Annotated Bibliography of Articles and Chapters Written by CFGE Staff and Students
Andersen, L., & Matkins, J. J. (2011). Web 2.0 tools and the reflections of preservice secondary science teachers. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 28, 25-36.
This study examined the effect of the use of blogs as reflective journals during the methods course and practicum period on preservice science teacher reflections. Blogging and commenting were investigated as potential catalysts of critical reflection using an action research approach. The participants were ten graduate preservice secondary science teachers (3 male, 7 female, ranging in age from 21 to 33 years old) at a public university in Virginia. The quality of their reflections was assessed each week for ten-weeks using a four level scale. Thirty percent of the preservice teachers reflected critically. A higher percentage of the two highest ratings occurred when reflections were about preservice teachers' own actions (95%) compared to their observations of cooperating teachers (54.5%). Blogs have the potential to support specialized professional learning communities. Recommendations for modifications to methods courses are discussed.
Andersen, L. (2011). Podcasts, cognitive theory, and RSS: What is the potential when used together? Journal of Educational Media and Hypermedia, 20, 61-76.
This paper reviews the literature on podcasts and advocates for the application of cognitive theory to podcasting. The addition of video capabilities to portable media playing devices has engendered a broader definition of the term podcast to include video files. Current research designs on podcast use in education are neglectful of the considerations of cognitive load on student learning. Podcasting is the process by which multimedia learning objects (MLOs) are delivered via Really Simple Syndication (RSS). This review identifies connections between the technology, pedagogy, and student learning that should be emphasized in podcast research. The importance of using podcasts is discussed, and the current types and uses of podcasting are identified. Areas where the potential of podcasts have not been realized, such as RSS usage, are also identified. Cognitive load theory and the implications of podcast and learner attributes on the design principles for MLOs are discussed. Finally, conclusions of the current review and suggestions for future studies are presented.
Andersen, L., & Cross, T. L. (2011). Suicide and the Gifted Adolescent: Advice for Counselors, in Handbook for School Counselors Serving Gifted Students J. R. Cross and T. L. Cross (Eds.). Waco, TX: Prufrock.
This chapter informs school counselors about research findings concerning suicide and gifted students. Two theories of suicide are presented and applied. Guidance and rationale for school responses to suicidality and various approaches to suicide prevention in schools are presented.
Andersen, L. (2010, Spring). Wiki-based collaborative laboratories in a high school science classroom. Innovative Learning, 8-9.
This article describes the outcomes of an action research project in the author’s high school classroom. In the project, students used a wiki to facilitate collaborative laboratory work and projects.
Avery, L.D. & Chandler, K.L. (2010). Selecting resources and materials for high-ability learners. In VanTassel-Baska, J., Little, C.A., Content-based curriculum for high-ability learners (2nd ed.). Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.
This chapter provides specific guidelines for selecting curricular resources for classroom use with gifted students. The chapter authors also identify both core and supplemental curriculum units and resources that are suitable for gifted learners in each of the four content areas. These lists include curriculum materials developed by the CFGE, curriculum materials from other publishers that were reviewed using the procedure and criteria described in the chapter, and resources that have been found to be useful additions to classroom libraries to reinforce and complement learning.
Bland, L., Coxon, S., Chandler, K.L., & VanTassel-Baska, J. (2010). “Science in the City: Meeting the Needs of Urban Gifted Students through Project Clarion. Gifted Child Today, 4, 48-57.
The focus of this article is on how educators can help to develop an interest in science in urban gifted children and nurture scientific habits of mind beginning in the primary grades while providing specific strategies to mediate gaps in understanding and skills.
Chandler, K.L. (2012). The role of central office and building administrators. In Cross, T.L,, & Cross, J.R., Handbook for school counselors serving gifted students. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.
This chapter examines the relationship that building and central office administrators must cultivate so that gifted students’ social-emotional and academic planning needs are addressed deliberately and consistently through the counselor’s office. First, the roles of the central office administrator and the building administrator relative to gifted programs are delineated, including a description of how the roles of the two types of administrators may be both separate and overlapping. Second is a description of how these administrators’ roles might interface with what counselors are expected to do. Finally, recommendations are provided regarding how school counselors should work with administrators to provide an optimal experience for gifted students.
Cross, J. R., Cross, T. L., & Finch, W. H. (2010). Maximizing student potential versus building community: An exploration of right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, and preferred practice among supporters of gifted education. Roeper Review, 32, 235-248.
This study of more than 300 supporters of gifted education found that attitudes about authority and intergroup relations are associated with preference for more inclusive or exclusive gifted education practices. One group of supporters (the “Individualists”) preferred that gifted students be in self-contained classes and never or rarely participate in cooperative education. The other group of supporters strongly preferred more inclusive practices such as differentiation in heterogeneous classrooms. The “Communitarians” believed that cooperative education should often be used with gifted students and their nongifted peers and will benefit gifted students socially. These findings have implications for those involved in gifted education in all capacities, particularly those advocating for services.
Cross, J. R., & Cross, T. L. (in press). Motivated dogmatism and the high ability student. In D. Ambrose & R. J. Sternberg (Eds.) Dogmatism and High Ability: The Erosion and Warping of Creative Intelligence.
This chapter examines thinking dispositions such as closed-mindedness, certainty orientation, and need for cognition that are related to dogmatism. We argue that high ability individuals may be just as likely as others to think dogmatically, if they are not given the tools and encouragement to be open-minded and evaluative in any situation. Encouraging critical thinking from an early age is imperative for all students, including high ability students.
Kim, M. (in press). The relationship between thinking style differences and career choice for high achieving students. Roeper Review.
This study presents information about high achieving students’ career decision-making associated with thinking styles. Data were gathered from two International Baccalaureate (IB) programs and a Governor’s School Program with a sample of 209 high school students. The findings showed that external thinking style was a good predictor for choosing social science area as future careers. However, students with the higher external thinking style chose computer and math areas 73% less often than students with the lower external thinking style. In addition, the findings demonstrated that high school students attending a program with an academic focus on liberal arts tended to be more people-oriented, outgoing, and valued sharing ideas with others as opposed to students in a program with an academic focus on science and technology. In addition, students attending a program with an academic focus on liberal arts tended to be more systematic and set priorities more than students in a program with an academic focus on science and technology.
Kim, M. (2010). Preferences of high achieving high school students in their career development. Gifted and Talented International. 25(2), 66-74.
This study identifies the needs and preferences of high-achieving high school students’ career development programs. In terms of career related programs in high school, Students listed AP courses and mentoring as their preferred career-related programs. As important factors influencing students’ career choice, students listed their own interests and the family environment. Most students mentioned their own interests and their parents’ expectations together, indicating that parents tended to develop students’ talent and career interests based on the students’ interests. The study suggested that parents, teachers, and guidance counselors should recognize their own critical roles in shaping high-achieving students’ career development and provide tailored career related services to meet different needs of high achieving students.
Kim, M., Bland, L., & Chandler, K. (2009). Science literacy: Improving argumentation skills in science education. Science and Children. 47(3), 40-43.
The Center for Gifted Education at the College of William and Mary has developed and field-tested rigorous K–3 science units that introduce young learners to macroconcepts (such as systems or change), the scientific investigative process, and key science concepts. The integration of these three key components supports inquiry, critical-thinking, and argumentation skills. To promote the building of these skills, this article introduces a graphic representation of the scientific investigative process to help students develop a systematic set of inquiry, analytical, and argumentation skills in science.
Stambaugh, T., & Chandler, K.L. (2012). Effective curriculum for underserved gifted students. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.
Effective Curriculum for Underserved Gifted Students explains the need for a differentiated curriculum for gifted students typically underrepresented in gifted programs, including children of poverty and those who are from culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Features of research-based curriculum found to be effective in enhancing the academic achievement of these populations are highlighted. In addition, practical, evidence-based strategies for curriculum development and instruction are shared.
VanTassel-Baska, J., Feng, A., Swanson, J., Chandler, K., & Quek, C. (2009). Academic and affective profiles of low income, minority, and twice exceptional gifted learners: The role of gifted program membership in enhancing self. Journal of Advanced Academics, 20, 702-739 .
This study examined the academic and affective profiles of gifted students who were classified under the five prototypes of low-income White students, low-income African American students, low-income other minority students, high nonverbal and low verbal students, and twice-exceptional students. A total of 37 vignettes were developed and analyzed based on interviews with selected students, their teachers, and parents. Within and cross-prototype themes were derived. Both cognitive and affective impacts were found, suggesting the power of gifted program membership on enhancing self-confidence and building higher level skills of communication and thinking.
