Recent Developments in Technology: Implications for Gifted Education

Enable, Enhance, and Transform: How Technology Use Can Improve Gifted Education

“…For gifted students, this could mean a new way to reach intellectual peers that is not available in their own communities, thus reducing their feelings of social isolation (Ng & Nicholas, 2007;Pyryt, 2009) and putting themselves in their own zone of proximal development (Vygotsky, 1978). Online community can also be a vehicle for collaborative knowledge construction (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 2006), as well as for access to the mentors who are experts in certain disciplines or academic fields.…”

“…Some focus on one specific field of technology, such as the Internet (Siegle, 2005), online learning environment (Ng & Nicholas, 2007), or computer use (Twining, 2002). Second, rather than affording a coherent, integrated view of technology use, some of them provide discrete dimensions without describing or articulating the interrelationships between the factors (Bransford et al, 2000;Pyryt, 2009;Siegle, 2005). Third, frameworks that work well for general education are not always easily translated into specific applications in gifted education, since gifted education often constitutes a unique context for technology use.…”

“…Research on technology use in general educational settings has also yielded a myriad of positive results. It is also widely accepted that technology has great potential for enhancing the efficiency and quality of gifted education; some scholars even assert that certain technologies are particularly beneficial to gifted students (Pyryt, 2009;Shavinina, 2009;Siegle, 2005).…”

“…Siegle (2005) identified six different types of technology-supported learning activities for gifted and talented students: information resources, e-books, interactive projects, online classes, publishing platforms, and mentoring resources. Pyryt (2009) used the five-P model to examine how technology use enhances five key dimensions of gifted students' learning, including pace of learning, higher-order process skills development, pursuing passion areas, various products developed, and intellectual peers interaction. Ng and Nicholas (2007) also proposed a conceptual framework that supports gifted students' learning in online learning environments, which adopts Garrison, Anderson, and Archer's (2000) three essential layers of learning community (cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence) while highlighting the dialogic and concept forming processes that occur between people or between people and concepts.…”

Características e avaliação de programas brasileiros de atendimento educacional ao superdotado

“…Dessa forma, o professor precisa estar preparado para ajudar os superdotados a adquirirem competências no campo tecnológico, tais como manusear inovações emergentes, selecionar informações relevantes para a pesquisa, buscar profundidade e complexidade no conteúdo, e transferir conhecimento (Pyryt, 2009;Shaunessy, 2007;Siegle, 2005 Os resultados desses estudos apontam que professores bem preparados e comprometidos com o trabalho podem influenciar o aluno a buscar melhor desempenho acadêmico e bem estar emocional. Em síntese, pesquisadores elencam como características desejáveis em professores que promovem talentos ou atuam em classes para superdotados: (a) habilidades cognitivas, que incluem o profundo conhecimento da disciplina, flexibilidade e facilidade de trabalhar com conceitos abstratos; (b) habilidades sociais, que se referem às interações com a comunidade escolar, promoção de ambiente escolar favorável, em que há relações positivas, senso de humor, preocupação com a aprendizagem e realização do sucesso, respeito às ideias, atenção aos alunos, empatia, confiança, boas expectativas de si mesmo e de seus alunos; e (c) habilidades relacionadas à prática pedagógica, como criatividade para ensinar, entusiasmo e paixão pelo assunto, apresentação de conteúdos significativos e desafiadores, de forma a envolver os alunos na aprendizagem e contribuir para reforçar sua autoeficácia na execução das atividades propostas na sala de aula (McCoach & Siegle, 2003;Oliveira & Alencar, 2008;Porath, 2009;Robinson et al, 2007;Siegle et al, 2013;Thompson & Shamberger, 2012;VanTassel-Baska et al, 2008).…”