The University of Montana
Department of Mathematical Sciences
Technical report #12/2011
Considering the Effects of Dogmatism on Giftedness and Talent Development
Don Ambrose, Rider University
Robert J. Sternberg, Oklahoma State University
Bharath Sriraman, The University of Montana
Abstract
In the field of gifted education there is lack of consensus about definitions (who are the gifted) and identification (how should the gifted be “selected” for gifted programs). The unsettled, contested nature of the conceptual foundations for gifted education causes problems for educators who do the practical work of program development, curricular refinement, and instruction. Moreover, lack of conceptual clarity hampers the efforts of professionals in the field when it comes to advocacy for the needs of the gifted and securing the necessary resources for program implementation. This chapter explores ways in which narrow-minded, shortsighted thinking might be exacerbating the conceptual turbulence in the field. After a discussion of these conceptual problems we discuss the contributions in this book Confronting Dogmatism in Gifted Education (Routledge, Taylor and Francis) and the ways in which they can establish more clarity about the nature and nuances of giftedness and talent.
Keywords: dogmatism; philosophy of giftedness; philosophy of education; philosophy
AMS Subject Classification: n/a