Volume 8, numéro 1-2, août–décembre 2020

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We are now moving rapidly into a new world, one shaped by the Fourth ‘Industrial’ Revolution. This world is one in which digital technologies in various forms will shape work, play and everyday life. Such technologies, unlike the relatively passive ones of the past, are adaptive, able to learn and make decisions and changes using their artificial intelligence (AI). AI, however, has its limits, and productive thought continues to need fostering in the classroom. As a consequence, education systems around the world must respond in what has been called the Fourth Education Revolution. This article explores the potential relationship between AI, creative thinking and education, and the fostering and development of human creative thinking supported by AI. Some significant omissions in current notions of AI support for creative thinking are presented, and some cautionary thoughts offered. The article concludes with recommendations for a more structured and comprehensive provision of AI support.

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While considerable research exists on bullying in P-12 schools, few empirical studies address bullying and gifted students. Moreover, the field of Gifted, Talented, and Creative Education lacks single construct studies on covert aggression and gifted students. Also known as relational aggression, covert aggression purposefully manipulates relationships and damages reputations through less obvious or hidden forms of bullying. This exploratory study in a Midwest state analyzed quantitative and qualitative data gathered from 27 gifted adolescent girls on covert aggression instances with intellectual and non-exceptional female peers during 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. Participants tallied incidents of covert aggression, provided short written comments, and participated in structured group interviews. Of 1037 incidents, covert aggression occurred most prevalently during 7th grade. Participants indicated fewer incidents with their intellectual peers than with non-exceptional peers. Academic topics of intelligence, grades, and name calling formed a cluster of incidents most frequently experienced with intellectual and non-exceptional peers. Participants attributed covert aggression to their differentness from non-exceptional peers. Covert aggression topics of intelligence and grades with intellectual peers seemed linked with negative aspects of competition. Participants found support from intellectual peers at school who provided empathy for their advanced abilities. Prevalence and subjective experience results from both groups indicated gifted adolescent girls encounters with covert aggression impeded development of their giftedness and full inclusion in secondary school environments. Peer support groups that recognize covert aggression behaviors and practice intervention strategies might ameliorate its harmful effects and improve the social-emotional wellness of gifted adolescent girls.

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In this article, we describe the results of a research study investigating the effects of a programming model specifically designed to apply the pedagogy of gifted education to the overall process of schoolwide enrichment, The Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM, Renzulli & Reis, 2014). The specific factors examined during the implementation included student attitudes toward learning, teacher attitudes toward teaching, students’ creative productivity, and the processes involved in the implementation of SEM. The study also investigates SEM adaptability to the Italian education system as the first pilot project implementing The Schoolwide Enrichment Model in Italian public schools. Positive changes were found in both student and teacher attitudes toward educational approaches to talent development, and more favorable attitudes toward special programming on the part of parents were also noted, suggesting new and more positive perspectives about gifted education and talent development in Italy.

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In this article, I describe a series of Five Core Competencies that gifted education specialists should consider integrating into their teaching to respond to the many changes that are taking place in technology, work, and career preparation. Although the focus of this theory is on high- level jobs usually pursued by college graduates and advanced degree students, this work also has relevance for the general-education community because future employment at all levels will require various degrees of proficiency in the Core Competencies discussed below. Students who will pursue college degrees and professional level jobs will need to attain advanced levels of these skills, have the opportunity to explore a wide range of skills, and be able to learn them more rapidly. Students should be placed in learning situations that require the adaptability that is the theme of this article so that they will learn to apply the skills in ways that will lead to success in job-transformational situations. Leadership and advanced-level positions require high levels of both performance and flexibility in the competencies that will be discussed below. The Catch-A-Wave Theory of Adaptability will be introduced with the presentation of background information and a rationale for the theory. The theory itself along with the five Core Competencies included in the theory will follow and then be supplemented with a section that provides strategies and resources for developing those competencies.

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While it is easy to include gifted into society individuals representing the social functions of maintenance or entertainment, it is much more challenging to fully include brilliant intellectuals, who can potentially change society and its power structure by their insights. This paper presents the theory and research underpinning various aspects social evolutionary dynamics in relation to many years of giftedness and talent scholarship to understand the dynamics of social inclusion; and the social inclusion of gifted and talented individuals in particular. As based on well-established empirical research from a multitude of disciplines, the conclusion of this paper was that societal attitudes toward the intellectually gifted may, to some extent, certainly be influenced for the better by social policy as well as by the education of the general public. However, importantly, existing research suggested that educating the gifted and talented themselves is also necessary. They too need an understanding of who they are in the light of social evolutionary dynamics; they need to learn why the world around them sometimes reacts aversively even though they are brilliant, and generally benevolent and socially responsible and they constitute considerable, yet often ignored, assets to all of society as a whole.

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The main purpose of this research was to investigate empirically the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – the third Jordanian version (hereinafter WISC-III-Jordan) profiles to analyze cognitive factors for ‘twice-exceptional’ (2E) children characterizing ‘mathematical giftedness with learning disabilities (MG/LDs). The paper examined whether WISC-III-Jordan, the latest adapted version in Jordan, is a useful psychometric assessment tool for providing a partial picture of the cognitive weaknesses and strengths of 2E learners. Thirty MG/LDs students (16 girls and 14 boys) and a control group of 22 ‘intellectually average students with learning disabilities’ (Average-IQ/LDs) (10 girls and 12 boys) were administered the WISC-III-Jordan. The two experimental and control groups, aged between 11 and 12 years, were chosen from three public primary schools in Amman, Jordan. While differences between the two groups were investigated, a comparison of 17 factors was made using five cognitive classification systems: Wechsler (1974 and 1991), Horn (1989), Bannatyne (1974), Kaufman (1975, 1994), and Rapaport et al., (1945-1946), in addition to the ACID profile (Arithmetic, Coding, Information, and Digit Span). The findings revealed that the MG/LDs sample demonstrated a significant discrepancy between the verbal and performance IQ subscales, but no significant scattered subtest profile was yielded. Relative strengths were shown in four subtests: Comprehension, Arithmetic, Vocabulary, and Picture Completion. Both experimental and control groups showed relative weaknesses in three subtests: Coding, Information, and Similarities. The analysis of the cognitive systems revealed that the Rapaport et al. (1945-1946) and Kaufman (1994) models were the most powerful for discriminating between the two groups. As opposed to the ACID profile, the Bannatyne (1974) model was the only classification not found to be useful in diagnosing students with learning disabilities. Finally, while the MG/LDs group showed significant relative strength in the visual-perceptual awareness and coordination compared to the Average-IQ/LDs group, both groups showed relative weaknesses in Sequencing Ability, Visual-Motor Coordination, and Broad Speediness.

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This article explores the theoretical underpinnings of life-transformative education and gifted education and applies them to a university honors program. Life-transformative education requires authentic learning experiences and rich mentorship relationships to promote happiness, well-being, and a sense of purpose. This is intended for all students, so the literature on gifted education is used to differentiate an honors education. Several competing paradigms exist, and the University of Connecticut Honors Program bases its theoretical framework and program design on the talent development models of Joseph Renzulli. The article concludes with a closer look at the honors leadership experience and preparing students to solve 21st century problems.

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The Department of Urban and Inner-City Studies (UICS) is a department in the faculty of Arts at the University of Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. The Department is located outside of the main campus in one of Canada’s poorest neighbourhoods. UICS is intentionally located here to offer access to postsecondary education to people who might not otherwise attend university. Our department aims to encourage people who have come to believe that university is ‘not for them’. It also serves to bring students from other areas of the city into the neighbourhood to begin to dispel long held misconceptions about the North End. We continue to develop our critical, place-based model in the spirit of putting ‘reconciliation into action’. As described by Senator Murray Sinclair, the former Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, it is “‘up to society’ to step up and take the actions that are needed." (CBC 2017). At UICS, we are committed to ‘stepping up’ by creating opportunities for learning through honest dialogue, and challenging systemic divides in our community.

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This article presents and combines theories and philosophies on the spiritual rebirthing and ascension process emanating from psychology, comparative mythology, and comparative religion. It addresses various states of the soul encountered on the mystical journey to Divine Union and the various ways God assists human beings in completing this process, both personally and collectively. The analysis of the soul regeneration process — the science of the saints — addresses human sanctification during earthly existence and eventually beyond if the worldly life does not suffice to complete this process. Furthermore, the role of the Divine Feminine in salvation history is highlighted as well as the importance of the alchemical communion between divine counterparts in the inauguration of the Millennium of Peace leading toward the New Jerusalem.

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In “A Long Poem: Take Time to …”, I relate how the people on one city block engaged in a community based “long poem” art project during the Covid-19 pandemic. Arranged in two parts, this paper first looks at the literature on community art and its impact on personal and social health and wellbeing. Second, I describe how a street community art and poetry project led to social engagement, dialogue, healthy interaction, and good memories.

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Very rarely is one considered ahead of his/her time. Janusz Korczak has been described by so many as being such a person. His criticism of the educational system in his time served as a motivational force for his innovative pedagogy. His beliefs, techniques and methods have been echoed by experts in special education as well as in gifted education a few decades after his lifetime. The analysis of Korczak’s relevant criticism, as well as his unique ideas is chosen as a prototype for the question raised in the title. A short analysis of the work of Feurstein and Renzulli is provided, both of whom reflect the main principles of Korczak.