Roland S Persson

A bold and promising model with a few loose ends

In this target article, we argue that current approaches to gifted education are based on the erroneous view that to understand the development of exceptionality we need to understand firstly the components of giftedness, including cognitive such as intelligence and non-cognitive factors such as motivation. In contrast, systemic approaches to understanding exceptionality focuses on the interactions of these components where it is important to firstly understand the system that leads to exceptionality before it is possible to understand its components. After analyzing the weaknesses of current approaches to gifted education we then present three central arguments for the need for a paradigm shift. This is followed by an introduction of constructs of a systemic approach of gifted education. Using the Actiotope Model of Giftedness to understand the development of exceptionality, this article describes the basic principles of a gifted education that is based on this systemic approach.In this target article, we argue that current approaches to gifted education are based on the erroneous view that to understand the development of exceptionality we need to understand firstly the components of giftedness, including cognitive such as intelligence and non-cognitive factors such as motivation. In contrast, systemic approaches to understanding exceptionality focuses on the interactions of these components where it is important to firstly understand the system that leads to exceptionality before it is possible to understand its components. After analyzing the weaknesses of current approaches to gifted education we then present three central arguments for the need for a paradigm shift. This is followed by an introduction of constructs of a systemic approach of gifted education. Using the Actiotope Model of Giftedness to understand the development of exceptionality, this article describes the basic principles of a gifted education that is based on this systemic approach.

Brilliant performers as teachers: a case study of commonsense teaching in a conservatoire setting

This article reports an exploratory study into applied music teaching at a tertiary level. The study was staged as a case study where the case comprises one performance teacher of piano and nine students. The focus of the study is how a performance teacher with no formal training fares in the training of musical performers, how students respond, and what are the particular successful or unsuccessful issues in what could feasibly be termed ‘commonsense teaching’. The data were gathered through participant observation, informal interviews and questionnaires. The findings suggest, after content analysis, that the distinction between the role of the instrumental teachers and the role of the expert performer is an essential distinction. In spite of good intentions the participating teacher failed to provide a successful instructional strategy. The article concludes by tentatively proposing some instructional considerations for applied music teaching, as drawn from the case study.

Paragons of Virtue: teachers’ conceptual understanding of high ability in an egalitarian school system

Paragons of virtue : Teachers’ conceptual understanding of high ability in an egalitarian school system

Cultural Variation and Dominance in a Globalised Knowledge-Economy: Towards a Culture-Sensitive Research Paradigm in the Science of Giftedness

Abstract The objective of this target article is to chart the potential threat to research validity in the field of giftedness research, and by implication also the study and practice of gifted education, in the light of cultural bias. It endeavours to pull together facts from a number of academic disciplines to make sense of how culture relates to science, research and society. In proposing a reasonable agenda for remedial action the nature and impact of cultural dominance, and the emergence of a socially engineered and transnational superculture are issues discussed first. Then follows a focus on the known cultural patterns of the World and how these relate to many of the notions and constructs of giftedness research as well as to the known pitfalls of the ethnocentric mind. In conclusion, a number of straightforward actions focusing on a) mindset and habits, b) research skills and c) selfknowledge and cultural competence are proposed as important in coming to terms with the weakening credibility of gifted science in a global perspective.

Concert musicians as teachers : On good intentions falling short

Abstract Teachers in institutions of higher musical training are experts in their field of performance, but frequently have limited knowledge of the dynamics of individual teaching and learning. Seven performance lecturers with little or no formal training as teachers, together with their students, took part in the present investigation. The seven cases were studied by means of participant observation and informal interviews. The qualitative data were subsequently submitted to a content analysis. The results showed that the lecturers’ inflexibility, insensitivity to individual needs, unreasonable demands and dominance, along with an unsatisfactory balance in their instructional strategy were all potential inhibitors of artistic development, and were therefore also potential stressors for musicians to be. 1 This article was presented part at the Tenth World Congress on Gifted and Talented Children and Adults, August 1993, Toronto, Canada.

Control before shape - on mastering the clarinet : A case study on commonsense teaching

This article reports an exploratory study into applied music teaching at a tertiary level. The study was staged as a case study where the case comprises one performance lecturer of clarinet and eight of her students. The focus of the study is how a performance teacher with no formal teacher training fares in the training of musical performers, how students respond, and what are the particular successful or unsuccessful issues in ‘commonsense teaching’. The data were gathered through participant observation and questionnaires. The findings suggest that the distinction between the role of the pedagogue (skilled in the dynamics and principles of teaching and learning) and the role of the expert performer (skilled mainly in the domain of performance) is an essential distinction to make. However, it is also a distinction that traditional performance teaching at a tertiary level seldom makes. The article concludes by tentatively proposing some pedagogical considerations for applied music teaching, as drawn from the case study.

Motivational and influential components of musical performance : A qualitative analysis

Fifteen pianists were asked to study the same piano piece for a period of time. They were then interviewed about motivation to pursue musical performance and factors which influence the generation of performance. Participants were encouraged to raise their own issues or refute the ones presented. The data were then subjected to a content analysis. It was assumed that emotion plays an important part in motivating a performer over a long period of time and also influences actual playing. Four main components common to the participants emerged as influencing performance generation. There also appeared to be four main components describing motives for pursuing music. The results suggest that emotion is intertwined with both performance generation and motivation for musical performance. Findings may have a bearing on the nurturing of musical talent, and imply that competitiveness could be detrimental rather than beneficial to an artistic endeavour.

The Unwanted Gifted and Talented: A Sociobiological Perspective of the Societal Functions of Giftedness

How come certain highly gifted individuals are not allowed to flourish and develop although they exist in an environment that has both the means and the possibility to assist and stimulate such development? Furthermore, how come there is such an over-emphasis on a certain group of abilities in giftedness research, whereas the study of others is more or less ignored? Finally, are there gifted individuals in our midst that we actually do not want? These are questions raised and discussed in this chapter. To answer them, I propose a taxonomy of gifted societal functions based on a sociobiological framework. The phenomena of stigmatizing and marginalizing gifted individuals are discussed in this light. The chapter concludes by suggesting a number of testable hypotheses regarding the predictable outcome of gifted individuals and their function in certain social contexts.

Survival of the Fittest or the Most Talented?: Deconstructing the Myth of the Musical Maestro :

This article reviews the literature and anecdotal data charting potential problems in the training of gifted musical performers. The objective of this article is to feature a conceptual framework that evaluates the role of a musical maestro (or master performer as educator) in the development of talent. Although research into the training of performers in music conservatories is scarce, clinical psychology and performance art medicine report evidence that musicians may suffer from the expectations, psychological paradoxes, and traditions inherent in the so-called “conservatory culture.” The literature suggests that musical maestros, themselves highly gifted performers, may at times be unsuitable teachers and mentors.

Creative Giftedness: Beginnings, Developments, and Future Promises

Although the concept of creative giftedness is still a comparatively new one, the benefits of applying research from this area are already making themselves known. Among these benefits are the tremendous advantages of including creativity in models of giftedness. In this chapter we first highlight how creative giftedness research has differentiated itself from intelligence. Next, we will describe four recent models of giftedness (the three-ring model of giftedness, the DMGT model, the WICS model, and the Feldman developmentalist position) that all involve a creative component. We will also cover recent advances in creativity research that have implications for creative giftedness such as the concept of “mini-c” (as opposed to Big-C and little-c). In conclusion, we argue the promise of dynamic assessment especially for creativity testing.