Factors Affecting the Perceptions and Practices of Differentiated Curricula and Pedagogies for Gifted and Talented Students

The definitions and implementation of differentiated curricula and instruction for gifted and talented students have been affected by a myriad of philosophical and institutional factors defined by educators, community members, and gifted and talented students. The ramifications of these factors affect the focus and subsequent objectives and outcomes of differentiated curricula and instruction for gifted and talented students. A set of questions regarding the structure and implications of differentiated curricula and instruction for gifted and talented students are presented. Concepts such as specificity versus generalization, transfer of training, and conflict of interests are discussed and exemplified theoretically, philosophically, and pragmatically to respond to these questions.

The Schoolwide Enrichment Model

The Schoolwide Enrichment Model is widely implemented as a both an enrichment program used with academically gifted and talented students and as a magnet theme/enrichment approach for all students. The theme of the SEM is to develop the strengths and talents of all students. The SEM provides enriched learning experiences and higher learning standards for all children through three goals: developing talents in all children, providing a broad range of advanced-level enrichment experiences for all students, and providing advanced follow-up opportunities for young people based on their strengths and interests. The SEM focuses on enrichment for all students through high levels of engagement and the use of enjoyable and challenging learning experiences that are constructed around students' interests, and preferred modes of expression.

Improving Willingness to Try Fruits and Vegetables and Gross Motor Skills in Preschool Children in Guam

Early childhood interventions have the potential to promote long-term healthy eating and physical activity habits to prevent obesity. However, research studies including indigenous young children are lacking. This study examined the effectiveness of the Food Friends®: Fun with New Foods™ and Get Movin’ with Mighty Moves™ (FFMM) curricula on willingness to try fruits and vegetables (FV) and gross motor (GM) skills among preschoolers in Guam. A pre-post community-based study included preschoolers from Head Start (HS), gifted and talented education (Pre-GATE), and Pre-Kindergarten programs during school years (SY) 2017–2018 and 2018–2019. In SY2017–2018, the intervention group had a significant increase in imported FV when compared with the other three groups. No significant differences between groups were found on the other FV scales. Regarding gross motor skills, no significant differences between groups were found. In SY2018–2019, the intervention group had a significant increase in all FV scales except imported FV when compared with the enhanced intervention group. With gross motor skills, no significant differences were found between groups on its progress. These results warrant FFMM adaptations for the prevention of obesity among Guam preschoolers.

Experiences of gifted students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey

COVID-19 began to spread all over the world in the Spring of 2020. All schools, including the institutions serving students with special needs, were closed to decrease the spread of the virus. The schools had to shift to online education, which was a new experience for most students. In addition to the negative effects of the pandemic itself, the new learning format required extra effort from students. Gifted and talented students as a special group with special educational and socio-emotional needs may have experienced the pandemic differently. In the present study, we aimed to explore gifted and talented students’ subjective well-being, feelings of hope, and stress coping strategies with a quantitative method. In addition, we used a qualitative method and asked a few open-ended questions to dig deeper into these students’ experiences during the pandemic. We found a statistically significant correlation among subjective well-being, hope, and stress coping strategies. Effective stress coping strategies are used more frequently than negative ones. We revealed that although there are some positive sides to the process, the students described some difficulties with social interaction, access and use of technology, motivation, and physical health. Based on the findings, we suggested some important implications and recommendations for parents, educators, and policymakers.

The Journey of a Word: An Action Research Intervention of Morphemic Analysis and Etymology for a Middle School Gifted and Talented Class

Sixth-grade students who had been identified as gifted and talented participated in a literacy intervention designed and implemented by the first author as part of an action research project. These students were meeting the grade-level standards in literacy, so the project aimed to push their vocabulary knowledge further in order to prepare them for the complex vocabulary they encounter in their independent reading and assigned content units. This daily intervention directly taught students the origins and histories of words and word parts from Latin, Greek, Germanic, and French languages, introduced morphemic analysis strategies, and gave them techniques to analyze the words’ meanings based on that information. Content-specific vocabulary, as well as general vocabulary knowledge of the participating students increased significantly. Throughout the intervention, students’ confidence in vocabulary knowledge improved, and they gained a deeper understanding of the nuances of language as their ability to apply this knowledge in other contexts grew and facilitated better understanding of the words they read.