Belle Wallace

Creativity: Some Definitions: the Creative Personality; The Creative Process; the Creative Classroom

This paper attempts to explore, briefly, the divergence of thinking about the nature of creativity and the reative process. It is suggested that creativity involves thinking, intuition, feeling and sensing and that in order to achieve fulfilment, the highly creative personality needs a framework of elf-understanding, positive encouragement and acceptance in order to balance the rational and irrational components of the creative personality. Creativity is regarded as the reconciliation of conflict between detachment and commitment, passion and decorum, immediacy and referral, masculinity and femininity. The assessment and promotion of creative functioning are vital considerations for the teacher. The writer suggests ways in which the teacher can promote a classroom environment in which all children can flourish creatively and in which the highly creative child can more easily reconcile his/her differences within the peer group.

The early seedbed of the growth of TASC: Thinking Actively in a Social Context:

This paper reflects on a career through a personal narrative of how I, as an educator, together with my students, have tried to walk in the steps of Paolo Freire. My journey has been an international one, but this particular reflection highlights the development of a Project called TASC: Thinking Actively in a Social Context. The Project was developed in KwaZulu/Natal, literally meaning ‘the place of the Zulus’, an enforced ‘homeland’ under apartheid rule in South Africa. The case study highlights the resilience and determination of a group of students who were committed to rise above the denial and repression of opportunities for Black students. It is a story of love, joy and success — a pedagogy of hope.(1)(1)The first section of this paper is a summarised extract from A tribute to Paulo Freire. 2008. (Working title) (With permission)

TASC: Thinking Actively in a Social Context. A universal problem-solving process: A powerful tool to promote differentiated learning experiences

All children are born with the gifts of curiosity and creativity – and an insatiable appetite for asking questions to find out about the world in which they live. Fostering these questions and developing inquisitive and investigating minds is one of the essential roles of parent and teacher, and the processes of enquiry are the necessary routes for nurturing and developing all children’s potential for thoughtful discovery. The ethos of this paper is that ‘every child matters’, and the underlying message is one of ‘inclusion with differentiation’. The theme flowing throughout is that teachers and learners need to work interactively to construct knowledge; and, together, through this interaction, deep and sustained learning is promoted. When learners are truly involved in constructing knowledge for themselves, their motivation is high and both individual and group effort is sustained. Importantly, children in many communities are born into a rapidly changing technological world: they grow up using technological tools naturally, with ease and without fear, and they are often more proficient than their teachers! Learners are communicating globally, but all too often their technical skills and powers of communicating are not utilized in schools. In this paper Belle Wallace explains the Thinking Actively in a Social Context (TASC) Framework for thinking and problem-solving; Alessio Bernadelli recommends a wide range of software tools that he uses to develop TASC at secondary level; and Clare Molyneux and Clare Farrell describe a very successful primary project using TASC and Studywiz.

An Examination of the Development of the Concept of Gifted Education in the United Kingdom: An Analysis of the Current Position with Suggestions for a Positive Way Forward.

This paper gives a brief summary of the background of educational development in the United Kingdom in the 20th Century. The growth of concern for the needs of exceptional children is described within this framework and various reasons are suggested for the reluctance of many educators to use the term ‘gifted’ in the context of state education in the United Kingdom. Recent government guidelines however, have requested Local Education Authorities to review their curriculum policy and specifically mention that attention must be paid to the needs of exceptionally able pupils. The writers suggest that the way forward is for schools to examine the quality of their provision for all pupils and to analyse the extent to which pupils have the opportunity to reveal their talents and abilities, thereby signalling their need for further extension within the school curriculum.

The Changing Nature of Giftedness: an Examination of Various Strategies for Provision

This article is the second part of a two part paper. Part I (Gifted Education International Vol. 8, No. 1) discusses how the concept of Giftedness has changed. The influences of home and the characteristics of very able learners are explored in connection with the provision that needs to be I made by parents and teachers. Part II of the paper discusses various kinds of curriculum provision discussing the use of the terms “enrichment” and “extension”. A number of models for provision are examined: namely, Pull-out extension and enrichment programmes Special schools/classes Within class/integrated programmes

Meeting the Needs of Exceptionally Able Children.

Part 1 Part 1 (Volume 1 No 2, 1983 (examined the major issues which underlie curriculum extension for very able pupils. While it is necessary to be concerned with appropriate methods, content and education processes for all children, exceptionally able children require a different pace, depth and breadth of learning experience. Part 2 Part 2 (Volume 2 No 1, 1983) examined the principles which should govern the preparation of curriculum extension materials and discussed the issues of school organization which allow curriculum extension to take place. Part 3 Part 3 presents practical guidelines for the devising of curriculum extension activities and gives examples of the principles put into practice at infant, junior and secondary levels.

Curriculum enrichment for all children with differentiation of pace, depth and breadth for those who demonstrate the need

Abstract Educators can justify a particular concern for exceptionally able pupils on the basis that these children have needs that are different from most other children. However, it is essential to consider those needs in the context of concern for the development of all children as individuals, whether they are fast learning or slow learning, handicapped or disadvantaged. A differentiated curriculum is then totally defensible if we are considering greater individualisation according to every childs needs. As educators we must also be concerned that we are constantly providing equality of opportunities for all children to display potential.

A Reflective Conversation With Prof J G Maree

jacobus G. Maree is Professor in the School of Education at Pretoria University (UP) and Editor of Perspectives in Education. A triple doctorate, he is internationally acknowledged for his work in career counselling. His research focuses on optimising the achievement of disadvantaged learners and providing cost-effective career facilitation. Professor Maree is a rated researcher with the National Research Foundation in South Africa and was twice honoured by receiving Exceptional Achiever status (2004-2009) from UP. Author/co-author of 40+ books and book chapters and 90+ articles, recipient of numerous awards for his research, he is frequently interviewed on radio and television.

An Extended Review of ‘Learning and Assessment Pathways’: with the theoretical rationale and case studies of implementation

Ann O’Hara’s professional background and long experience make her eminently capable of producing a valuable guidance document that enables teachers to reflect on their educational practice. It is truly a document that empowers teachers to make informed, professional decisions, and so to become ‘master educators’ rather than technicians following set, and often immutable, procedures. Ann has widely researched this guidance document, using both the best of current educational theory and actual classroom practice; thus linking theory with the ‘grass roots’ of classroom practice drawn from a consortium of schools. The resource is specifically designed as a leadership tool to manage change with regard to assessment for learning. Schools reviewing and evaluating the draft praised Ann for achieving absolute clarity . . . [with regard to] summative and formative assessment – it’s vital to not make it synonymous with high-stakes standardized tests’ (p. 1). And I agree that Ann has achieved her aim. The text is beautifully colour-coded and clearly laid out, making it an easily negotiated reference. Schools can identify their successes and choose the colour-coded pathway that suits their school’s developmental needs. Sections include:

Educators creating a knowledge-base of a profession of educators

This themed issue comprises articles by educators who successfully completed the Master’s units tutored by Marie Huxtable and Jack Whitehead, and they were accredited by the University of Bath (UK) between 2008 and 2010. Their articles show how, even after years of a straight-jacket in the form of targets and a UK national curriculum and years of teachers being trained to ‘deliver’ content, there are educators who have the courage and confidence to reflect, research their understanding of their professional educational praxis, make informed changes and contribute their evolving knowledge as a gift to create a professional body of educators.