From Traditional to Modern Gifted Identification: A Practical Guide

Authors: Prof. Albert Ziegler

Conference: 2nd World Giftedness Center International Conference

Keywords: Student development, Educational resources, Counseling and research

Abstract

Traditionally, gifted identification sought to identify individuals who possessed special characteristics. Often, this was limited to a high IQ. Modern gifted identification instead seeks to identify learning pathways for talents. Accordingly, the focus of identification is not on individuals’ traits, but on their learning, their learning resources, and their learning environment. The webinar will present the identification approach used by the Statewide Counseling and Research Center for the Gifted at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. Unlike traditional approaches to gifted identification, the output of identification is not simply a decision of whether gifted or not. Rather, the output is a learning pathway to Excellence. This diagnostic requires new measurement tools. It is not status-oriented (gifted: yes or no?), but support-oriented (how can the next learning and development steps best be supported?).