Current best practices
for gifted and talented education incorporate definitions of gifted that use the
multi-criteria approach - they have broadened from the very narrow basis of
intellectual performance to a much wider basis that encompasses many areas of human
achievement. This means that more children are being properly identified.
Our Advanced Academic Services (previously called TAG) programming and identification process reflect the theories of François
Gagne and Joseph Renzulli. These theories are described in detail
below.
Gagné differentiates between giftedness and talent, asserting that talent is a skill in a single domain that has been developed systematically, while giftedness represents innate abilities in multiple domains.
Gagne's model proposes that giftedness is the manifestation of natural abilities, often called aptitudes or gifts, in at least one ability domain to a level that places the student in the top 10% of their age mates. Gagne's model proposes five aptitude domains: intellectual, creative, socioaffective, sensorimotor, and "others." These are considered natural abilities.
Talents, as defined in this model, emerge from the nurturing of these aptitudes into the skills characteristic of a particular occupational field, also called systematically developed skills.
Gagne's model helps us to see the important role that the talent development process plays in transforming natural abilities into systematically developed skills. Interpersonal factors, environmental factors, chance all play a role in this model.
Gagne, F. (1985) A Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent retrieved from http://www.nswagtc.org.au/info/definitions/gagnemodel.html
Renzulli distinguishes between two types of giftedness -- schoolhouse giftedness and creative productive giftedness.
Schoolhouse giftedness might also be called test-taking or lesson-learning giftedness. It is the kind most easily measured by IQ or other cognitive ability tests. The abilities people display on IQ and aptitude tests are often the kinds of abilities most valued in traditional school learning situations.
The second type of giftedness is called creative productive giftedness and describes those aspects of human activity and involvement where a premium is placed on the development of original material and products that are purposefully designed to have an impact on one or more target audiences. In this model, giftedness is evident in certain people (not all people), at certain times (not all times), and under certain circumstances (not all circumstances). To explain this relationship Renzulli proposes a three ring theory: it is the interaction of these three rings (above average ability, creativity, and task commitment) that lead to creative productive gifted behaviors.
Renzulli's three-ring model stresses gifted behaviors rather than a stricter definition of giftedness.
Renzulli, J. S., (1998) A Practical System for Identifying Gifted and Talented Students. The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, University of Connecticut, Retrieved from http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/sem/semart13.html
In addition to Renzulli and Gagne, other researchers have studied the construct of giftedness. While there are differences in the details of these theories there are several areas of similarity. Modern theorists now acknowledge that giftedness is a multidimensional construct. Intelligence (frequently measured by IQ) is one aspect of the giftedness construct. Feldhusen identifies five areas of talents: academic, artistic, vocational, personal and athletic. Gardner (1983) in his theory of multiple intelligences identifies seven areas of human intelligence: linguistic, musical, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, intrapersonal, and interpersonal.
Both the Gagne and Renzulli models demonstrate the importance of nurturing natural gifts in students of high ability. Contemporary perspectives highlight the multifaceted nature of intelligence and emphasize the idea that potential abilities can and must be cultivated.