some people are tall, others are short, some are hard-working, others are lazy, some are lively, others are apathetic, some are sensitive, others are insensitive, some are genial, others are idiotic. And we shall never be able to say that two children are identical, because, clearly, one is different from the other in specific traits4. By education, primarily, man passes from the condition of mere biological existence to that of social existence. The basic function of education is that of circulating, selecting, updating and turning to account social experience, to ensure an efficient and rapid integration of the individual within society and, through this, to create premises for the self-determination of the individual as factor of social progress 5. As to the process of mans advancement as a social being, there is no difference between the child born in a metropolis and one born in a primitive tribe, as both of them have to learn everything, starting from what genetical inheritance has offered each and going through the stages of epigenetic development 6 The result of the formation of man as a preponderently social being comes from mans spontaneous contact with various aspects of social life, but the most substantial part of knowledge accumulates by instruction within in organized and systematic form. The illustrious pedagogue J. Piaget has made important specifications on the relation between instruction and formation7. The role of education is not only the result of mere instruction, scool must be conceived as a centre for actual, preactical activities, carried out in a group so that logical intelligence should be built function of social action and changes. Educational action is a finalist action, and the essential subjects of this action are the instructor and the learner, both of them existing within a system that includes many factors coming from the outside 8. Within psychic development and the formation of the adult personality, learning has a central place as, through learning, the individual acquires new patterns of behaviour. From habits ansd abilities up to intellectual knowledge and operations, all are acquired through the activity of learning. Learning is the process of acquiring the intellectual experience of behaviour 9, this meaning assimilation of information and, besides this, formation and development of thinking processes, of the affective side, of will, that is, the formation of the personality system. Given the importance of learning, the other psychic processes and functions are involved in it, too, interdependece relations existing among them:on one hand, all psychic processes and functions combine within learning and, on the other, they are themselves built and structured through the act of learning. It can, then, be said that learning involves the whole of the psyche and has a formative, generative and constructive role concerning it, being directed, socially, towards a precise aim-the educational ideal.
4

Sir Fr.Galton, Heredity genius, (1869), (In his study he analyses the correlation between genealogical ascendancy and the performance in activity of some eminent personalities of the 20 th century in England). 5 See Miron Ionescu, Education and Instruction,University Press, Arad, 2005. 6 Piaget, Jean, Inhelder, Barbel, Child Psychology, Cartier, Chisinau, 2005. 7 J.Piaget, Ou va leducation, Denoel-Gauthier, Paris, 1972. 8 Ionescu, M.Chis,V., Teaching and Learning Strategies, Scientific Editoriel House, Bucharest, 1992. 9 Norton, W.W. (1997, August). The life cycle completed [WWW document]. http://www.wwnorton.com/catalog/spring96/003934.htm

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As the goal of education, the educational ideal expresses the requirements and the aspirations of a society in a particular historical moment, in the shape of a desirable pattern of human personality;the educational ideal is a credo. The rational man, the personality in progress, does not act before understanding and trusting something. Goal-oriented belief feeds the spirit, organizes the forces, leads on before the unknown, surmounts obstacles and lends strength. One of the challenges already launched within conpemporary society is the need for re-thinking school, formal education, alongside of non-formal and informal education, in their various way of articulation 10. Efficient learning manifests itself in cognitive productivity and creativity only if they are based on the potential qualities of pupils. High potential children, due to the configuration of their personality (asynchronous development) fall into a category that must be protected by specific educational measures, fact reflected in the European legislation in the field 11: they need increased attention from the pedagogical community for their integration within a coherent educational system. The absence of a framework adequate to their outstanding endowment may lead, on one hand, to the loss of their high creative potential and, on the other, there is the risk of onset of alienation, failure and school abandonment, as well as that of developing antisocial behaviour 12. Therefore, gifted children must have adequate learning conditions to allow them to fully turn to account their potential, to their own interests and to that of their society. Wasting talents means wasting human resources by not identifying their intellectual potential in due time. Current legislation13 however, considers this category of children with special needs and, at least at the declarative level, promotes and supports human excellence and talents in all domains of their manifestation: science, art, management, leadership 14.

10 11

Chis,Vasile, Contemporary pedagogy, pedagogy for competences, Scientifis Book House, Cluj-Napoca, 2005. Recommendations of the European Council for High Ability-ECHA, The Netherlands 1991) 12 Council of Europe, Answer of the Committee of Ministers, December, 2004. 13 Law concerning the education of gifted and high performance-capable youth was adopted on December 2006. The law was published in the Official Monitor on January 9, and entered into force on February 18, 2007. 14 IRSCA Gifted Education, with its 30 partners in education launched,in a private initiative, the Romanian Consortium for the Education of Gifted and Talented Children and Youth in support of the first National Program Gifted Education launched in Romania.IRSCA Gifted Education is recognized by WCGTC,World Council for Gifted and Talented Children, and ECHA,European Council for High Ability, the highest forums at international and European level in the field of education for gifted children.

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CHAPTER I. PSYCHOPEDAGOGICAL AND SOCIOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS CONCERNING GIFTED CHILDREN

I.I.Theories concerning the ontogenetic development of the child I.1.1.General theoretical aspects In common acception, the problematics of giftedness takes our thoughts towards the concept of exceptional human intelligence, and when we refer to a gifted individual, an analogy is achieved with high mental abilities and an association is made with the attributes:quick-witted, wise, bright, sharp-minded, brilliant. Specialized studies are themselves controversial as concerns giftedness because of the complexity of the notion of human intelligence. If we speak of human development in general, and of the child, in particular, we refer to some stages man goes through, compulsorily, on the way to maturity. These stages or periods themselves include phases of development, of progress, of physical, psychic, moral and social change. Human development is marked by this passing from one age to another, based on several factors, selfdetermining and of outstanding complexity. Therefore, development can be seen from the perspective of several sciences, such as:anthropology, sociology, ecology, biology, psychology and pedagogy. The domain of research stays, however, with psychology, specialists investigating child development by various methods, from types of influences upon children, starting with the first interactions between parents and their children, up to ways of bringing up and educating children in various cultures. Psychology has materialized this detailed analysis in theories. Each theory has had its supporters, who have brought substantial contributions to the development of the theories, facilitating accesss to knowledge of human psychology from various perspectives. I.1.2. The Structuralist theory concerning child development A diachronic view of the evolution of the concepts. In their researches concerning human psychic development, psychologists have concentrated on the ways children organize what they are learning, considering the implied process as a strucured, systematic one. As concerns the historical evolution of the concepts, before the appearance of the modern epigenetic theories, inner factor theories were noted, conferring the first role in the process of development to endogenous factors, and the outer factor ones, attributing most importance to exogenous factors; social milieu, culture, education. One of the first psychologists to maintain the dependence of the development of intelligence upon the social milieu was Willem Doiser (1998), in 1930. Later, in 1963, Mead (Mead G. H., 1963, p. 67) brought arguments in favour of this idea. In 1759, Kaspar Friederich Wolff15 maintained the idea of the formation of human personality by its step-like construction under the influence of the social milieu. There followed Preyer, Baldwin and Stern 16, who brought empirical interpretations in the field of genetic psychology. Eduard Claparede 17, concerned with identifying the factors that contribute to human development, described psychogenetic evolution as occurring in three stages: the stage of acquisition and experimentation, the stage of organization and assessment and the stage of production and work. The Psychogenetic theory. Sigmund Freud worked out a psychoanalytical conception which could be considered to be essentially psychogenetic.

15 16

Kaspar Friederich Wolff, Theoria generationes, Berlin, Germany,1759. n A History of Psychology in Autobiography, (Vol. 2). Worcester, MA: Clark University Press. 17 Claparede Ed., L'education fonctionelle, Neuchatel, 1950.

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Wallons theory has as its primary preoccupation the evolution of consciousness, in his psychogenetic theory. One of the most valuable structuralist theories was put forth by Jean Piaget18 18, in 1953. In his studies, Piaget worked out an original theory concerning the origin and the mechanisms of thought, called the operational theory. The Harvard School. J. S. Bruner maintains that the intellectual development of the child depends primarily upon the cultural milieu 19. I. 1. 3. The Psychoanalytic theory concerning child development Freud and the Psychoanalytic theory 20. In the second half of the 19 th century, Freud, dealing with hysteria-sick patients, discovered that they often seemed to have memories and associations deeply buried in the unconscious and stronly marked affectively, the bringing back to consciousness of which really helped. So, he worked out the theory known as the psychoanalytical technique. Eriksons theory 21. Neo-Freudists contest the idea that emotional development depends on the resolution of the conflicts between biological pulsations and the exigencies of the society. They concentrated their attention mainly on the develpoment of the Ego, a domain they considered to have been neglected by Freud. Bowelbys theory of maternal privation 22 was derived from the underlining of the considerable importance of the first years in the childs life for its subsequent development 23. I.1.4.The Psychosociological theory concerning the childs cognitive development Interaction plays a causality role in child development, allowing the child to work out new cognitive instruments which, in turn, alow the child to participate in more elaborate social interactions, thus favouring a new cognitive restructuring. The sudy of social interaction in the formation of new cognitive instruments in children sets itself to explain the psychic mechanisms for activating intellectual and social acquisitions, stressing on the role of social activism, a concept postulating a socio-interactionist and socio-constructivist theory. Feuerstein Reuven. R. Feuerstein24 (1979)puts forth a wholly original conception by maintaining that structural cognitive changes are due to the educational techniques coordinated by mediators. Doise and Mugny. In their experimental researches, Doise and Mugny (1998)25 tried to demonstrate that the cognitive patterns of the individual can change into more complex structures if exposed to social conditions capable of generating cognitive progress. Social constructivism, whose representative is L. S. Vigotski26, sets itself to demonstrate the psychological and social nature of consciousness, the social origin of human psyche and the means by which the higher functions of the intellect:reasoning, understanding, planning, remembrance, develop out of social experience. Vigotsski introduces an original concept called the proximal development zone. This zone can be used to the benefit of the childs development
Piaget, J., Genetic epistemology, Scientific Editure, Bucure ti, 1973. J. Bruner, Pentru o teorie a instruirii, Editura Didactic i Pedagogic , Bucure ti, 1970. 20 Freud, S., Introduction in psystencho analysis. Psystencho phatology, EDP, Bucure ti, 1992. 21 Davis, D. (1997, December). Psychosocial theory: Erikson [WWW document]. http://www.haverford.edu/psych/ddavis/p109g97/erikson.stages.html. 22 Bowlby, J. (1988) A Secure Base: Parent-Child Attachment and Healthy Human Development. London: Routledge; New York 23 The interaction between mother and child is constructive in normal developement of child. Bowlby describe relationchip attchament and the process and shows the avantage for individualdevelopment. 24 Damon, W., (Ed.), Child Development Today and Tomorrow. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 1989. 25 Doise ,W.and Mugny,G.,Social Psychology and Cognitive Development,Iasi,Polirom,1998. 26 Vigotski,L.S.,Thought and Language, in Selected Psychological Works,vols.I and II,(ttrans.),EDP., Bucuresti,1971,1972.
18 19

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so that the latter can attain a higher level of efficient learning. Efficient learning means, in his opinion, learning that accelerates development, on one hand, and, on the other, implements the principle of unity betwen intellect and affect, maintaining that intellectual development is definitely determined by motivation. Gagne Robert Mills. In Gagnes conception, human development is the cause and the effect of learning and growth. Mircea Miclea. Human intelligence, in the view of the Romanian psychologist, is a unitary whole in which the cognitive patterns represent the configuration of human thought. The ways in which these patterns interact lead to processes of logical, subtle thinking, creating various levels. Thought is not a sum of the various patterns, and the cognitive pattern is not reducible to its components 27. I.2.Gifted children - psychopedagogical considerations Giftedness has always been associated with very high intelligence, or with higher academic ability, measured in over- the- average grades, unusual achievement. Who are these gifetd children? Can we speak of an identifiable psychological profile? Certainly, these children have a higher than- average intelligence, but also a different way of perceiving reality. Related to these gifted children /youths, a psychologist used to say, metaphorically, that, some people look at the world but see it as if they were using foggy lens, or lens that distort reality, others look at it and perceive it as seen through normal lens, while the gifted look at the world and perceive it as if they were using over-efficient lens. The gifted, indeed, look at and perceive reality as if seen through the microscope, and geniuses perceive the surrounding reality as if seen through an over-efficient electronic microscope. They distinguish the things in the surrounding reality in avery different way from common people. If, on one hand, this represents an advantage, on the other, it represents a great disadvantage, determined by their becoming aware of that they are different from the rest of their peers, hence their inner conflicts. Their outstanding cognitive capacity, accelerated with relation to their chronological life, determines many conflicts at consciousness level, generating problems. Asynchronic development on various levels develop and determine emotional reactions andspecific non-adaptation, which will lead to aspects of behaviour which are incompatible with mass education. Gifted children need two things:to come to terms with their condition and to have all conditions createdfor developing their exceptional potential. Although, generally, they have the same nneds as all the other children, definitely gifted children are different from bothnormal children, and from the other more advanced children, in that they are: children of very high intellectual development; children displaying abilities in specific areas; children of very highly-developed talents. It has been established according to statistics that the gifted represent 20% of the population. It has been noticed that this percentage is on the rise in developed societies, due to the differential learning conditions they can opt for , which ensure for them a development that matches their gifts. I.2.1.Giftedness, adaptation and non-adaptation - psychopedagogical considerations Maria Roth (1986) defines giftedness as a multidimensional system of the individual, cognitive, motivational and sociocultural factors that ensure attainment of high performance 28. The definition of giftedness varies function of the cultural, social, professional context or of geographical milieu, function of the program, oriented towards well-defined goals, or of the horizon of professionalism. For each such situation only some types of abilities are selected, axiologically assessed at various levels. Generally, in common general referential terms, the
27 28

Mircea Miclea,Cognitive Psychology, 2nd edition,Polirom, Iasi, 2000. www.history-cluj.ro/SU/cercet/CimpianErika/TALENTUL%20MUZICAL.pdf

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definition of giftedness includes outstanding psycho-physico-intellectual capacities, oriented scientifically, artistically, kinaesthetically, towards the environment, leadership or management, etc. Also, as a different variable, independence from the above-mentioned capacities and creativity are included, and a third basic characteristic included in the definition is given by academic abilities. Gifted persons can be of all ages, races, sexes and do not depend on physical handicaps, or the like. High abilities are potential abilities in a single area or in combination in the following areas: -general intellectual abilities; -specific academic abilities; -creative or productive thought; -leadership abilities; -visual arts or show abilities; -psycho-motor abilities Giftedness is an asynchronous development in which advanced and high-intensity cognitive abilities combine to create an inner experience and an illumination, which are qualitatively different from the common norm. This asynchrony increases with the size of intellectual capacities. I.2.2.The psychopedagogical domains of manifestation of general giftedness I.2.2.1.Intelligence and its characteristics What is the nature of the cognitive system ontologically? The human psychic system is a system for processing information, the informational nature of psychic phenomena, with a very complex organization and operation being recognized. The cognitive system is, also, an open system presupposing, basically, a cognitive recptiveness to all external influences (photons, air waves, pressure, heat, air qualities, foodstuffs qualities or composition etc). Without this receptiveness, knowledge of the external world would not be possible, and all the capacities of this macro-object are mainly due to its higher structure or organization. Modern psychology defines intelligence along two dimensions: as a complex system of operations and as a general ability. If we accept that intelligence represents a complex system of operations conditioning the general manner of approach and resolution of the most diverse situations and problematical tasks, we have in view operations and abilities, such as: adaptation to new situations, deduction and generalization, correlation and integration within a unitary whole of the disparate parts, statement of consequences and anticipation of result, rapid comparison of action variants and retainment of the optimal one, correct and easy resolution of problems with increasing degree of difficulty. All these abilities and operations reveal at least three basic characteristics of intelligence: capacity to solve new situations; rapidity, mobility, suppleness, flexibility of constituting processes; adequate and efficient adaptability to the circumstances. I.2.3.Precocity Precocity is a concept that refers , in terms of generality, to children with cartain patterns of behaviour, different from those of other children of the same biological age, as an early manifestation of skills, abilities, knowledge, and determining their perception. Precocity can manifest itself within any side of personality: cognitive, motor, linguistical etc. We say that a child is precocious if the child starts speaking at an early age, if the child stars walking sooner than other children, if the child starts reading early by own effort. Research carried out by specialists has revealed that some children have precocious manifestations in certain domains of human activity. The precocity of a child will not automatically determine attainment of

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outstanding performances. Other, socioculturally determined, conditions of development are necessary for the development of inborn abilities, for the improvement of abilities. I.2.4.Talent Psychologists maintain that the main features of personality, which differntiate individuals among themselves, are temperament, character, as well as abilities and talent. We, then, ask ourselves what factors determine the appearance and manifestation of talent. Some authors, such as Torrance, Myters, Keating, remark the existence, with talented persons, of special factors: divergent thinking, creative imagination, intelligence of some kind, for example, social or interpersonal intelligence. But abilities imply, primarily, the existence of some hereditary factor (the totality of predispositions), of a capacity factor (acquired through life experience), an improvement factor to be reached by practice and concerning the assimilation, coordination and differentiation of the other factors. Talent presupposes a certain development of abilities and, often, a specific combination of them (not merely a sum of them), designating perfection, virtuosity, originality in the respective domain of reference. We distinguish here, out of these considerations, the folowing aspect: talent is that capacity of a person of manifesting a higher effectiveness in a specific activity within a human behavioural domain, from the academic domains to the technical, artistic, relational ones, with positive results on the social level. I.2.5. High ability giftedness High ability giftedness represents a degree higher than the conventional average level of development of general or/and specific abilities; the gifted is the individual with an intelligence above the average and, from a psychometric point of view, with an intelligence exceeding 130 on the IQ scale. The gifted child is remarkable by qualitative differences, but also quantitative ones, as regards cognition, a rapid processing of information acquired through perception or memory; it is also to be noted the development of the metacognitive capacity from an early age, an oustanding precocity and perspicacity in solving problems; one can notice that creative capacity that animates the domain of preoccupation and an intrinsic motivation for knowing. The concept of giftedness differentiates itself by association with general intellectual abilities, and talent denotes special capacities and aptitudes in a distinct domain. I.2.6.The genius. Determining factors for geniality Galton argues that the genius is a product of intelligence, a product of perseverence and work and the result of a long effort accopmanied by strong motivation. According to modern psychology, geniality is determined by several factors; besides intelligence, high creativity and special abilities, adjacent factors must be listed, such as:opportunities, luck and chance. The creative genius invents and imagines beyond common minds, thinks at a level surpassing human power, because eminent creators possess fondness of and devotion to what they are doing, self-disciplinary force, which allows them to exploit the ideas that stir their interest. The genius is that person who, by the discoveries achieved, by his creations and innovations, adds to the good of humanity in various aspects: scientific, medical, cultural, social etc. I.4.The concept of creativity I.4.1.Components of creativity Creativity, as the transformative-constructive side of personality, can be seen as product, as process, as disposition, as general human potentiality, as creative capacity and ability, as complex dimension of personality. The word creativity comes from the Greek creare, meaning to forge, to give birth to.

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I.4.1.1.Creativity as process. This acception concerns the phase-like, processual character of creativity, the fact that it necessitates going through distinct stages, their number varying from one author to another. From the processual pont of view, creativity becomes creation, it acquires unfolding expression, it passes from virtuality to actuality. I.4.1.2.Creativity as product. Most psychologists defining creativity have referred to the characteristics of the creative product, as its distinctive notes. And the essential characteristics of a product of human activity that allow its inclusion into the category of creative products have been considered to be its novelty and originality;these attributes of the product have been interpreted, in the very broad meaning, considering the novelty of genre29, the narrow meaning considering only the product as novelty for the society 30. The novelty of the product must, however, be considered only in relation with its usefulness: Because a product can be original but valueless, the two terms of the definition cannot be separated31, value, social usefulness and vast applicability. I.6.Conclusions Giftedness is attributed to a sum of factors coming from two directions:the natural, hereditary factor, doubled by the educational factor;the two factors being in reciprocal determination. The fact that people are born with certain specific features has been revealed by studies concerning monozygotic twins brought up in separate families, showing surprisingly similar psycho-behavioural characteristics , although they have been raised separately and in different social milieux. The educational factor plays, in great measure, a role in the development of abilities to the maximum, in giftedness, but these are achieved under certain conditions and are determined by educational and social factors, but also by self-motivation, even from very early ages. The motivational factor, together with creayivity, can often compensate for the absent factor, but when all the three factors:intelligence, creativity and selfmotivation operate concomitently, in an educational ans social environment favourable for the children, the latter can attain absolutely outstanding performances in developing their own potential.

29 30

Jig u, M., Gifted children, Bucure ti, Scientific and Technic Society, 1994. Ro ca, Al., General and specific creativity, Bucure ti, Editura Academiei Romne, 1981. 31 Idem

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CHAPTER II. WAYS OF IDENTIFYING CHILDREN CAPABLE OF HIGH PERFORMANCE

II.1.The need for identifying gifted children Identification of gifted children should be performed as early as possible for subsequent pedagogical investment in these children, for their development in accordance with their personal abilities. According to the studies carried out by Romanian psychologists, gifted persons represent 4-6% of Romanias population, while among schoolchildren, 15% have overthe-average intelligence. This evidence is in favour of the need for identifying gifted children so as not to lose these capacities and to offer them most adequate conditions for developing their potentialities. II.2.Procedures for identifying the gifted II.2.1.A set of subjective procedures for identifying the gifted Among the most frequently used subjective procedures for identifying the gifted we list the following:denomination, observation, quetionnaires, lists, case studies, analysis and assessment of works completed by schoolchildren based on homework assignment or of their free choice, analysis and comparison of grades obtained in various subjects, monitoring. II.2.2.Identification by learning performance Identification of gifted children is more than establishing an IQ percentage on the Gauss curve. Integrative methodologies are needed to recognize gifted children. Gifted children appear in all cultures, in both sexes and at different ages. A form of doubtless identification of gifted children is reperesented by that capacity for fast and effortless learning we readily observe with these children. The intervening problem is that the higher their intellectual abilities are, the more difficult it is to integrate them into some pattern of academic assessment;these children are so different in the structure of their personality that they must be treated individually. II.2.3.TheTotal talent portfoliomethod A method of identificationknown to specialists in the field is theTotal talent portfolio method, devised byJ. S. Renzulli (1997)32 aiming to: collect various types of information that allow building a portrait of the pupil; classify the information into the following categories:general abilities, interests, learning styles and indicators of success in learning (organizational habits, preference for some content, personal and social abilities, preference for creative productivity and abilities concerning how to learn); periodically revise and analyse the information with a view to optimal decisions referring to experience in enriching school activity (in normal classes)or out-of-school activity (in enrichment groups) and a continuum of special services; negotiate various options for accelerated or enriched learning between teacher and pupil, by the latters participation beside the formers. use the information as a vehicle in personal, educational and career counselling, as well as to communicate to parents the possibilities of talent development in school.
32

Renzulii, J. S., The total talent portofolio: looking at the best in every student. n: Gifted Education International, Vol. 12, pag. 58-63. 1997.

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II.3.Determining the level of giftedness by psychodiagnostic investigation methods One of the most accredited directions for a scientific identification of the gifted is psychometry, a method by which the defining characteristics of intelligence are measurable. The best knownn and most frequently used intelligence tests are:WISC-III, StanfordBinet:Fourth Edition (SB:IV), Stanford- Binet: Form L-M (SB:LM), H.P., the Domino 70. H.SP.Q. intelligence test, the W.M. test and the Two-criteria sociometric test, as well as the Guide for the identification of gifted children. However, psychodiagnostic tests are well defined, easy to administer means, which makes them useful in the large systems of education, where many children have to be tested. We exemplify with:psychometry tests, creative ability standardized tests, IQ, EQ, SQ tests, supplementary tests, other standardized tests. II.4.Methods for interpreting psychodiagnostic investigation data Experimerntal research practice has revealed that there are correlations between the concept of intelligence and that of culture, thought and innovation. If the intelligence coefficient is over 150, one can see a correlation between intelligence and culture, in the sense that education has marked the profile of the childrens personality. From this value, the individual uses an enriched cultural substratum. Verbal non- time-limited tests are used in measuring this correlation. They are efficient because they give access to encyclopedic knowledge, they facilitate expression of cultural aspects or mental projections of children/youths. II.5. Contrasting aspects within the group of gifted children II.5.1.Children with learning disabilities Children with learning disabilities can be defined as children who show extraordinary abilities in some domains and difficulties in other domains. The most usual method for identifying pupils with learning disabilities is to compare the difference between their analytical and verbal intelligence by IQ tests. II.5.2.Children from different cultural milieux Identification of gifted children coming from differnt cultural milieux must be done considering the cultural factor specific to that culture, which most often encourages the development of certain specific abilities. In some cultural milieux, sensorio-motor abilities are primarily turned to account, in others, the analytical ones are stressed, and in still others, only the academic ones are praised. Often the results in IQ tests are irrelevant in these groups coming from different cultural milieux out of emotional reasons or of insufficient metacognitive development. The criteria for evaluation of the gifted must consider:the manipulation of the system of symbolic values in their culture, the different logical thinking, the use of knowledge accumulated for solving problems and the use of analogical thinking, the transfer and extrapolation of knowledge into new situations. II.5.3.Types of visual-spatial children Among gifted children we meet this typology, too. There are two types of visual-spatial children, those who favour thinking in images and those who must think in images because of sequential deficiencies. The former type can use sequential thinking, too, and have an increased adaptability to teaching style, while the latter type cannot adapt to the sequential teaching style, regardless of the amplitude of intellectual abilities. II.5.4.Implications related to childrens sex These problems must be considered in identifying gifted and talented children. Sex differences do not constitute a differential criterion; both boys and girls can equally have high

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levels of intelligence, or can be highly creative. Differences may appear by wrong interpretation of some patterns of behaviour. At early ages, girls are more emancipated than boys, more courageous and self-controlled. The boys development is achieved more slowly, this aspect being observable not only as regards the evolution of their psychic processes, but also as regasrds their physical evolution II.5.5.Particular aspects of early identification of gifted children Identification of gifted children must be done early, from early childhood. The arguments are of both psychological nature and of pedagogical nature. It is known that the shaping of the childs personality is achieved in childhood, when the grounds of intellectual and practical abilities are laid through educational influence. Gifted children identified early will be able to benefit from all opportunities offered by the society to evolve along the line of their giftedness and to maximally develop their inborn potential. The development capacity in childhood has proven to be the most accelerated in the whole life-course of a human being; character is being shaped during this period, the grounds for the future social being are being laid, the child is highly adaptable and influenced now in the formative-educational aspect. II.6.Conclusions In general, the gifted child has his/her capacities distributed, at a high level, along all directions and shows abilities in many areas;this characteristic should make him/her easily identifiable. However, as to actual fact, things are different;the complexity of their personality makes these children hard to identify, some of them are endowed with high general intelligence distributed along all directions and, if these children have support, they will develop along an ascending direction. The types of intelligence are unequally represented in gifted children, in various areas of development. In general, sensorial intelligence positively correlates with emotional intelligence, which can be tested. On the basis of emotional intelligence, the layers of analytical, critical, spiritual etc. intelligence are developed. This is relevant for the development of didactic strategy, in which the capacity for absorption of the processed information is being trained in parallel with the capacity for logical processing of this information and with the development of abilities.

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CHAPTER III. EDUCATION OF GIFTED CHILDREN

III.1.Pedagogy for giftedness III.1.1.Characteristics of the instructive-educational process with gifted children Gifted children manifest themseves through attitudes, dispositions and habits that turn to account their open mind, objectivity, impartiality. They commonly practice metacognition, analyzing their own thinking process. The intelectual training that must lie at the basis of any activity/lesson requires planning, problem solving, strategic decision, recommendation of methodologies, communication and use of others experience in a critical manner. Orientation of learning must be achieved on the basis of analysis of the educational optimum and its planning for the future. Gifted children are driven by a special curiosity, they are eager to understand the way the whole universe operates, being capable of imagining improvements or reforms, of producing socially useful values. Therefore, the educational programs for the gifted must conform to the specific characteristics of their thinking which: -brings forth problems and ask vital questions which are formulated clearly and precisely; -collects and assesses relevant information using abstractions in their interpretation; -reaches well thought-out conclusions and solutions, testing them by relevant criteria and standards; -thinks openly and non-dogmatically within alternative thinking systems, recognizing and assessing own presuppositions, implications, and consequences; -communicates effectively with others, building solutions to various problems. Because gifted children show individual development characteristics, an educational system has been built all over the world that observes these individual characteristics and that can turn to account the enormous intellectual and ability potential of the gifted, directing the educational influences away from mass education, towards their stimulation. Efficient educational programs for the gifted, mentioned in the literature are: -the method of creative resolution of problems developed by Parnes (1977); Sidney J. Parnes was the father of the foundation for creative education;he studied, over his whole existence, the ways by which educational programs to support pupils in solving problems in learning and for development of creative thinking can be achieved, maintaining differentiation of the curriculum. -Joseph S. Renzulli developed a program for the education of the gifted based on differential learning experiences, whch includes: activities of group instruction, general exploratory activities, individual or small- group investigation activities. - Renzullis enrichment triad model (The Enrichment Triad Model, 1977, 1985). -Calvin W. Taylors totemic pillars of multiple talent (1978). Taylor, by his own research, launched a theory (based on Guilfordsmodel of intelligence structure 33 33) concerning the stimulation and development of multiple creative talents by adequate educational instruments. He upholds the idea that each individual has some specific talent. Therefore, in his approach, he underlines that more than 10% of talented children can be discovered beyond assessment by intelligence tests, if other aspects, too, are considered, and he suggests nine areas, namely:academic results, productive thinking, planning, communication, products, decisions, application, relationships, discriminating judgment. He also maintains the idea that, if we
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Guilford (1967) defined intelligence as a product of a series of factors falling into the traditional scheme of developing information,having a tri-dimensional structure:stimulus-organism-response, ability necessary for processing information, informatiom which the individual can discern in his perceptive field, and the position of the first central factor g varies function of the test package.So,various hierarchical structures were generated function of the data of the problem.

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stimulate pupils motivation for learning, they will develop their potential abilities in a pregnant way. -The John HopkinsUniversity (Stanley, 1980) acceleration program. This program includes several modalities of acceleration: joining school before the limit age, skipping one or two grades, study of some subjects at a faster rate, study in parallel forms (the pupil may be attending grade II for some subjects, and grade IV for others), placement of the pupil in classses with children of the same intellectual standards, participation in programs of special training, etc. - Tannenbaums enrichment matrix (1983). Abraham J. Tannenbaum studied the ways in which the education of gifted children with disabilities, with poor learning results, of those coming from different cultural milieux , could be improved, and published his studies in the book of 1983, entitled: Psychological and Educational Perspectives . He insisted on the need for special schools and classes for gifted children. -The Pyramid Plan, designed by D. Cox (1985). The model proposed by Cox for gifted children concerns analysis and assessment of works completed by pupils based on homework assignment or of their own choice;analysis and comparison of grades obtained in various subjects;psychological tests for revealing the various structural components (spatial perception, chromatic discrimination, observation spirit, plane and spatial representation, labyrinth-type tests, line tracing, pointing, touching etc). -the autonomous pupil model, created by G. Betts (1985), in which each pupil must enjoy a different approach, depending on the individual profile, based on which distinct programs should be dsigned. -the integrative educational model, designed by S. Kaplan (1986) (apud. Stanescu, 2002, p. 69-95). Kaplan, too, supports differential learning for the gifted by using a flexible curriculum, grouping of children according to capabilities and abilities in homogeneous grades or groups. -the Purdue program, created by John F. Feldhusen, is a program dedicated to development of creative thinking and of its four qualities:flexibility, fluency, originality and elaboratedness. The education of gifted children requires special educational programs, sometimes special grades, supplementary classes, specially trained teachers to work with the gifted and other aspects of an economic-financial nature. III.1.2.Adaptation of the curriculum for gifted children The curriculum proposed by educational policies, although an extrtemely important element in planning education, has drawbacks, nevertheless, in granting real support to gifted children. Therefore, in world literature and, with the adoption of the law concerning gifted children, in Romania, too, reference is made to a differentiated curriculum, as the modality of adapting objectives, content, didactic teaching, learning and assessment strategies to ability possibilities, at the level of cognitive affective and motor possibilities, to the learning rate and style of gifted children, capable of high performance34. III.1.3. Organizing classes and groups for gifted children In the modern educational system, the manner of organizing grades and groups of pupils is considered with great attention. The way teachers organize their schedule, group location in the classroom, teaching content, the teaching aids used, the ways to combine teaching methods,

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The low concerning gifted children education.

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the form of presenting learning units, assessment, are all very important. A number of aspects related to obtaining good results in the school activity with the gifted should be considered: -grouping of pupils function of their performance level, with similar intellectual level, with common abilities, with similar preferences, with an as close as possible level of development: -great attentioin lent to the building of the schedule, its adjustment to the needs of the children, in general, and of the gifted, in particular, who need to work at their own rate, to have the feeling of continuity of learning and of cognitive accumulation; -flexible location of the furniture, so as not to limit the possibilities of grouping children according to centers of interest, and of ready access to the resourses present in the classroom (maps, books, dictionaries, atlases, encyclopedias, computers). III.1.4.Learning strategies to be turned to account for an active and creaytive pedagogy Most often the economic-financial possibilities or even those of educational policy do not allow setting up special classes for gifted children , who would need , from the start , special and specialized conditions. An accessible climate for the education of gifted children can be achieved in mass school classes, too. One of the conditions would be adaptation of didactic startegies. The learning strategies which are required in the education of gifted children are more varied and differentiated than they would seem at first sight, beacuse these children, even if they have the capacity for better understanding and the ability to memorate and remember information more easily, to process information more quickly, they are not, all of them, autonomous pupils and do not, all of them, have optimal and fully formed learning strategies. It is, therefore, important for the domains that the teacher should direct his/her attention to when planning his/her educational strategiesfor stimulating the abilities of pupils capable of higher perfpormance to consuider the fiollowing aspects (Renzulli and Reis, 1985): - continuous cognitive development; - permanent affective-emotional support; - formation of efficient learning abilities; - formation of research skills and of those of using reference matertial; - formation of abilities of communication in oral, written and visual forms. The teacher can adopt several strategies for teaching the knowledge contained in one content area or another, but he/she must be aware that certain abilities or capabilities are formed only by the intersection of several strategies. III.2.Institutional startegies in support of gifted children III.2.1.Centers of excellence for gifted children. Centers of excellence in Arad-case study The centers for special instruction are extremely useful, owing to the instruction strategies specific to the education of gifted and talented children. These centers include a network of specializations by scientific domains, art schools, performance-oriented. They are pilot centers that select pupils from the general education network, by special methodologies used for identifying gifted and talented children and they apply educational strategies specific to the profiles of activity of these centers. In these centers, the unfolding of the curriculum is done starting from pre-school education up to post-academic education over the entire instruction period, by teaching-learning categories , allowing the instruction and education of the gifted depending on the their intellectual level and of their psychological maturity, the criterion of chronological age coming second.

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The centers have their own theoretical and application-oriented programs, creativity programs, mandatory for teaching staff and pupils, but also education programs, educational projects and alternative curricular offers or education products of some other kind, that will placed at the disposal of the educational system or in the educational market. The Arad centres of excellence carry out their activities in the most prestigious educational units in the following subjects:Romanian language and literature, mathematics, chemistry, physics, modern languages, music, arts. III.2.2.Strategies for the education of children capable of higher performances in extracurricular contexts Mass education schools cannot meet all the educational needs of gifted and talented children by the common curriculum and schedule. Maybe more than the other children, talented and gifted children have moments when they cannot cope alone and need special encouragement. Consequently, special programs are required in both school activities and ot-ofschool activities. Efficient use of time out of class is very important. Extra-curricular activities can offer efficient alternatives for the stimulation and orientation of the gifted. Childrens clubs in the school and out of it, childrens palaces, or other institutions can have attractive activities in which gifted and talented children can find an appropriate place for the development of their potential. III.3.Formation of teachers for the instruction of the gifted. The teacher working with exceptional children has as his/her general aim the creation of an educational and social assistance climate, favourable to the development of the general and special capacities of talented, overtalented and gifted children and youths. High ability children and youths have both specific endowments and needs, which determines the necessity of differential educational and counselling programs as against those offered by ordinary programs. The teachrs who work with gifted children/pupils need further training, specialized psychopedagogical formation, so that they may be able to assist those children from all points of view. Considering the totally outstanding psychological profile of the gifted, the teacher must know all these aspects and, also, must be capable of interacting with these children/pupils, to help them overcome the problems facing them, both from the point of view of their development according to their endowment, and from the affective-emotional point of view. III.5.Conclusions According to the above, approaches to the education of gifted children can materialize in extracurricular activities unfolding along various directions and extracurricular activities of mentoring, in their training as concerns endowment, outside the school program, possibly under a mentors guidance. Monitoring of the identified children will be done by observation, by comparing differences in academic achievement, by results scored in school contests and olympiads.

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CHAPTER IV. COMPREHENVIVE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM OF INTERVENTION FOR GIFTED CHILDREN

IV.1. Designing the intervention program With a view to educating gifted children, specialists in the field have worked out many methods and procedures:enrichment of the curriculum, acceleration of studies, precocious admission to schools, skipping a grade, special classes, grouping of children by level of study, the autonomous learninmg model, the gradeless school, compression of the curriculum, telescoping of studies, the credits system, extra-curricular activities, etc. Of the multitude of procedures and methods we shall, in this study, concentrate upon a methodology that combines several methods:amplification, enrichment of the curriculum, blending with differentiation/individualization of instruction in heterogeneous levels classes and mentoring outside classes, which we shall integrate into a formative program called by us Personalized Program of Education for Gifted Children (Figure IV.I.) As to method, enrichment of the curriculum presupposes a curriculum including elements above the the level required by the syllabus, which will lead to acceleration of studies for gifted children, by accumulation of knowledge according to the interests and possibilities of gifetd children. This aspect presupposes an adaptation of the duration of studies to the individual rate and intellectual capacities of the gifted child; also, it implies individualization of the rates of learning and progress, according to the notion that, between children of the same chronological age, there are notable differences as to mental and physical development and remarkable disparities. Figure IV. 1. Personalized Program of Education for Gifted Children - factors and directions of intervention Enriched curriculum

Individualization of learning

GIFTED CHILDREN

MENTORAT

Special syllabi

School and trainers Individualized and personalized learning is an educational alternative which offers the child the possibility of working at his/her own rate and by his/her standards, encourages him/her in taking decisions as concerns choosing subjects/domains of learnig, supports him/her in working efficiently in a personal style, motivates him/her for independent learning, facilitates his/her use of personalized working methods but, concurrently, stimulates him/her also for group activities, for new social contacts, for extra-curricular activities.

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As an individual working technique, the method of mentoring consists in throwing together a mentor and a certain pupil, to generate an inter-psychological learning relationship, the mentor being an expert in the particular domain and an external amplifier of the mental activity of theprotected, and the pupil only a talented and motivatednovice35. The strong argument in the choice of this combined strategy is given by practice. The mentoring method consists in the individual guidance of the gifted by a mentor, who will closely help him/her to develop his/her special abilities and skills. Practised efficiently, the method yields remarkable results, because an inter-psychological relationship will shape up between the two actors in the educational act, based on trust. The mentor being an expert in the domain and an external provider of necessary information, but also a counsellor who helps the gifted and motivated child to accumulate information and to develop according to his/her abilities, based on the confidence in his/her mentor. Mentoring implies a special type of activities unfolding with the child/youth and the adult playing, thus, complementary roles. The mentor leads, guides and encourages the endeavours of the child/youth and adapts the latters activities, stressing on cognitive strategies in instruction, while the child accumulates the information that he/she stores and that is necessary for his/her own development according to his/her endowment. The strong argument in the choice of this combined strategy is given by practice. The use of the three procedures has given remarkable results in the didactic activity with gifted children. Each method taken separately has its indisputable value, but we wish tlo show that, through their efficient combination, their effectiveness increases. The implementation of the Personalized Program of Education for Gifted Children will consider the totally exceptional characteristics of their personality. The buiding of the program will take into account the psycho-behavioural aspects of gifted children according to their individual psychological profile. The formative program of education for gifted children mentioned above is one to which children can adhere freely, without any constarints from parents or teachers, in accordance with their own choices and wishes. The educational strategies will aim at developing an autonomous and free personality and will contribute to the building of a feeling of self-esteem. IV.2.Description of the programmajor psychopedagogical coordinates The Personalized Program of Education for Gifted Children includes enrichment of the curiculum, combined with differentiation/individualization of instruction in heterogeneous levels classes, but also out of class, by mentoring. The enrichment of the curriculum will be achieved based on school programs designed by the teacher, who will teach the subject for which the child is endowed, and the programs will unfold in a scuccession to be established according to the receptive power of the respective child. The activities are to be carried out both in the school, during classes, and after class, within the mentoring program. The gifted child, together with the mentor, will set the number of hours for meetings and sessions, by common assent. IV.3.Description of the strenghts of the program IV.3.1.The functional perspective of the program The conception of pedagogical intervention was worked out starting from the idea of the existence of a strategic view for the implementation of the Program. All programs and materials should promote the standards of training for the gifted, in accordance with the latters possibilities.
35

www. arhiva.ise.ro

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The teachers working with the gifted will write out programs which will contain a relevant improved curriculum and materials that will determine the evolution of the gifted. IV.3.1.1.Qualities of the curriculum The materials should focus on a view of the development of the abilities and competences of the gifted;development objectives must rely on general and specific competences (knowledge, abilities, attitudes and values). The training methods need further specifications, corroborated with authentic values, diversification, and they should clearly indicate the ways of attaining the pre-formulated objectives. Teachers should provide a functional scheme that details on the specific competences to be developed by each learning activity and the way they link to the general competences of the gifted. The programs are to provide for a diversified manner of approach:communication, interpersonal, self-reflection and self-assessment abilities, as well as group inter-relationship. The programs indicate the competences that the proposed programs will develop and they give short explanations for the selection made. IV.3.1.2.Characteristics of curriculum design Teachers will make a general description of content applicable to gifted children. This description must present the logical structure of the content and to prove thet the latter will be: a) scientifically correct, supplying recent references; b) updated as to techniques and approaches described, citation of research sourses etc. c) relevant as to objectives stipulated. Topics must be well-defined, interesting and well related to objectives. The topics tackled must be so selected as to reflect the relevance of the content for the objectives planned. The content should focus on the following: - enrichment of the knowledfge of te gifted in the domain of interest; - development of strategies for efficient approach to contents. IV.3.2.Structural perspective of the training program IV.3.2.1.Curricular content The axiom we had in view in implementing the program was: All components used in working out the program must observe the national policies and strategies concerning the development of the gifted. Teachers involved in the education of gifted children must specify the educational strategies they will be using and the values the latter relate to. IV.3.2 2.Didactic methodology The program will be directed to interactive/active-participative methods, and all the activities carried out with the gifted must use modern learning techniques and use interaciveparticipative methods that should lead to the development of the competences of the gifted. Teachers should use strategies meant to encourage and support the fifted so as to be able to continue the learning process on their own; to do reasearch on their own; to pursue their individual interests which will help them in making the connection between new materials and present knowledge and experience and in using the auxiliary curricular materials for their own development. IV.3.3.Operational perspective The variety of theoretical and practical contributions included in the literature dedicated to the domain of excellence has obliged us to try and sketch an experimental training program which should reflect a point of view (claiming to be original)on approaching the

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education of gifted children. Thus, we have devised a model whose graphic representation is presented in figure IV.4. and which we called Personalized Program of Education for Gifted Children.

PERSONALIZED PROGRAM OF EDUCATION FOR GIFTED CHILDREN

GIFTED CHILDREN

STARTING LEVEL

P. P. E. G. C.

TRAINER

FEED-BACK

ENRICHED CURRICULUM

ACTIVE METHOD

RESULTS

INDIVIDUALIZATION OF LEARNING

TEACHING MEANS

MENTOR The Personalized Program of Education for Gifted Children includes several components:enrichment of the curriculum, differentiation/individualization of instruction in heterogeneous levels classes and mentoring out of class. Enrichment of the curriculum can be done based on special school programs (presented in Annex 3), designed by the trainer (designated by the specialist area inspector), who teaches the respective subject. The topics are taught in a succession established function of the receptive powers of the gifted. The activities are carried out both in the school, during classes, and after class, through mentoring. IV.6.Conclusions The effectiveness of the program depends, to a large extent, on the human resourses involved in its implementation. The strategic plan for the implementation of the training program provides for actions, activities and effects expected, but it also puts forth some hypotheses that can hinder or even fail the training program. Therefore, a rigorous management of the training program is required, to overcome potential shortcomings and for the successful implementation of the proposed training program.

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CHAPTER V. THEDOCUMENTATION STAGE OF THE INVESTIGATION

V.1.Argumant Education plays an incontestable role in acceding to excellence. Practice and experimantal research have demonstrated that, when a man is constantly exposed to coherent, constant and consistent educational influences, directed towards the domain he has inclination for, he/she will, undoubtedly , obtain exceptional results in that field. Our experimental research, carried out with a view to exploring possibilities of improving methods for educating gifted children comes within the area of research-action concerning higher efficiency of didactic strategies by experimenting new models of didactic action. V.2.Objectives of documentary research Two general objectives of the documentary stage were considered in designing the documentary investigation action and the working tools: - Objective 1: Identification of gifted children, of the subjects for which they show interest, and assessment of the level attained by the children identified as gifted, by a complex radiograph of their school achievement:general learning results, learning results in the subject they show interest for, docimological tests, observations etc. - Objectve 2: Devising of the training program and selecting of trainers who should be part of the team that will apply the training program to the experimental sample. V.3.Description of the sample of subjects for the documentary stage Our research involving pre-school children and schoolchildren identified as gifted, we set ourselves to use the inter-suject experimental design, in which we will use the technique of parallel/equivalent samples, tracing the variation of the dependent variable function of the independent variable in the experimental sample. These aspects oblige us to use this single group of subjects, to which the experimental variables are applied, their effects being registered in different stages:pre-test, intervention, post-test, re-test. The documentary research initiated by us concerns a sample of 24 pre-school children and schoolchildren identified as gifted (see Table V. 1. and histogram V. 1. ), of which 12 subjects will belong to the experimental sample, which will benefit from the training program devised by us, the other 12 representing the control sample. Table V.1.Synthetic presentation of the Sample of the gifted identified
Level Group/Grade Pre-school Total Primary A B A B C D E F G H 1 child 1 child 2 pre-scool children 1 schoolchild 1 schoolchild 1 schoolchild 1 schoolchild 4 primary school children 3 schoolchildren 2 schoolchildren 2 schoolchildren 2 schoolchildren D. G. - b C. N. - f I. M. - f B. A. - b D. F. - b U. L. - f B. M. - b, A. S. - f, C. S. - b L. C. b, V. B. -b, B. V. - b, T. I. - f I:O. - b, T. G. - b Number of subjects identified Name initials and sex

Total Secondary

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Total High school

I J K L

Total Overall total

9 secondary schoool children 3 schoolchildren 2 schoolchildren 2 schoolchildren 2 schoolchildren 9 high school children 24 gifted children

I. U. f, F. H. b, I. O. , b A. S. b, T. G. -b P. O. - b, F. G. - b S. D. - b, U. I. - f

Histogram V.1.Level of intelligence of the 24 gifted children Sampling of the subjects in the documentary stage of our experiment was done according to a selective methodology. Thus, we used the sampling of the subjects in accordance with the objectives of our research. To increase the level of representativeness of the sample, the subjects were chosen from various schools. As concerns the group of trainers, we followed the recommendations of the Arad County School Inspectorate, we considered their professional competence, class experience and degree of implication in the program proposed by us. The group of trainers consists of teachers from the humanities and exact sciences curricular areas, specialists in the subjects the gifted showed interest in. V.4. The content sample of the investigation As seen from the analysis of the objectives for this stage of research, the key domains of the documentary investigation were: - identification of the domains of interest of the gifted children, by selecting the subjects these children showed interest and abilities in (see Table V. 4); - establishing the initial level of knowledge , in general, and in the subject of interest, in particular: - selecting of trainers in accordance with the above-mentioned criteria.

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Table V.4. Subjects the 24 gifted showed interest in and talent for
Subject of interest Mathematics Physics Chemistry Romanian English Geography History Arts 6 3 3 4 2 2 2 2 2 2 Nr. of gifted Pre-school 2 Level of instruction Primary Secondary 2 1 1 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 1

High school

The table above reveals that, at pre-school level, 2 children were selected for the training program, and the domain of interest in which high abilities were shown was the arts. An outstanding inclination aws noticed in these children for drawing, an extraordinary sense of colour andhigh creativity. (See the Diana creativity test, described on p. 107). The interest area of the gifted in the primary cycle was in mathematics (2 children0 and history (2 children). In the secondary cycle, the interest of the gifted was directed towards both subjects in the humanities and exact sciences domains, thus we notice the following sujects of interest:mathmatics (20, physics (1), chenistry (1), geography (2), Romanian (2) and English (1). At high school level, the gifted showed interest in: mathematics (2), physics (2), chemistry (2), Romanian (2), and English (1). V.5. Methodology of the documentary investigation. Methods and instruments used The documentary investigation at this stage was structured asa a survey based on a questionnaire. For the success of this action, we considered it necessary to draw up quetionnaires that the subjects filled out without being subjected to outside influence. The questionnaires were adapted to the age level of the subjects, pre-school pupils and school pupils of levels:primary, secondary, high school. The questionnaires contain items that are relevant for aspects of the psychopedagogical profile of the subjects, as well as their manifest option for some particular subject or domain. V.6. Results of the documentary investigation V.6.1.Analysis of the interest of the gifted in certain subjects In this stage, we talked to each subject, identifying, thus, the interests of the gifted and their option to further study one discipline. Considering that inclination, interest and fondness for some discipline will motivate the subjects in their full commitment to the study of that discipline, we considered this appoach useful. Before starting application of the program, an evaluation of the level of school achievement of the gifted was done. V.6.2.Pre-test administration The studies completed in the documentary stage of our research revealed a comprehensive image of the options of the gifted, the willingness of trainers as regards their commitment to participation and achievement of the proposed objectives. Following the consecrated structure of the pedagogical experiment, we proceeded to delimiting the sample of subjects for the training experiment. The criteria for this were the results of the first stage of the research. Out of 400 sujects, 24 proved a high intellectual level, they constituting the experimental sample. Of these 24, 2 subgroups were formed, of 12 subjects each, a first group represnting the experimental sample proper, and the other group of 12 subjects representing the

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control group. Pre-test administration, in which all the subjects in the sample were involved, allowed us to check the equivalence of the experimental and control groups and to collect the initial data concerning: - the equivalence between the subjects of the experimental groups as regards school success and the results in the subjects of interest; -equivalence as to age level; -equivalence as to genre; -equivalence at intellectual level. Attentive measurement of the initial levels along the above dimensions was our constant concern at this stage, the results allowing us, then, to establish the formative relevance of the proposed program. V.6.3.Pre-test results A first finding reveals to us that the pre-school children and schoolchildren identified as gifted have school results ranging between grades 7 and 9. This first finding confirms, once more, the fact that not always does the high level of intelligence and talent correlate with very good learning results, exceptions to strengthen the rule (see histogram V.8). Histogram 8. School results of the gifted
10,00 9,00 8,00
r e z u lt a te c o l a r e

7,00 6,00 5,00 4,00 3,00 2,00 1,00 0,00 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

supradota i

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CHAPTER VI. TRAINING EXPERIMENT-IDENTIFICATION AND EDUCATION OF GIFTED CHILDREN BY DOMAINS OF INTEREST
VI.1.Pre-experimental documentation VI.1.1.Topicality of the investigation theme Bright intelligence appears rarely and the human capacities for identifying it are rather limited;we are often incapable of recognizing it or, if we recognize it, we are not capable of approaching it, we do not know what to do with it. We are fascinated with the sparklings of human geniuses, but up to recognitiion there a rough road with many obstacles. Talents manifesting themselves in obvious domains, such as: arts, music, sports, may be more easily identifiable. These categories benefit from a number of specialized centres, for the rest of the gifted preoccupations are too few, society , in general, does too little to identify and support these children, although about 80% of the total number of scientific discoveries and innovations are due to the gifted and the creative. Very many authors show in their studies how important early identification of gifted children is, so as to assist them with self-knowledge, with knowing their condition, with becoming aware of the nature of their personality, and a strong argument would be that of assisting them in advancing at their own rate in the domains their giftedness manifests itself, so that they may attain the performance they are capable of and become true innovators in their domains of giftedness and interest. (Silverman, L.K. (1983), Terman, L.M. (1981). VI.1.2.Theoretical and practical importance of the problematics under study The problematics of the gifted has gained real imporatnce for the current society. If, not too long ago, all attention was directed towards the category of children with deficiencies anddisabilities, while the category of gifted children was neglected, now things have changed, the gifted belong safely in the category of children with special educational needs and, in addition, the society is making efforts to support them. Specialists in the field are interested in both ways of the early identification of these exceptional children and in building educational programs which should contribute to the development of their abilities. VI.2.Theoretical premises and main direction of research Romanian education sets itself to develop a system of education based on the integrity and inclusion model, whose conception starts from the full confidence in the possibilities of the gifted, and encourages the development of the latters potential and capabilities. The basic sociopedagogical thesis is that of adaptation of school to child and, corrrespondingly, of differentiation of learning, based on a pedagogy of positive discrimination and of the supportive spirit. In our country, practice has demonstated that gifted pre-school and school children learn more from the contact with children in regular classes, if they are assisted. Also, the stimulation and development of certain intellectual, social, emotional or physical characteristics are influenced by the interactions of children in classes of mass schools, these representing the most adequate place for acepting differences and individualized trreatment of them. The qualities of gifted children: concentrated attention, perseverence on the task, creativity, rich thought, have a stimulating effect on the quality of the learning of all children in heterogeneous classes and are a stimulus for the other pupils. The substantiality of the premises mentioned has determined us that , in our study, out of the multitude of procedures and methods used in the process of educating the gifted, we should focus on a strategy that combines several methods:curriculum enrichment, combined with differentiation/individualization of instruction in classes with heterogeneous levels and out of 33

class mentoring. The differences observed in the gifted require different modalities of education, under conditions as adequate as possible to the specific personality traits and the individual needs for adaptation and development. This approach generates the need for a differential and flexible curriculum, as comparanble as possible with the real learning possibilities of the gifted , and it requires the development of an efficient support system of services which should address these exceptional children. Thus, a real contribution to their support could be made, so that they could accede to a development in accordance with their high intellectual endowment. In synthesis, we can graphically objectify the pedagogical experiment in Figure VI.1. Figure VI.1.Pedagogical experimental design

VI.3.Objectives of the research VI.3.1.Main objective of the research The main objective of our research is the analysis of the problematics of giftedness of children, of the methods and strategies used for the identification and education of gifted children and the implementation of the proces of psychopedagogical intervention and assistance. Educational-instructional intervention is welcome to the extent it contributes to the maximum devlopment of the intellectual-creative potential of gifted chldren. Involvement of all responsible factors:instructors, primary school teachers, secondary school teachers, tutors, consellors, psychologists etc (see Figure VI. 2), as well as of the other educational partners, such as: families, cultural institutions, associations for the gifted and media, represent important aspects.

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Figure VI.2. Factors involved in the education of gifted children

VI.3.2.Derived objectives of the research 1)Identification of gifted children in the Arad county, using as technique dissociated multiple criteria:school achievement, nominations by teachers and parents, denominations, intelligence coefficient, manifested creativity; 2)Implementation of educational strategies in the group of children identified as gifted with a view to their development at an induvidual rate, along the line of endowment. Having as argument the above teoretical premises and the existence of our own experimental training program, we formulate the following general hypothesis for our experimental research:the proposed training program will determine the development of the gifted in accordance with their native endowment. The unfolding of the training program for testing the above hypothesis was based on the following objectives: 01. structuring of a coherent training program based on specially devised programs; 02. implementation of the training program by conceiving learning situations that should activate the exceptional intellectual potential of the gifted; 03. continuous monitoring and assessment of the impact of the training program; 04. analysis of the impact of the praining program by the qualitative and quatitative interpretation of the school achievements of the fifted in the subjects of interest; 05. reflecting upon the didactic experiment and its effects. VI.4.Hypothesis of the research Directing our research so as to achieve the proposed objectives, we put forth the following hypotheses: 1) If there is a direct correlation between the intelligence coefficient, the level of creativity and the pupils abilities, this makes us have in view the values of these three indicators which will serve as basis for detecting intellectual giftedness, and by the devising and implementing a coherent educational training program for the gifted, which turns to account personalized and individualized training programs, in an integrated manner and by using activating didactic methods in an advantagoerous educational climate, this will determine the development of the ability potential of the gifted in the subjects of interest, with maximum efficiency, aspect revealed in school achievements. In order to test/verify the above hypothesis and to attain the objectives of our research, we chose psychopedagogical methodologies which should demonstrate that the hypotheses put forth are true. Validation of the hypothesis of the present study will be reflected in: 1). the results of the comparative experiment concerning the influence of the training program Personalized Program of Education for Gifted Children upon the school achievements in the 35

subject favoured by the gifted. For this, two samples of gifted children were selected, a control and an experimental one, totalling 24 children, 12 in either group. 2). validation of the battery of general ability tests (TAG), by correlative correspondence with the results scored by children in the tests: Raven and Domino, validated on a Romanian sample. We mention that the battery created within this studty- (TAG), will have validity only in gifted children samples, with ages ranging between 5 amd 18 years. VI.5.Stability of the research stages The pedagogical research was completed by us in three stages, during the period 20052008 (see FigureVI.3), including: -investigation of the theoretical framework, theoretical modelling; -practical experimentation; -experimental turning to account of the designed didactic strategies. FigureVI.3.Graph representing the time allocated for completion of the rersearch

100 90 % 80 % 70 % 60 % 50 % 40 % 30 % 20 % 10 % 0% 2005-2006 2005-2007 2006-2008 %

Theoretical grounding Documentation Research

VI.6.Selection of experimental mediums The formula under which the study was born observed, from the beginning, certain strict stages;first, we directed our investigations towards the configuartion of experimental groups (see Table VI.4). We set ourselves to focus on certain kindergartens to select samples from, according to the target groups: -100 pre-school children; -100 children grades I-IV; -100 secondary school children; -100 high school children. For the pre-school level, as, at this age, identification is more difficult, we chose to consider as experimental groups only the groups preparatory for school, consisting of 6-7 years old children. Team (collaborators): -Psychologists in the Arad County Center for Psychological Assistance, -Psychologists in pre-school and school Offices, -the Arad Center of Excellence. VI.7.Selection of population samples (experimental and control) The experimental sample includes 400 children selected for the four age groups, asa can be seen in the Table below. (Table VI.5.)

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Table VI.5. Samples of children, by learning levels , chosen for identification

Samples Pre-school Primary Secondary High school Composition of groups/classes 28 22 24 26 26 29 32 24 21 25 27 30 21 23 20 22 Total-400 100 100 100 100

For the identification and education of gifted children in the Arad county, we chose prestigious schools as experimental bases, the first argument being that, across time, these schools have attracted children with spectacular results all along their instruction, and parents, too. These schools are famous , also, for the percentage of admission of graduates to prestigious universities at home and abroad. VI.8.Research strategies Stage 1: identification of gifted children. The identification samples were set thus:100 preparatory group pre-school children, 100 I-IVgrade pupils, 100 V-VIII grade pupils, 100 IXXII grade pupils. VI.8.1.Methods, techniques and strategies for the identification of gifted children In choosing the identification strategy, especially in devising the set of methods and working instruments, the following exigencies were considered:reading of specialized literature relating to the problem under study, study and implementation of the positive experience in using the didactic strategies in the education of gifted children: -Observation -Testing. -Psychometric methods. -Quantitative (mathematical-statistical) and qualitative (contentual)analysis of the achievements of the subjects. - Analysis, interpretation and turning to account, from a psychopedagogical and didactic perspective, of the data and results obtained. To achieve the objectives set for stage 1. , we set ourselves to use the following strategies of identification, including both standardized and non-standardized forms (see Table VI.7.a.): observations of and nominations by parents and teachers; nominations and denominations of pupils; IQ assessment by tests and standardized trials; finding of the creativity level of children by non-standardized tests; analysis of school achievement. Table VI.7.a. System for the identification of gifted children
Distribution of criteria 50% non-test-based criteria Stages 1 Name of trial Screening based on informal sources Observations and nominations by teachers Denominations of pupils Evaluation of pulips products by a group of experts:written papers, reports, oral presentations or artistic works, softs etc. Assessment of the level of knowledge in school subjects IQ assessment by standardized tests, fitted to the Romanian population

50% test-based criteria

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VI.8.1.5.Identification of the gifted by psychopedagogical testing The test used observed some basic norms. Standardized tests were used that observe validity norms, such as:a fixed set of items that are applied to all children, standard rules of application and evaluation procedures. Observance of these norms allows comparison of individual results with those of a target group, gifted children in our case. Below are listed the tests we included in the proposed study: the Raven Color Test, the Bender Santucci Trial, the Domino 70 Test, the H.S.P.Q. Test, the Woodworth-Mathews Test, The Diana Test, creativity test (non-standardized). VI.8.1.6.Nomination by parents At small ages, we consider that parents or legal tutors are the first to succeed in objectively knowing the level of development of children and in realizing the specific aspects that differentiate children;they are the first to observe aspects different from those noticed in the classroom, children behaving differently at home, their motivations are different, their interests are different, childrens attitude differs in a secured environment like the one at home and special abilities can be more easily perceived. Therefore, we shall rely on parents accounts, too, in the processs of identification. VI.8.1.7.Nominations by teachers This method represents an accepted way of identifying gifted children of all ages, which has as its landmark observation of the typical behaviour and of the characteristics of a certain age, achieved by teachers in various situations the child is involved in at school. The means for deep knowledge by teachers of the childrens possibilities are various, from mere spontaneous observations, systematic observations, noted down on the basis of checklists, (see Table VI.10, 11-Annex 2), analysis and study of school achievement, of childrens portfolios. VI.8.1.8.Nominat ions by peers In the first stage of identification (screening) of children with high ability potential, the proceedures of nomination by teachers, parents, peers, even self-nomination were used. Nominations by peers are viable also owing to the fact that, in general, children have a spirit of justice and honesty, which confers to the observations made by peers correctness and, consequently, we can consider them relevant. VI.8.1.9.Analysis of school achievement The procedure of analysis of school achievement may be or may not be relevant in identifying gifted children;specialists are of the opinion that, most often, school achievement not fully reflects the exceptional capacities of the gifted;hoewever, we shall not drop this procedure, using it in our research. The school achievements of the children in the experimental groups will be analyzed by school subjects, but also globally;the data can be seen in Chapter VIII. VI.8.1.10.Synthesis of preliminary results As can be seen in the histogram below, the age average of pre-school children ranges between 5.5 and 6.5 years, the highest share being that of children betwen 6.5 and 7 (see Figure VI.14). This aspect is very important because, broadly, the essential characteristics of a shaping personality are already there. VI.8.2.The second stage of the experiment The second stage of the experiment was completed in the period: February 2007-April 2007-the pre-experimental period, dedicated to documentation and pre-testing;

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 April 2007-October 2007-dedicated to the pilot training experiment and achievement of the final design; October 2007-May 2008-the pedagogical experiment proper, with the post-test at the end. The intervention period was followed by the post-test period, at the end of the 1st semester of the 2007-2008 school year. The intervention training program was applied only in the case of the experimental group (experimental sample) and was structured on three main action units. - Part I: Presentation of the manner of operation and proposal of the training program. - Part II: Unfolding of the training sessions according to the experimental programs, with actions specific of the training program components. - Part III: Conclusion of the training program and presentation of the summative feed-back. Thus, a first direction of action within the experiment consisted in the explicit presentation, for the subjects of the experiment, (gifted pre-school /school children), of the educational activities they will take part in, specific of the training program, with observance of stages and of the program of training intervention. VI.8.2.1.The system of assessment standards to be observed during the training program The trainer, the mentor who works with the gifted, must observe certain quality standards as concerns the insttructive-educational activities, namely: - qualitative standards of a pedagogical nature; - qualitative standards of a psycho-socio-physiological nature: - qualitative standards referring to family life. VI.8.2.2.Instruments used in application-oriented research methodology Starting from the above quality standards, various research instruments were used. These instruments included various methods for evaluating the results obtained by the subjects in the experimental sample, starting from the initial evaluation and going on to the final one (see Table VI.20). Table VI. 20. Investigation instruments used during the experimental research Investigation Pre-test Test Post- test Re- test instruments The research instruments are:the Raven Test, the Domino Test, TAG (Annex 3.) These evaluation trials were applied on a sample of 24 gifted children, 12 belonging to the experimental group and 12 belonging to the control group. Five independent variables were considred in the validation of the hypotheses of the study, namely: school level; genre belonging; pre-test school results in the favoured subject ; school rewsults in the favoured subject; IQ level (Raven, Domino). The dependent variables of the study are: post-test school results: distance testing school results in the favoured subject; post-test school results in the favoured subject; distance testing school results; TAG results.

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We mention that the detailed description of the investigation instruments can be found in Chapter IV. VI.8.2.3.Determining the sample of subjects Following the stage of identification of high intellectual level children, we identified, out of 400 subjects, 24 gifted pre-school and school children, who represent the sample of subjects used in the experiment. The building of the experimental samples was achieved function of the subject favoured by the gifted. VI.8.2.4.Determining the content sample In the experimental stage of our investigation, the main objective was the introduction, at the level of research subjects, of a training program (of education for gifted children). Consequently, a first direction of the sampling of the contents used was the decision concerning the devising of a coherent and integrative program of education for the gifted. Below is a detaild description of the training program Personalized program of education for gifted chioldren. The Personalized program of education for gifted children is an aggregate of methodological elements, objectively combined, with a view to obtaining positive results in the effort of increasing the efficiency of didactic activity with gifted pre-school and school children, in accordance with their special abilities. The Program includes methods that pregnantly focused on pupils. It is a program meant to allow the development of the gifted along the line of their giftedness. Having a flexible structure, the Program can be adapted to any age level, but also to any study level (beginners or advanced), to any discipline. It wishes to achieve the bset correlation between the exceptional abilities of the gifted and the effective instructiveeducational means, offering, also, the possibility of acceding to the methodological alternatives of learning. The components of the experimental training program are:enriched curriculum, individualized instruction, and mentoring, all unfolding concomitantly, so as to assist gifted children to evolve along the line of their giftedness. VI.8.2.4.1.Enriched curriculum On component of the Personalized program of education for gifted children is the enriched curriculum. It includes the ensemble of strategies for the study, shaping and development of the contents of formal, non-formal and informal education for the gifted, by study disciplines. It includes:the specific objectives of a school discipline, the educational activities, the informative or educational contents necessary for the achievement of the objectives set, the conditions for their achievement, the programming and organization of the situations of instruction and education, evaluation of results. The framework curriculum includes:the common core, the differntial curriculum and the schools curriculum. The common core includes all disciplines studied compulsorily by all pupils in the same grade. The total number of classes in the common core is set and it differs from grade to grade. The differntial curriculum is a package of classes alloted to the disciplines in the area of specialization. The schools curriculum (CDS) includes the ensemble of educational processes and learning experiences each school proposes directly to its pupils within its own curricular offer. The process of designing the Special Syllabus, on whose basis the objectives of the Personalized program of education for gifted children are implemented, includes several stages:initial diagnosis, which includes a complex evaluation for the exact determination of the capacities of the gifted, in depth analysis of the situation and establishing of the priority needs of the child/pupil, drawing up of the personal sheet of the gifted, the application of the Special syllabus, evaluation of the effects of the Special syllabus and its revision based on the data provided by evaluation. The enriched curriculum includes a number of topics, to be discussed both within class and out of class ( an additional 2 hours a week),

40

representing supplementary and complementary information to the contents in the common core and the differential curriculum. VI.8.2.4.1.1.Educational valences of the enriched curriculum The enriched curriculum is intended to be a viable and accessible component in the didactic activity with the gifted, considering not only aspects of an informative order but also formative ones, and the attitudes they promote. As regards the teaching-learning techniques, the teacher will resort to the activating and efficient ones, in harmony with the level of intellectual development of the gifted in such a measure that stimulates them towards the higher stage of intellectual development (the proximal development zone). The surrounding medium of learning, the mutual respect climate, are also important. The teacher assumes new roles, such as that of consultant, facilitator, moderator, even of active participant in the learning process, he/she promotes learning by cooperation, balances individual norm and group norm, is concerned with achienvement of a class managenment that observes the principles of differentiation, and continuously and formatively evaluates. VI.8.2.4.1.2.Conclusions The enriched curriculum is a component of the training program of education for the gifted, implemented by trainers based on special programs devised by disciplines (according to the options of the gifted) and whose individualized contents include, besides lknowledge to be studied in mass education, in-depth information on definite topics, of cognitive interest for the gifted. It has fianl goals such as: stimulation of logical thinking, incresase in creativity, selfrealization, increase in self-esteem, based on deep assimilation of the theory, with practical efficiency, and aims at relevant results, satisfactory for the capacities of the gifted. VI.8.2.4.2. Individualization of instruction The differences in personality, affective-emotional profile, interest, intellectual development, rate of cognitive acquisition, enavble us to propose, as priority didactic method, individualized learning for the education of the gifted. Differentiated, individualized learning with gifted pre-school /school children represents a priority method within the Personalized program of eduacation for gifted children. VI.8.2.4.2.1.Specificity of learning with the gifted Knowing the aspects that individualize the gifted, an individualized treatment of them is required, function of their inborn endowment, learning style, behavioural particularities. When we refer to differential instruction with the gifted, we adopt that approach which allows individualization of learning, both as regards the content of teaching and the process of teaching-learning-evaluation. Differential treatment of gifted pre-school/school children can be successfully achieved if some specific requirements are observed in the planning, organization and unfolding of activities belonging to the same study level, the same discipline and the same profile. VI.8.2.4.3. Mentoring A third method implemented in the Personalized program of education for gifted children is the mentoring method. As an instrument of development of the inborn possibilities of the gifted, it consists in the guidance by the mentor of the gifted, to generate an interpsychological learning relation, the mentor being an expert in the respective domain and an external amplifier of the mental activity of the child mentored, and the gifted mentored a mere

41

gifted novice, interested and motivated (M.L. Stanescu, 2004)36, Newby and Corner (19997) define mentoring asa dynamic relation between a person who wishes to learn and another one wishing to assist and guide the former VI.8.2.4.3.1.What does mentoring imply? Mentoring implies a special type of activities involving the gifted and the mentor teacher and it aims at adjusting learning activities according to the personal style and interests of the children/youths, so as to determine significant qualitative changes in the behaviour of the gifted. Buycoherent didactic procedures, the mentor will determine the self-motivation of the latter for learning. The stess is laid on the personal cognitive strategies of the gifted on the basis of which, acquisitions will be progressively built, focused on problem solving, practical applications, skills and abilities, abilities development formation. VI.8.2.4.3.2.How can the mentor effectively assist the gifted? The mentor will guide the gifted in his/her work of acquiring knowledge, of formation of capacitiers and competences, of formation of abilities and of development of inborn abilities in the sense of building certain abilities which should:teach him/her how to learn, determine him/her to become aware of his/her own learning style, teach him/her how to use the most efficient learning methods and procedures, teach him/her to become aware of his/her strengths and weaknesses, teach him/her how to overcome his /her limits, teach him/her to objectively self-evaluate him/herself.

36

Liana Stanescu, Mihai Jigau, (coord.),Organizational Strategies of Education for Children Capable of Higher Performances:Curricular and Extra-curricular,www.arhiva.ise.ro

42

CHAPTER VII. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF EXPERIMENTAL DATA

VII.1.Presentation of results obtained during the experiment proper To ensure a comprehensive view of the impact of the training program Personalized program of education for gifted children following its application, we will make a comparison between the initial results, the results obtained along the training program and its final results. The group of subjects in the control group will be used as a guide mark. VII.2. Descriptive statistics In order to determine the characteristics of the selected sample, the descriptive statistics was achieved. In what follows we will analyse the frequencies and the percentages of the indicators in this comparative study, which sets itself to analyse results. This study aims at comparing the two groups:experimental and control. From this point of view, Table VII.1 includes the balanced distribution (25 %) of gifted children at pre-school, primary school, seconadry school and high school levels, in both the experimental and the control group. Table VII.1. The school level of gifted children in the experimental and control groups
GROUP School level Pre-school Primary experimental Secondary High-school Total Pre-school Primary control Secondary High-school Total 12 12 Frequency Percentage Cumulative percentage 25. 25.0 25.0 25.0 100.0 25.0 25.0 25.0 25.0 100.0 25.0 50.0 75.0 100.0 25.0 50.0 75.0 100.0

Liceal 25%

Pre c olar 25%

Gimnazial 25%

Primar 25%

Figure VII.2. Genre Sex of gifted children

43

From the point of view of school level, we can say that the pair samples preserve the identical proportions of 25%; pre-school, primary, secondary, high school. Table VII.3 .Sex of gifted children in the experimental and control groups
GRUOP

Sex
Male Female Total Male

Frequency
8 4 12 8 4 12

Percentage
66.7 33.3 100.0 66.7 33.3 100.0

Cumulative percentage
66.7 100.0

experimental

66.7 100.0

control

Female Total

Feminin 33%

Masculin 67%

Figure VII.4. Sex of gifted childrens in the experimental and control groups VII.3.Results of the statistical analysis following application of the training program Qualitative changes can be noticed in the school and behavioural results of gifted children, qualitative changes in their personality. These positive changes are perceivable in both their behaviour at school and out of class. As concerns the school behaviour of gifted children, we notice a remarkable increase in the motivation for the learning activity; also, one can see an increased attention and a better concentration during study.Increase in values of items representing receptiveness and interest in the domain of study, but also in self-esteem, is to be noted.

44

VII.3.1. Data concerning the level of school results following application of the training program Figure VII.5.Level of progressive increase in school results following application of the Personalized program of education for gifted children

3 luni 35%

5 luni 55% 1 lun 10%

5 months

1 month 3 months

Figure VII.6. Evolution of secondary school children following application of the Personalized program of education for gifted children

4 luni 26%

3 luni 21% 1 lun 6%

2 luni 13%

5 luni 34%

Figure VII.7. Frequency and fluctuation of motivation for learning during the first month of application of the Personalized program of education for gifted children
4 3,5 3
val o ri

2,5 2 1,5 1 0,5 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 supradota i evaluare ini ial evaluare la o lun

values

-giftedinitial evaluation - evaluation after 1 month

45

Figure VII.8. Fluctuation and frequency of acquisitions in the domain of interest during the first month after application of the Personalized program of egducation for gifted children
8 7 6
v a l o ri

5 4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 supradota i evalu are ini ial evaluare la o lun

values

gifted initial evaluation - evaluation after 1 month

VII.3.2.Analysis data concerning the impact of the three components of the training program From the analyses made by trainers, we concluded that the three methods have different contributions in the training program. We can see in the diagram below(Diagram VII.9) that, for the three methods,the effects upon the program are,in incresing order: the enriched curriculum,individualization of learning and mentoring. Mentoring proved to have had the greatest contribution to the educatioin of gifted children of the three methods used in the training program. This aspect is easy to understand ,considering the need for systematic and permanent support the gifted require. Figure VII.9 . Diagram representing the contribution of each component of the Personalized program of education for gifted children, according to observations made by trainers 5 months after its application

75% 65% 45%

Enriched curriculum

Individualization of learning

Mentoring

For a better illustration of the contribution of each component in the program, we set ourselves to show it by age levels:pre-school, primary school, secondary school and high school.

46

VII.3.3.Data cocerning the influence of the training program upon the personality and behaviour of the gifted From a first analysis of the results presented in the diagrams below, we can convince ourselves of the positive incidence upon the personality components of the gifted, following application of the training program.We notice a significant increase as concerns the interest in the domain of study, motivation for laerning, active participation in the individual process of education, increased attention, focused on the domain, but also an increase in self-esteem. The diagrams below offer a detailed and intuitive representation of this account. Figure VII.10. Results obtained by pre-school children, revealed in the personality components following application of the training program

Results following application of the Personalized program of education for gifted high school children

47

Figura nr.VII.13. Progressive results in the personality components obtained by high school pupils following application of the training program

Figure VII.7.14. Progressive results, along the line of giftedness, obtained by the gifted, following application of the training program. As can be seen in the histograms above, the results are progressive, following application of the training program, the differences being obvious as the children/youths are going through the components of the training program and, across time, an ascending/positive evolution is observed.

48

VII.3.4.Results obtained following application of the battery of general ability (TAG) 37 tests One of the main objectives of our study was to reveal, by a comparative experimental approach, the influence of the training program Personalized program of education for gifted children upon the school performance in the favoured subject of gifted children. To demonstrate this aspect, we used a general ability test battery TAG, by correlative corresopondence with the results obtained by children in the tests: Raven and Domino, validated on a Romanian sample. Note that the battery created within this study (see Annex 3), has validity only on the gifted children samples, aged between 5 and 18.The general ability battery-TAG includes several trials presented in Table VII.5. Table VII.15 .General ability test battery-TAG
Test 1. Analytical reasonig Description Evaluates the capacity of the subject to obtain new information by combining the existing information 2. Analogical transfer Evaluates those processes that offer the possibility of solving new problems based on similitudes with already solved problems 3. Flexibility of categorization Evaluates the capacity for rapid change of the categorization criterion and of grouping objects according to the new criterion Cognitive inhibition and short- Evaluates the capacity for ignoring irrelevant information with relation to the term memory task to be solved as well as retention, for a short time, of information in the memory. 5. Working memory Evaluates the capacity of the cognitive system to store, for a short time,relevant information from the point of view of the task and to operate in parallel with that information. 6. Cognitive interference Evaluates the capacity to resist intrusions of other information flows than those relevant for the task. 7. Concentrated attention Evaluates the capacity for concentration of attention by negative commitment tasks.

The seven trials are conceived on four difficulty levels, levels that correspond to the respective age groups: pre-school, primary school, secondary school and high school education. In this research, a higher percentage of male pupils was considered, 67%, the proportions being preserved in both groups: experimental and control. VII.3.5. Data concerning the school results obtained following application of the pre-test and of the post-test by gifted children in the experimental and the control groups. Tables VII.16 and 17. represent, comparatively,the school pre-test, post-test and distance test results of gifted children in the experimental and control groups. Table VII.16 . Pre-test school results of children in the experimental and the control groups
GROUP experimental Pre-test school results Frequency Percentage Cumulative Percentage 7.00 7.50 8.3 25.0 8.3 33.3

37

TAG a general ability test battery built by us based on Cognitive Ability Psychological Test Battery (BTPAC), including 23 tests and representing the materialization of a new generation of psychological tests.The battery was devised by a team of experts in psychology and informatics, belonging to the COGNITROM group.

49

8.00 8.50 9.00 Total 7.00 7.50 control 8.00 8.50 Total 12 12

25.0 16.7 25.0 100.0 33.3 25.0 8.3 33.3 100.0

58.3 75.0 100.0

33.3 58.3 66.7 100.0

Figure VII.17. Pre-test school results of children in the experimental andthe control groups Experimental group Control group

media 9 25%

media 7 8% media 7.5 25%

media 8.5 33% media 7 34%

media 8.5 17% media 8 25%

media 8 8%

media 7.5 25%

It can be seen from Figure 18 that in the pre-test phase,the results of the children in the control and the experimental groups are slightly different, in that the lowest average grade,7,has been obtained by 8% of the children in the experimental group,as against 34% in the control group. The second difference consists in that no chilld in the control group has obtained 9.50, the highest average grade, as against 25% of the children in the experimental group. Table VII.18 -Post-test school results in the experimental andthe control groups
GROUP Post-test school results Frequency Percentage 7.50 8.00 8.50 experimental 9.00 9.50 Total 7.00 7.50 control 8.00 8.50 Total 12 12 8.3 8.3 41.7 16.7 25.0 100.0 33.3 25.0 8.3 33.3 100.0 33.3 58.3 6 6.7 100.0 Cumulative percentage 8.3 16.7 58.3 75.0 100.0

50

Figure VII.19. Post-test school results of children in the experimental and the control groups Experimental group Control group

media 9.5 25%

media 7.5 8%

media 8 8%

media 8.5 33%

media 7 34%

media 9 17%

media 8.5 42%

media 8 8%

media 7.5 25%

It can be seen from Figures 19 and 20 that, in the post-test phase, the results of children in the control and in the experimental groups are different, in that the lowest average grade,7,has been obtained by 34 % of thee children in the control group,as against 0% in the experimental group.The second difference consists in that no child in the control group has obtained average grades 9 or 9.5, as against 17%, 25%, respectively, of the children in the experimental sample. Table VII.20 .-Distance testing school results of children in the exprimental and the control groups GROUP Distance testing results Frequency Percentage Cumulative percentage
8.00 8.50 experimental 9.00 9.50 Total 7.00 7.50 Control 8.00 8.50 Total 12 12 8.3 8.3 75.0 8.3 100.0 8.3 16.7 66.7 8.3 100.0 8.3 25.0 91.7 100.0 8.3 16.7 91.7 100.0

51

Figure VII.21.-Distance testing school results of children in the experimental and the control groups Exprimental group Control group

media 9.5 8%

media 8 8%

media 8.5 8%

media 8.5 8%

media 7 8% media 7.5 17%

media 9 76%

media 8 67%

It can be seen from Figures VII.21. that, in the distance testing phase, the results of children in the experimental and control groups are different, in that the average grades 7 and 7.5, have been obtained by 8% and 17%, respectively, of the children in the control group, as against 0% of the children in the experimental group.The second difference is that no child in the control group has obtained average grades 9 and 9.5, as against 8% of the children in the experimental group. Figure VII.22.-Comparative graph concerningthe pre-tes, post-test and distance testingt school results of giftede children in the experimental and the control groups
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 experimental pretest posttest testare la distanta control

Figure VII.22 offers a comparative view of the results in the pre-test,post-test and distance testing, pointing to the fact that, in the experimental group,the post-test stage shows a qualitative increase in a percentage of 100% by 0.5 to the average as against the pre-test stage. By comparison with this group,the control group shows no significant improvement in the posttest stage as against the pre-test stage. Also, no significant qualitative improvements are seen in any group in the distance testing stage, as against the post-test stage. In what folows, we will present the school situation of children/pupils, from the point of view of their favoured subject, underlining the fact that the small number of children who prefer 52

a certain discipline comes from the fact that the experimental intervention considered gifted children. Table VII.23. The favoured subject of children in the experimental and the control groups
GROUP Favoured subject Arts English Romanian History experimental Geography Chemistry Physics Mathematics Total Arts English Romanian History control Geography Chemistry Physics Mathematics Total 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 3 12 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 3 12 Procentage 8.3 8.3 16.7 8.3 8.3 8.3 16.7 25.0 100.0 8.3 8.3 16.7 8.3 8.3 16.7 8.3 25.0 100.0 8.3 16.7 33.3 41.7 50.0 66.7 75.0 100.0 Cumulative percentage 8.3 16.7 33.3 41.7 50.0 58.3 75.0 100.0

Experimental group

Control group

Matematic 26%

Arte plastice 8%

Limba englez 8%

Matematic 26%

Arte plastice 8%

Limba englez 8%

Limba romn 17% Fizic 17% Chimie 8% Geografie 8% Istorie 8%

Fizic 8% Chimie 17% Geografie 8% Istorie 8%

Limba romn 17%

Figure VII.24.-Favoured subject of children in the experimental and the control groups Thus, according to Figures VI.23 and 24, the difference between the two groups from the point of view of the favoured subject consists in that 25% of the children in the experimental group have chosen physics, as against 11% in the control group, for the other 7 subjects a somewhat similar proportion being preserved. In what follows, we will discuss the dynamic of results obtained by the 24 children included in the research, in the favoured subject, along the three stages: pre-test, post-test and

53

distance testing. Table VII.25 presents the results in the favoured subject of the children in both experimental groups, in the pre-test stage, there being, for the moment, no significant statistical difference between the groups. Table VII.25. Pre-test school results ,in the favoured subject,of children in the experimental and the control groups.
Cumulative percentage Percentage

Pre-test results in GROUP the favoured subject 7.50 8.00 experimental 8.50 9.00 Total 7.00 7.50 control 8.00 8.50 9.00 Total

Frequency Fr

16.7 16.7 50.0 16.7 12 100.0 8.3 8.3 25.0 41.7 16.7 12 100.0

16.7 33.3 83.3 100.0

8.3 16.7 41.7 83.3 100.0

Table VII.26 and Figure 27 include tha data referring to the results of children in both groups, in the favoured subject, in the post-test stage.Distinct from the pre-test stage, here we can notice qualitative differences in the experimental group, as against the control one, proving the effectiveness of the training program. Table VII.26 Post-test school results, in the favoured subject, of children in the experimental and the control groups
GROUP Post-test results in the favoured subject 8.00 8.50 experimental 9.00 9.50 Total 7.00 7.50 control 8.00 8.50 9.00 Total 12 12 Frequency Percentage Cumulative percentage 8.3 16.7 50.0 25.0 100.0 8.3 8.3 25.0 41.7 16.7 100.0 8.3 16.7 41.7 83.3 100.0 8.3 25.0 75.0 100.0

54

Figure VII.27. Post-test school results, in the favoured subject, of children in the experimental and the control groups Experimental group Control group

media 9.5 25%

media 8 8% media 8.5 17%

media 9 17%

media 7 8%

media 7.5 8%

media 8 25% media 9 50% media 8.5 42%

The difference consists in the improvement of school performance, in the favoured subject, with children in the experimental group.Figure VII.26 shows that, in the post-test phase, the results of children in the control and in the experimental groups are different, in that the average grades 7 and 7.5 have been obtained by 8% and 8%, respectively,of the children in the control group, as against 0% of children in the experimental group.The second difference consists in that no child in the control group has obtained the average grade 9.5, as against 50% of children in the experimental group. VII.3.6.Data concerning the school results obtained following application of the retest(distance testing) of gifted children in the experimental and the control groups Teable 28 includes the results of children in both groups, in the favoured subject,in the distance testing stage. Distinct from the pre- and post-test stages, statistically significant differences can be noticed here in the experimental group, as against the control one, proving the effectiveness of the training program. The hypothesis according to which the results obtained by gifted children in the experimental group in the favoured subject will be qualitatively superior in the distance testing stage as against the post-test stage is validated, also proving the fact that the school results of the children in this group do not significantly improve following participation in the training program; the distance testing stage does not prove a significant qualitative increase in the average grades as against the post- and pre-test stages. Table VII.28. Distance testing school results, in the favoured subject,of children in the experimental and the control groups
Distance testing results in the favoured subject 8.50 9.00 experimental 9.50 10.00 Total 12 Cumulative Percentage 8.3 16.7 58.3 100.0

GROUP

Frequency Percentage 8.3 8.3 41.7 41.7 100.0

55

7.00 7.50 8.00 control 8.50 9.00 9.50 Total 12

8.3 16.7 25.0 16.7 25.0 8.3 100.0

8.3 25.0 50.0 66.7 91.7 100.0

Figure VII.29. Comparative graph concerning the pre-tet,post-test and distance testing results in the favoured subject
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 experimental pretest posttest testare la distanta control

Figure VII.29 graphically proves the aspect relating to the qualitative increase of school results obtained in the favoured subject , in the post-test phase as against the pre-test phase, and of distance re-testing as against the post-test phase, of children in the experimental, group, proving the effectiveness of the training intervention38. The control group does not show the same ascending dynamic as the experimental group, the results of gifted children in the control group fluctuating uncorrelatedly across the three experimental stages.

38

We have used the term cognitive intertference because we took it over from the scales of the BT PAC test.

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CHAPTER VIII. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS, PERSONAL CONTRIBUTION AND APPLICATIONS

VIII. 1.Per sonal contr ibut ion The premise we started from was the idea that not always does high intelligence correlate with good learning results. On the contrary, didactic practice has demonstated that, usually, gifted children, due to their special psychological profile, meet with difficulties in mass escxhool activity. In order to optimally turn to account the potentialities of giefted children, we have put forth a didactic model of formative intervention called Personalized program of education for gifted children. Ever since the beginning of our enterprise, our preoccupations focused on expliciting the scintific premises underrkying the present study. The need for structuring a theoretical foundation was useful in understanding the way giftef children manifest themselves in the mass school education context. Starting from the psychological characteristics of the gifted,we started conceiving the training program. It superordinated itself by integration of several methodological elements which should have a significant forming impact upon the gifted. Based on the components of the training program,special school programs were set up. The special programs observe the same principles we followed in setting up the components of the training program, that is, the specificity of the psycho-individual profile of the gifted. By participating in the Personalized program of education for gifted children,by turning to account the possibilities offered by the various didactic strategies propsed by it, children/youths will become capable of benefiting more from the learning opportunities offered to them, being more receptive to those factors which may contribute to the development of their abilities in their domain of interest. VIII.2.General conclusions 1. Deep knowledge of the psychopedagogical profile of the gifted (different from that of other children), determines application of methods of investigation that facilitate the identification of gifted children. 2. Once identified, the gifted require a special educational approach, the use of strategies adapted to their psychopedagogical profile, different from those usually employed in mass school, designed for the purpose of their development along the line of their giftedness. 3. Devising and implementation of a training program for the development of thte gifted along the line of their inborn giftedness, imply coherent pedagogical actions for finding and combining certain methods and techniques of education, in accordance with their educational requirements. 4. Thge treaining program must be applied on the basis of special school programs, adapted and developed in the domain of interest of the gifted,programs built by trainers with long classroom experience and remarkable results in the process of education. 5. The success of the training program is also determined by the competence and attitude of the teaching staff, who need special training for working with the gifted, which requires, from the start, their selection. 6. The ability of working with the gifted implies, besides good knowledge of their psychopedagogical profile, vocation, good professional training, training stages in the field. 7. The motivated and motivating trainer (mentor) stands in the center of the management of the training program, for creating a supportive psycho-social climate, in which each of the gifted should be managed as a unique and valuable identity. 8. The success of the training program resides in its capacity of being successfully 57

implemented with each gifted child, so that the results should be seen in performance. 9. Performnace is the result of two important sets of factors: first, the abilities and knowledge of the gifted and, second, the attitudes, needs, individual expectancies which,coherently employed, should lead to desired results. 10. Evaluation of the evolution of the gifted, revealed in quality school results, but also in the dimension of personality, confers compatibility of the training program with the psycho-individual profile of the gifted. 11. Evidence of positive results as concerns the school success of the gifted represents an essential feedback for continuing the study so as to ensure the advance of knowledge, the development of projects. VIII.3.Applications The problematics of identification and education of the gifted are not new, but the conditions of development of school and society today have facilitated their reconsideration as one of the matters of maximum topicality. Researches carried out in the field of management of excellence have made modest contributions, but new perspectives of development and application are in sight. The implementation of the training program, based on the experience created,can continue in the direction of improvement of special school programs and of motivating and stimulating educational practices, on the basis of identification of the special requirements of education with the gifted and creation of optimum conditions for their development along their line of giftedness. The proposed training program can be improved and adapted to the requirements of culture and of the organizational context specific of various school units. Thus,the results of our research can become operational in: the policy of tending the gifted;decisions for the development of the bio-psychic and ability potential;support of projects and programs of continuing training programs for trainers for work with the gifted. Optimistic, owing to the results obtained,we propose dissemination of our findings in the training program Personalized program of education for gifted children, with its components and results obtained, in articles offered for publication to specialized journals and by publication of a book. In future, our task consists in tracing the impact of the Personalized program of education for gifted children over a long period of time and in identifying various modalities for its application, for its monitoring and for evaluating the results obtained.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHY: Albu, M., (1993), Utilizarea calculatorului n prelucrarea datelor , n Metodologia psihologic i analiza datelor, coord. I., Radu, Editura Sincron, Cluj-Napoca. Albulescu, Ion, (2004), Pragmatica pred rii. Activitatea profesorului ntre rutin i creativitate, Presa Universitar Clujean , Cluj-Napoca. Albulescu, Ion, (2003), Educa ia i mass-media. Comunicare i nv are n societatea informa ional , Editura Dacia, Cluj-Napoca. B ban, A., (2001), Consiliere educa ional . Ghid metodologic pentru orele de dirigen ie i consiliere, Imprimeria Ardealul, Cluj-Napoca. Brlogeanu, L., (2001), Psihopedagogia artei. Educa ia estetic , Ia i, Editura Polirom. Brzea, C., (1995), Arta i tiin a educa iei, Editura Didactic i Pedagogic , Bucure ti. Boco , M., (2005), Teoria i practica cercet rii pedagogice, (edi ia a II-a), Editura Casa C r ii de tiin , Cluj-Napoca. Boco , M., (2002), Instruire interactiv . Repere pentru reflec ie i ac iune. Editura Presa Universitar Clujan , Cluj-Napoca. Chi , V., (2005), Pedagogia contemporan , Pedagogia pentru competen e, Editura Casa C r ii de tiin , Cluj-Napoca. Cosma,T., (1989), coala i educa iile paralele, Universitatea Al.I. Cuza, Ia i. Dumitra cu N., (2005), Tehnici de proiectare n evaluarea personalit ii, Editura Trei, Bucure ti. Ionescu, M., Chi , V., (coord.), (2001), Pedagogie, Suporturi pentru formarea profesorilor , Presa Universitar Clujan , Cluj-Napoca. Ionescu, M., Radu, I., (coord.), (2001), Didactica modern , (edi ia a II-a), revizuit , Garamond S.R.L., Cluj-Napoca. Ionescu, M., (2003), Instruc ie i educa ie, Paradigme, strategii, orient ri, modele. Garamond S.R.L., Cluj-Napoca. Ionescu, M., (2005), Instruc ie i educa ie. University Press, Arad. Cosmovici, A, (1996), Psihologie general , Editura Polirom, Ia i. Jinga, I., coord., (1996), Evaluarea performan elor colare, Editura Afeliu, Bucure ti. Joi a, Elena, (2002), Educa ia cognitiv , Fundamente, Metodologie, Editura Polirom, Ia i. Jung Carl Gustav, (2006), Opere complete, vol.17, Dezvoltarea personalit ii, Editura Trei, Bucure ti. Kelemen, G., (2007), Copilul cu dificult i de nv are, Editura Universit ii Aurel Vlaicu, Arad. Kulcsar, T., (1978), Factorii psihologici ai reu itei colare, Editura Didactica i Pedagogic , Bucure ti. Holban, I., (coord.), (1978), Cunoa terea elevului, o sintez a metodelor, Editura Didactica i Pedagogic , Bucure ti. Miclea, M., (1994), Psihologie cognitiv , Casa de Editur Gloria SRL, Cluj-Napoca. Mitrofan Nicolae, Mitrofan Lauren iu, (2005), Testarea psihologic , Inteligen i aptitudini, Editura Polirom, Ia i. Oancea-Ursu, Gh., (1998), Ereditatea i Mediul n Formarea Personalit ii (Edi ia a IIa) , Editura: ALL. Popovici, D.V., (1998), Elemente de Psihopedagogia Integr rii, Editura Semne94, Bucure ti.

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 Popovici, D., V., (2007), Orient ri teoretice i practice n educa ia integrat , Editura Universit ii Aurel Vlaicu, Arad. Radu., I., T., (1978), nv mnt diferen iat. Concep ii i strategii, Editura Didactica i Pedagogic , Bucure ti. Ralea, M., Hariton, S., (1962), Sociologia succesului, Editura tiin ific i Enciclopedic , Bucure ti. Salade, D., (1995), Dimensiuni ale educa iei, Editura Casa C r ii de tiin , ClujNapoca. Schwartz, Ghe., Kelemen, G., (2006), Psihologia Copilului , Editura Universit ii Aurel Vlaicu, Arad. Surdu, Al., (1993), Pentamorfoza artei, Editura Academiei Romne, Bucure ti. chiopu, U., (1967), Psihologia Copilului (Edi ia a II-a), Editura Didactic i Pedagogic , Bucure ti. chiopu, U., Verzea, E., (1983), Psihologia vrstelor, Editura Didactic i Pedagogic , Bucure ti. Stan, C., (2001), Autoevaluarea i evaluarea didactic , Presa UniversitarClujean , Cluj-Napoca. Tom a, Gh., (1999), Consilierea i orientarea colar , Casa de Editur i PresVia a Romneasc , Bucure ti. chiopu, U., (1997), Dic ionar enciclopedic de psihologie, Editura Babel, Bucure ti. V ideanu, G., (1967), Cultura estetic colar , Editura Didactic i Pedagogic , Bucure ti. V ideanu, G., (Coord), (1971), Educa ia intelectual . Studii constatative i prospective, Editura Didactic i Pedagogic , Bucure ti. Verza, E., (1997), Psihopedagogie Special (manual pentru clasa a XIII-a, coli normale), Editura Didactic i Pedagogic , Bucure ti. Verza, E., Verza, F.E., (2000), Psihologia Vrstelor, Editura Pro-Humanitate, Bucure ti. Zlate, M., (1999), Psihologia mecanismelor cognitive , Polirom, Ia i. Zlate, M., (2002), Eul i personalitatea, Edi ia a III-a, Editura Trei, Bucure ti. SPECIAL BIBLIOGRAPHY-ROMANIAN AUTHORS Berar, I. (1998), Dotare general i dotare special , n vol. Studii i cercet ri din domeniul tiin elor socio-umane, Cluj-Napoca, Editura Argonaut, p. 34-38. Berar, I. (2001), Supradotare n domeniul artelor plastice , n vol. Studii i cercet ri din domeniul tiin elor socio-umane, Cluj-Napoca, Editura Argonaut, p. 11-15. Brzea, C., (1982), La pedagogie du succes, P.U.F., Paris. Bogdan, T., (coord.), (1981), Copiii capabili de performan e, Caiete de pedagogie modern , vol. 9, Editura Didactic i Pedagogic , Bucure ti. Chelcea, A., (coord.), (1995), Psihoteste (vol. I), Editura Societ ii tiin i Tehnic S.A., Bucure ti. Chelcea, A., (coord.), (1997), Psihoteste (vol. II), Editura Societ ii tiin i Tehnic S.A., Bucure ti. Cre u, C., (1995), Politica promov rii talentelor, Editura Cronica, Ia i. Cre u, C., (1996), Avoca ii valorilor i educa ia pro talent, n Stan. L., (coord), Educa ie i valori, Editura Spiru Haret, Ia i. Cre u, C., (1997), Psihopedagogia succesului, Editura Polirom, Ia i. Cre u, C., (1998), Curriculum diferen iat i personalizat, Editura Polirom, Ia i. Dinc , M., (2001), Teste de Creativitate, Editura Paideia, Bucure ti.

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 Holban, I., (1995), Testele de cuno tin e, E.D.P.R.A., Bucure ti. Holban, I., (coord.), (1978), Cunoa terea elevului, o sintez a metodelor, Editura Didactica i Pedagogic , Bucure ti. Jig u, M., (1994), Copiii supradota i, Editura tiin i Tehnic , Bucure ti. Popovici, D.V., Balot , A., (2004), Introducere n Psihopedagogia Supradota ilor, Editura Funda iei Humanitas, Bucure ti. Ro ca, Al. (1981), Creativitatea general i specific , Bucure ti, Editura Academiei Romne. Ro ca, Al., Zrg, B., (1972), Aptitudinile, Editura tiin ific , Bucure ti. Rusu, L., (1929), Selec ia copiilor dota i , Tipografia Cartea Romneasc , Bucure ti. Serdenciuc, N., L., (2001), Sexul feminin cu disponibilit i aptitudinale nalte (riscuri i posibilit i de interven ie), n "Misiunea femeilor n promovarea talentelor "- ghid pentru p rin i i profesori, Editat de CJAPP Suceava i RO-Talent, Ia i. St nescu, M. L. (2002), Instruirea diferen iala elevilor supradota i, Editura Polirom, Ia i. Stoica, A., (1983), Creativitatea elevilor, Editura Didactic i Pedagogic , Bucure ti. Zisulescu, t., (1971), Aptitudini i talente, Editura Didactic i Pedagogic , Bucure ti. ***Centrul pentru Educa ie i Dezvoltarea Creativit ii, (1991), Teste pentru Abilit i Intelectuale Generale , Editura Anima, Bucure ti. PEDAGOGY-PSYCHOLOGY JOURNALS The International Encyclopedia of Education. Research and Studies. Vol. 4, F-H. Husn, Neville editors, Oxford, New York, Bergamot Press, 1991. Borland, J., H., A note on existence of certain divergent-production abilities. n: Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 9, 239-251. 1990. Bernand, J., (1988),The inferiority curriculum, in Psychology of Women Quarterly, nr.12. Binet, A.; Simon, T., (1905), Mthodes nouvelles pour le diagnostic du niveau intellectual des anormaux , in Anne psychologique, nr.11. Cattel, R.B., (1971), Abilities.Their Structure, Growth and Action , Houghton Mifflin, Boston. Cattel, R.B.; Gibbons, B.D., (1968), Personality factor structure of the combined Guilford and Cattel personality questionnaires, in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, nr.9. Daddario, E., D., (1977), Science, the future and the gifted. n: Gifted Child Quarterly, 21, 32-36. Eysenck, H. J., (1997), Creativity and personality. In M. A. Runco (Ed.), The creativity research handbook (Vol. 1, pp. 41-66). Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press. Farell, D.M., " Suicide among gifted children", in Roeper review, 1989. Fernandez M., M.A. ; Pinto, A. (1989), La adaptacion escolar. Bases explicativas, problemas e intervencion en el aula , in Tabanque, nr.5, Revista de la E.U. del Profesorado de Palencia. Cre u, C., Aria semantic a conceptului de dotare superioar , n Revista de pedagogie, nr.3, 1991. Jig u, M., Copiii supradota i i problemele actuale ale nv mntului. n: Revista de Pedagogie, nr. 3, 1991. Jig u, M., Copiii supradota i i nv area precoce a lecturii . n: Revista de Pedagogie, nr. 4-7, 1993. Jig u, M., Copiii pre colari supradota i. n: Psihologia, nr. 4, 1994. 61

 Jig u, M., Copiii supradota i. Bucure ti, Societatea tiin i Tehnic , 1994. Kelemen G., (2006), Gifted children, identification, encouragement and development, International Symposium, Research and Education in Innovation Era, p.347-359, Universitatea Aurel Vlaicu Arad, (ISBN (13)973-752-107-2, (10) 978-973-752-1071). Kelemen, G., (2007), Domenii psihopedagogice de manifestare a supradot rii generale n Revista Zbornik nr. 12, ISSN 1820-1911,12, p.438-446,Vr e , Serbia, ISBN 867372-066-4. Kelemen, G., (2007), Modalit i de identificare a copiilor supradota i prin metoda observa iei, rezumatul comunic rii din cadul Simpozionului interna ional Prakti ni aspekti savremenih shvatanja darovitih (englez ), pag. 30, Vr e , Serbia, 2007, ISBN 978-86-7372-075-3, COBISS.SR:ID.-223306503. Kelemen, G., (2007), Copiii supradota i cu dificult i de nv are n Revista Agora, Psycho-Pragmatic, nr. 3, p. 57-63, Editura Universit ii Aurel Vlaicu, Arad, (ISSN 1842-2640). Kelemen, G., (2007), Implementarea programului educa ional pentru supradota i, n Revista Agora, Psycho-Pragmatic, nr. 4, p. 88-100, Editura Universit ii Aurel Vlaicu, Arad, (ISSN 1842-2640). Kelemen, G., (2007), Copiii supradota i i nv mntul asistat de calculator , n Revista de informatic social nr. 7/ iunie p.109-113, pe www.ris.uvt.ro. Kelemen, G., (2007), Condi ii de manifestare a copiilor supradota i, n Educa ia Plus , nr. 5, p. 83-90, Editura Universit ii Aurel Vlaicu, Arad, (ISSN 1842-077x). Kelemen, G., (2008), Program personalizat de educare a copiilor supradota i, n Zbornik, nr.13, Vr e , Serbia, ISSN 1820-1911, 13 (2007), p.205-223. L z rescu, S., (1979), Tratarea diferen iata elevilor dota i din punct de vedere intelectual. Studiu comparat. n: Probleme de pedagogie contemporan , Bucure ti, BCP,. nr. 7, Colec ia: Modernizarea nv mntului, XXVIII. Kelemen, G., (2007), Toward a new psychology of education concerning gifted children. In Studia Universitas www.studia.ubbcluj.ro Mnzat, T., M., (2005), Cum evaluezi inteligen a copilului t u, n Psihologia Azi, Bucure ti. Mnzat, T., M., Cum evaluezi inteligen a copilului t u, n Psihologia Azi. Mai 2005. Popovici, D.V., Balot , A., (2004), Aspecte Psihopedagogice ale Supradot rii la Pre colari, n Revista de Psihopedagogie Special , Editura Pro-Humanitate, Bucure ti. Roca, A., Noi direc ii n studiul i formarea copiilor i adolescen ilor supradota i i talenta i. n: Revista de Psihologie, nr. 2, 1990, p. 119-129. Serdenciuc, N., L., Copiii supradota i - nevoi speciale i integrare social ", Revista RoTalent, Ia i, 1997. Serdenciuc, N., L., Copiii cu abilit i intelectuale nalte i imaginea de sine. Revista "Preocup ri didactice", nr. 3-4, 1999. Serdenciuc, N., L., Sexul feminin cu disponibilit i aptitudinale nalte (riscuri i posibilit i de interven ie), n "Misiunea femeilor n promovarea talentelor "- ghid pentru p rin i i profesori, Editat de CJAPP Suceava i RO-Talent, 2001. St nescu, L., Concep ii educa ionale privind supradotarea intelectual . n: Revista de Pedagogie, nr. 4-7, 1993. Sternberg, R., J., What constitutes a good definition of giftedness? n: Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 13, 96-100. 1990 Urban, K.K., " Essays review of K-P" Wild, European Journal High Ability, 1992.

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 Zettel, J. (1979), Gifted and talented education over a half decade of change, in Journal for the Education of the Gifted, nr.3. BIBIOGRAPHY-FOREIGN AUTHORS: Abroms, K., (1982), Classroom interaction of gifted preschoolers, in Teaching Exceptional Children, nr.14. Adele Faber, Elaine Mazlish, (2002), Comunicarea eficientcu copiii - acas i la coal , Editura: Curtea Veche. Addison, L., (1983), Selection and training of teachers of the gifted in the United States in Gifted Education International, nr. 1 (2) Alonso, J.A. (1995b), A Differentiated Program: Signifiant Curriculum Adaptations, 11th World Conference on Gifted and Talented Children, World Council, University of Hong Kong. Amabile, Teresa, (1997), Creativitatea ca mod de via , Editura tiin i Tehnic , Bucure ti. Azzopardi, Gilles, (2004), Dezvolta i-v inteligen a, Editura Teora, Bucure ti. Badwin, A.Y., (1989), Teachers of the gifted", in K. Heller, F. Monks (coord.), Handbook of Giftedness Pergamon Press. Bandura, L., (1978), Elevii dota i i dirijarea instruirii lor, Editura Didactic i Pedagogic , Bucure ti. Bandura, L., (1978), Elevii dota i i dirijarea instruirii lor, Editura Didactic i Pedagogic , Bucure ti. Baily, L., (1991), Compacting curriculum through pretesting . Teaching Exceptional Children, 24(3), 55-56. Benbow, C., (1991), Meeting the needs of gifted students through use of acceleration. In M.C. Wang, M.C. Reynolds, & H.J. Walberg (Eds.), Handbook of Special Education: Research and Practice: Vol. 4. Emerging Programs (pp. 23-36). New York: Pergamon Press. Benito, Y., (1993), Copiii supradota i. Educa ie, dezvoltare emo ional i adaptare social , Editura Polirom, Ia i. Benito, Y., (1993c), Learning Potential Evaluation in Gifted Children (Poster), 10th World Conference on Gifted and Talented Education , World Council, University of Toronto. Benito, Y., (1993d), Relation among Intelligente, Creativity and Personality in Gifted Children, 10th World Conference on Gifted and Talented Education, World Council, University of Toronto. Benito, Y., (1995a), Gifted Childrens Induction of Strategies: Metacognitive and Cognitive Strategies to Solve Maths and Conversion Problems, 11th World Conference on Gifted and Talented Children, World Council, University of Hong Kong. Benito, Y., (1995b), The Gifted Adolescent and Faculty of Reality Perception in This Adaptation to Everyday Activity , 11th World Conference on Gifted and Talented Children, World Council, University of Hong Kong. Bloom, B. S., (Ed.) (1985), The development of talent in young people. New York: Ballantine. Borland, J. A., (1989), Planning and implementing programs for the gifted. New York: Teachers College Press. Braggett, E., J., (1997), A developmental concept of giftedness: implications for the regular classroom. n: Gifted Education International, Vol. 12, 64-71.

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 Bruner, J.S. et al., (1978), Play hits Role in Development and Evolution , Penguin Books. Carter Ph., (2005), Teste de inteligen i psihometrice, Editura: Meteor Press. Cattel, R.B., (1971), Abilities. Their Structure, Growth and Action, Houghton Mifflin, Boston. Coleman, M. (1995), The importance of cluster grouping. Gifted Child Today Magazine, 18(1),38-40. Carroll, J. B., (1963), A model of school learning. Teachers College Record, 64, 723733. Cox, C.M., (1926), Genetic studies of genius, in The Early Mental Traits of Three Hundred Geniuses, vol.II, Stanford University Press, Stanford. Csikszentmihalyi, M.; Csikszentmihalyi, I.S., (1993), Family influences on the development of giftedness , in Bock, G.R.; Ackrill, K., The Origins and Development of High Ability, Wiley, Chichester. Deary J. Ian, (2005, 2008), Inteligen a, Editura All, Bucure ti. Denise de Castilla, (2004), Testul arborelui-rela iile interumane i alte probleme ale lumii contemporane (edi ia a II-a), Polirom, Ia i. Deschamps, G., (1990), Un Project educatif pour les enfants surdous. Nimes, MENSA-France. Dunn, R., & Dunn, K. (1992), Teaching secondary students through their individual learning styles: Practical approaches for grades 7-12. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Dunlap, J.M., (1967), The education of children with high mental ability ,in Cruickshank, W.M.; Ehrlich, V., (1992). Gifted children: A guide for parents and teachers. Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Prentice-Hall Erikson, K.A.; Tesch-Romer, C.; Krampe, R., (1990), The role of practice and motivation in the acquisition of expert-level performance in real life: An empirical evaluation of a theoretical framework, in Howe, M.J.A., Encouraging the Development of Exceptional Skills and Talents, The British Psychological Society, Leicester. Eysenck, H.J., (1979 ), The Structure and Measurement of Intelligence, Springer, New York. Feldman, D.H., (1986), Natures Gambit: Child Prodigies and the Development of Human Potential, Basic Books, New York. Feldhusen, J., Van Winkle, L., & E Ehle, D., (1996), Is it acceleration or simply appropriate instruction for precocious youth? Teaching Exceptional Children. 28, 4851. Foster, W., (1981), Leadership: A conceptual framework for recognizing and educating the gifted, in Gifted Child Quarterly, nr. 25. Fox, L. H., (1979), Programs for the Gifted and Talented: An Overview. n: The Gifted and the Talented. Chicago, University Press, p. 104-126. Gagn, F., (1991), Toward a differentiated model of giftedness and talent , in Colangelo, N.; Davis, G.A., Handbook of Gifted Education, Allyn and Bacon, Boston. Galton, F., (1869), Hereditary Genius, MacMillan, New York. Gardner, H., (1983), Frames of Mind. The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, New York, Basic Books. Gardner, H., (2005), Mintea disciplinat , Editura Sigma, Bucure ti. Gardner, H., (1983), Frames of Mind.The Theory of Multiple Intelligences , Basic Books, New York.

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 Geary, D.C., (2005), The Origin of Mind: Evolution of Brain Cognition and General Intelligence. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association Guilford, J.P., (1967), The Nature of Human Intelligence , McGraw-Hill,New York. Goldstein, D., & Wagner, H., (1993), After school programs, competition, school Olympics and summer programs. In: Heller, K.A.; Monks, F. J. and Passow, A.H. (ed. by): International Handbook of Research and Development of Giftedness and Talent. New York: Pergamon Press Inc.593 -604. Hany, E.A., (1994), The development of basic cognitive components of technical creativity: a longitudinal comparison of children and youth with high and average intelligence, in Subotnik, R.F.; Arnold, K.D., Beyond Terman: Contemporary Longitudinal Studies of Giftedness and Talen, Ablex, Norwoon, New Jersey. Hargraves, D. J., Galton, M. J., Robinson, S., (1994), Developmental Psychology and Arts Education. n: D. J. Hargraves (ed.), Children and the Arts, Milton Keynes, Philadelphia, Open University Press, p. 3-21. Jenkins, R.C.W., (1979). A resource guide to gifted and talented. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press. Johnson, G.O., (ed.), Education and Exceptional Children and Youth, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Hany, E.A., Competence and Responsibility, Hogrefe Huber Publ.,Toronto. Mnks, F.J.; Spiel, C., (1994), Development of giftedness in a life-span perspective , in Heller, K.A.; Newby, T. J. & Corner, J., (1997), Mentoring for increased performance: Foundations and methods. Performance Improvement, 36(2), 11-15. Parmentier, Ph. & Paquai, L., (2002), En quoi les situations denseignement /apprentissage favorisent-elles la construction des comptences? http://www.ipm.ucl.ac.be. Piaget, J., (1996), Psihologia inteligen ei, Editura tiin ific , Bucure ti. Piaget, J., Inhelder, B., (1971), Psihologia copilului, E.D.P., Bucure ti. Piaget, J., (2005), Reprezentarea lumii la copil, Educa ia n familie, Editura Cartier, Chi in u. Renzulli, J.S., (1977c), The Enrichment Triad Model: A Cuide Developing Defensible Programs for the Gifted, Creative Learning Press, Mansfield Center, Connecticut. Reis, S., & Renzulli, J., (1992), Using curriculum compacting to challenge the above average. Educational Leadership. 50(2),51-57. Renzulli, J., (1994), Schools for talent development: A Practical Plan for total school improvement. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press. Renzulli, J. S.; Reis, S. M., (1985), The School wide Enrichment Model. Mansfield Center, Creative Learning Press. Renzuli, J. S., (1997), The total talent portfolio: looking at the best in every student. In: Gifted Education International, Vol. 12, pag. 58-63. Sternberg, R., J., (1991), Giftedness according to the triarchic theory of human intelligence. n N. Collangelo & G., A., Davis (Eds), Handbook of gifted education (pg. 45-54). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Tannenbaum, A., H., (1983), Gifted children: psychological and emotional perspectives. New York: Macmillan. Terman, L. M., (1981), Descoperirea i stimularea talentului excep ional. n: Copiii capabili de performan e superioare, Editura Didactic i Pedagogic , Bucure ti. Terman, L. M., (1981), The measurement of intelligence. Boston. Houghton Mifflin.

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 Thurstone, L.L., (1938), Primary Mental Abilities, Illinois, Chicago, The University of Chicago Press. Tomlinson, C.A., & Allan, S. D., (2000), Leadership for differentiating schools and classrooms. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Torrance, E. P., (1965), Gifted Child in the Classroom. New York, MacMillan. Ullman, J., (1982), A portfolio: The Ovid helping the gifted preschooler . Early scars, 12(8), 26-27. Wiggins, J. (Ed.), (1996), The five-factor model of personality. New York: Guilford Press. Winner, E., (1996), Gifted children. New York: Basic. Zimmerman, B. J., Bandura, A., & Martinez-Pons, M., (1992), Self-motivation for academic attainment: The role of self-efficacy beliefs and personal goal setting. American Educational Research Journal , 29(3): 663-676. WEBOGRAPHY: http://www.supradotati.ro www.gifted-children.com www.sengifted.org/articles_counseling www.nswagtc.org.au/info/identification/characteristics.html www.parinti.com/Caracteristicile_de_identificare_a_copiilor_prescolari_supradotati_ si_talentati-articol-1... www.supradotati.ro/resurse/heterocronia_dezvoltarii_la_supradotati.doc www.fudv.ro/nou/proiecte/proiect_boboc.pdf www.fudv.ro/nou/proiecte/proiect_sperante.pdf www.supradotati.ro/metodologii_aplicare_legea_educatia_tinerilor_supradotati.p hp www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content/help.gift.html childrentoday.com/resources/articles/giftedkids.htm www.ri.net/gifted_talented/character.html - 18k www.iag-online.org/perfect.htm www.supradotati.ro/resurse/heterocronia_dezvoltarii_la_supradotati.doc www.history-cluj.ro www.dppd.utcluj.ro/dppd/database/Curs%20-%20Invatarea.pdf personal.ashland.edu/~jpiirto/Piirtopyramid .htm www. arhiva.ise.ro www.commons.ucalgary.ca/documents/Mentoring_p1.pdf

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