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Since the early 1970s, schools across the nation have been adding instruction in computing to programs for students of all ages and abilities. Gifted and talented students in many schools now have access to computers in their classrooms, and an increasingly large percentage of these students have home computers. As the goals for technology education and the promises of educational change have grown, the hardware and software used in both schools and homes have improved steadily. Educators, business and industry, the government, and the general public believe our most able students must be computer literate for our nation to be competitive in the next generation. Only recently, with the gulf between promises and achievements widening, have voices of concern been raised (Holden, 1989).
The disparity between theory and practice is attributed to many causes, ranging from a lack of educational focus to a shortage of funding. But even those reporting problems have found evidence that students are working "smarter," whether they are learning and using more information, understanding key concepts and relationships better, or developing higher level thinking skills. Gifted students are benefiting from increased use of computers because their special needs are being met through informed use of technology.
How schools nurture and the effects of various practices are the focus of much research. June Cox (Cox, Daniel, & Boston, 1985), with the Sid W. Richardson Foundation, conducted a national study of current programming for able learners. Donald Treffinger (1986) has written prolifically on gifted programs. Others have explored the relationship of specific processes such as problem finding to nurturing specific talents such as creativity (Getzels & Csikszentmihalyi, 1976).
Combined with practice and experience, the research suggests that the following tenets are essential to good programming for gifted and talented students:
*Instruction recognizes students' unique learning styles.
*Students are supported as they grow in self-confidence and self-awareness of their strengths and weaknesses.
*Students progress at a rate most appropriate for them.
*Structured opportunities are provided for individual and small-group investigations of real problems.
*Students are encouraged to develop and practice higher level thinking skills.
*Opportunities are provided for students to establish goals and determine objectives.
*Students learn with and from each other.
*A wide range and variety of materials and resources are available.
*Student interests are used as a basis for learning.
At a higher level, students are provided opportunities to do research and apply complex thinking skills by working with real problems and computer simulations. Learning becomes fun and more challenging. Some of the best software on the market falls into this category, and the results of time spent with computers in this mode are not easily dismissed. Students are taught programming languages that aid them in beginning to turn a computer into a real tool. The LOGO languages and the concepts introduced in Mindstorms (Papert, 1980) and the more advanced Turtle Geometry (Abelson & diSessa, 1984) provide platforms for students to invent their own syntax, integrate knowledge, and share ideas. All students in gifted and talented programs should be introduced to such computer applications and programming.
Unfortunately, many students never move beyond this level. The newfound mastery of the power of the computer is seductive. Every problem presented can be solved. The graphics are spectacular. Nonusers are awed, and even the teachers are often surpassed; "hackers" emerge. However, little is to be gained from merely a faster CPU, better resolution, gigabytes of storage, or technology. The real power of the computer derives from the quality of the questions students ask and attempt to answer.
The impact of that program on each of the 1,475 schools that participated nationwide was remarkable. Computers had been used to frame better questions, define important problems, and stretch students farther than they or their teachers had thought possible. These gifted and talented students combined their individual strengths and needs with a conglomerate of people, resources, and technologies that changed their learning experience. It is important to note that the use of computers, although significant, was not the focus of the program. The students were not studying computer science or applications.
*When choices are provided and experimentation allowed, individual learning styles and preferences can be accommodated and enhanced through the flexibility of the computer to interact with pictures, words, numbers, or any other medium the student is most comfortable with. The flexibility of the technology is the key concept. Different students find different word processors, graphics packages, databases, and spreadsheets easier to use.
*Structured experiences designed by well-trained teachers can help students use computers to develop strengths and overcome or neutralize weaknesses. Word processors do improve writing and expression of ideas. Databases can be as rigid or open as the student needs. Solving problems and answering questions are satisfying outcomes. Students grow in confidence as they build their repertoire of skills.
*Computers can be used to match students' paces. They are patient and will hold on to an idea for a long time. They do more complex tasks when students are ready to use them in more complex ways. They provide information when students are ready for it.
*When students assume responsibility for the process, they work smarter. Computers serve people. People define problems, set goals and objectives, and determine roles. The better students understand the learning process, the better they will use technology.
*People learn from people. People are on the other end of the information and ideas accessed through a computer. Students have contact with these people via software, bulletin boards, or face to face in discussions and group projects. Students can meet a lot of smart people through computers.
Cox, J., Daniel, N., & Boston, B. (1985). Educating Able Learners Austin: University of Texas Press.
Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. New York: Basic Books.
Getzels, J., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1976). The Creative Vision: A Longitudinal Study of Problem Finding in Art. New York: Wiley.
Holden, C. (1989, May 26). Computers make slow progress in class. SCIENCE, pp. 906-909.
Papert, S. (1980). Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas. New York: Basic Books.
Renzulli, J. S. (1977). The Enrichment Triad Model: A Guide for Developing Defensible Programs for the Gifted and Talented. Wethersfield, CT: Creative Learning Press.
Treffinger, D. (1986). Blending Gifted Education with the Total School Program. East Aurora, NY: D.O.K. ------
Prepared by Geoffrey Jones, Principal, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia. ------
ERIC Digests are in the public domain and may be freely reproduced and disseminated. ------
This publication was prepared with funding from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, under contract no. RI88062007. The opinions expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of OERI or the Department of Education.
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