High-achieving students' work-alone preference has been shown to be largely false and to depend on the learning context. However, the literature has not distinguished preferences from expectations, nor directly examined what students expect will occur in classroom group work. An attempt to systematically review group-work expectations yielded just…

A convenience sample of 13 students aged 9-16 years participated in this exploratory phenomenological study of what high- and otherwise-achieving students' expected they would experience when engaging in classroom group work. From questionnaire and interview data, students generally expected small group sizes, were divided about who forms groups,…

Gifted students' preference to work alone is widely espoused, but studies vary widely in their explanations. We re-examined this notion in terms of motivation and social constructivism among 247 school-identified gifted and high-achieving and regular-education students in Grades 4 through 12. Survey data assessed learning style, interests,…

In an era where technology is advancing at a rapid pace, and where information is readily accessible on the World Wide Web, educators should be capitalizing on these resources for gifted students. This paper proposes a conceptual framework to support individualized and independent learning within a network of peers that will provide challenging…

Individualized instruction seems to be particularly well suited to the learning styles of gifted students. Independent study is one of the most effective methods for providing individualized instruction to the gifted child in the regular classroom. (Author/SW)

A two-year study of 14 of the most successful schools in the Metropolitan New York Region showed that these schools had developed "phantom classes" that did not use textbooks, did not administer tests, and conducted very few observable sessions. These classes simply required the students to conduct independent research studies. (Author/CL)

An interdisciplinary pilot program for gifted elementary students focused on the Aztec and Mayan cultures of Mexico. National Geographic supported the project through materials. The project featured independent study and culminated in a trip to Mexico City. (CL)

A major goal of the education of the gifted and talented is the development of the student as an independent, self-directed life-long learner. In other words, to help students develop as autonomous learners, with the appropriate skills, concepts, and attitudes necessary for their journeys. This is a complex task. The concepts of curriculum…

A program for the development of self-direction in gifted students includes checklists, opportunities for divergence from expected outcomes, idea lists, and student record keeping. These and other problem-solving strategies are integrated into academic instruction. (Author/CL)

Questionnaires completed by 454 gifted students (8-17 years old) revealed perceptions about school activities, attitudes, and labels. Three conclusions were drawn: 1) incorporation of computers, especially in elementary programs; 2) expansion of independent study for junior high levels; and 3) increase in small group involvement with teachers at…

The use of independent study contracts as a method of individualizing educational planning for the gifted allows gifted students to pursue in depth a topic or field of study, to use outside resources when appropriate, to make decisions about the mode and media to be used, and to assume some responsibility for their own learning. (SBH)

The authors propose a three-stage model for gifted education which proposes a hierarchy of instructional activities to enhance creative thinking, problem-solving skills, project abilities, exploratory reading, and independent learning capacity. Activities which extend the three-stage model to career education for the gifted are described. (SBH)

The author describes the development and success of a program designed to allow gifted and talented and learning problem eighth grade students to choose their own courses and course sequence as they pursued mastery of seven critical skills in reading, writing, computation, problem solving, research, and adjustment. (CL)

A group of eight gifted junior high students was presented programed units of psychology instruction based on Fred Keller's model of personalized instruction. Compared to a control group which received traditional lecture-format instruction, subjects completed the material in less time and scored significantly higher on the final test. (Author/JDD)

Project DIG (Discovering Industries in the Ground) was a pilot program in Portage County, Ohio, involving gifted/talented high school students who gathered information from guest speakers, participated in field trips and an onsite archaeological excavation, wrote research papers, and shared experiences with gifted elementary students and the…