Abstract
The contents of this issue emerged from the writings of educators on a Master’s unit tutored by Jack Whitehead and Marie Huxtable on Gifts and Talents in Education, accredited by the University of Bath, UK, between 2008 and 2010.
In our tutoring we adopt a living theory (Whitehead, 1989, 2012) perspective as our educational practice, and use Hymer’s (2007) understanding of giftedness that he developed in his doctoral enquiry, ‘How do I understand and communicate my values and beliefs in my work as an educator in the field of giftedness?’. Hymer’s originality is in the value-laden concept of generative-transformational giftedness in which he presents an inclusional, non-dualistic alternative to the identification or discovery of an individual’s gifts and talents: he shows how an understanding of generative-transformational giftedness leads to their creation. We also use Huxtable’s (2012) understanding of inclusive gifted and talented education. This understanding was developed from an educational perspective in her doctoral research programme. It shows how inclusive gifted and talented education can enable each learner to develop and offer talents, expertise and knowledge as life-affirming and -enhancing gifts. The knowledge is that created of the world, of self, and of self in and of the world.
Below are the summary details of the Gifts and Talents in Education Master’s module that we tutored and from which the accounts emerged for this issue.
The aims of this unit were to critically analyse and evaluate: different perspectives on the concepts of gifts and talents in educational contexts; individual school and central and local government policies on gifted and talented education and inter-related policies and strategies such as personalisation of learning, inclusion and Every Child Matters; the validity of an inclusive approach to gifted and talented education; the basis on which valid judgements on the educational influence on pupils developing gifts and talents can be made; the educational influences of teachers with responsibility for gifted and talented education on the development other teachers and on the learning of their pupils; an attempt to contribute to the knowledge base of effective practice in the field through action research. analyse different theoretical perspectives and practical understandings of gifted and talented education; analyse the educational implications of individual school and central and local government policies on the education of children in relation to the concepts of equality of educational opportunity and the development of gifts and talents; critically evaluate research on gifted and talented education in terms of educational influences in the learning of pupils; collect, analyse and interpret data with colleagues and pupils in order to make valid judgements on the educational influence on pupils developing their gifts and talents; produce a validated account of their educational influence in the development of pupils’ gifts and talents. Theoretical perspectives and practical understandings of the gifted and talented education. School, local authority and government policies on gifted and talented education. Education is a value-laden practical activity. The value-laden judgements implicit in different perspectives on the education of gifted and talented children particularly in relation to inclusive approaches to education. Systemic influences on the learning of pupils developing gifts and talents. The use of action research methodologies in the improvement of educational practice and the development of educational knowledge.
Having studied the unit, students should be able to:
The unit addressed the following issues:
In the Master’s unit, participants were required to undertake a small-scale action research project in which they would attempt to improve the education of pupils in developing gifts and talents with the overall aim of producing validated explanations of the educational influences on the learning of pupils in developing gifts and talents. A module has subsequently been developed with Liverpool Hope University. Details can be found at http://www.actionresearch.net/writings/huxtable/LLCCPD/G%26T_ed_module.html.
We believe that the significance of this issue is in its gift of a living educational theory approach to the continuing professional development of educators. This living theory approach focuses on the ontological values (i.e. the values used by individuals to give meaning and purpose to their lives) used by educators to account for their lives in education and that carry hope for the future of humanity. By a living educational theory approach we mean an explanation produced by an individual for his or her educational influence in his or her own learning, in the learning of others and in the learning of the social formations in which we live and work (Whitehead, 1989, 2008, 2012).
The originality in this approach is in the clarification and communication of the values used by the educators to give meaning and purpose to their lives and to form the living standards of judgement they use in evaluating the validity of their accounts of living their values as fully as they can.