2008 Templeton Fellows Final Report

Transcription

The Connie Belin & Jacqueline N. Blank International Center
for Gifted Education and Talent Development
The University of Iowa College of Education
The Templeton International
Fellows Program 2008–2010
The Templeton International Fellows Program 2008 – 2010
Acknowledgment
We gratefully acknowledge The John Templeton Foundation for their generosity and vision in
sponsoring the Templeton International Fellows Program. You have made an impact on the global
gifted community.
Part I: The Templeton Fellowship
Part I: The Templeton Fellowship
Introduction
The Templeton International Fellows Program (Fellowship) was designed to
provide international educators with information and skills to facilitate their
advocacy on behalf of gifted children. The Fellowship facilitated the attendance
of 51 international educators at the Wallace Research Symposium hosted by The
Connie Belin & Jacqueline N. Blank International Center for Gifted Education
and Talent Development (Belin-Blank Center) on The University of Iowa (UI)
campus in May, 2008. The substantial financial support provided by the John
Templeton Foundation made it possible for educators from 41 countries around
the world to participate in a comprehensive professional development program in
gifted education, beginning with preconference introductory activities, continuing
through active engagement in the Wallace Symposium, and continuing with postsymposium activities to strengthen participant confidence in advocacy for gifted
children in their home countries. The Fellowship has served as a catalyst for the
development of a global cohort of dedicated professionals who will serve for years
as regional and national resources, able to convey to others the nature and needs of
gifted learners, and ways to best meet those unique needs.
Purpose
The Fellowship provided a cohort of international educators with extensive and
intensive learning experiences in gifted education. The professional development
experience was designed to build global leadership capacity so that individuals
could shape the development of gifted education in their countries and regions,
especially in areas that have had little exposure to the theory and practice of gifted
education. Priority was given to applicants in positions of educational leadership
from the developing countries of Asia, Africa, Central and South America, and the
Middle East, all of which share the preeminent universal goal and demonstrable
need for the development of human capital. The selection process was structured
so that Fellows had local support to disseminate knowledge and foster changes
to ensure that gifted education would begin to take root and/or grow in their
homelands.
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Selection Process
The Templeton Foundation approved the Fellowship proposal in March, 2007,
and a comprehensive Templeton Fellowship Website (www.templetonfellows.org),
as well as an online application process, was finalized by the end of May, 2007.
Early in June, 2007, information about the Templeton International Fellowship
was disseminated as widely as possible through listserves, professional contacts
coordinating international studies at other major universities, personal contacts,
and through organizations emphasizing gifted education, including the National
Association of Gifted Children (NAGC) and the European Council for High
Ability (ECHA):
Dear Colleague:
We are pleased to announce a very exciting new program called the Templeton International Fellowship. Fifty
international educators will receive fully-funded Fellowships to attend the Wallace Research Symposium at The
University of Iowa (May 18-20, 2008) and learn about gifted education. Candidates do not need experience in
gifted education, but they must have a commitment to learn about the field.
Please find all information related to the program at
http://www.templetonfellows.org .
We ask that you forward this announcement to international organizations, listserves, and to international colleagues.
Thank you,
Nicholas Colangelo, Director, Belin-Blank Center
Susan Assouline, Associate Director, Belin-Blank Center
Laurie Croft, Administrator, Professional Development
Jerilyn McCarty Fisher, Administrator, Conferences and Publications
Applicants began expressing interest the same day the announcements went out. All
applicants had to be fluent in English and complete the online English-language
application that asked:
1. How do you expect to benefit by attending the Wallace Research Symposium
and learning about gifted education?
2. What do you think you can contribute to the other Templeton International
Fellows?
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Part 1: Selection process
3. It is expected that when you return to your home country after the Wallace
Research Symposium, you will take action in order to initiate discussion or
programs in gifted education. Each Templeton International Fellow will need
to do at least three “action steps” as part of the agreement with the Belin-Blank
Center…. Please specify what actions you plan to take from June 2008 —
December 2009, that would further gifted education in your home country.
Applications were due by 15 September 2007, and all applicants were asked to
have referees in positions of authority in national educational institutions provide
an official letter of support for both Fellowship participation and for subsequent
advocacy on behalf of gifted children.
Over 175 international educators completed the application process, representing
61 countries from 6 continents. Educators from countries as diverse as Azerbaijan
to Zambia applied, including 120 women and 58 men, public and private
schoolteachers, university lecturers and professors, psychologists and researchers,
curriculum developers and other educational officers from both private companies
and ministries of education. All applications were thoroughly reviewed, and essays
as well as letters of support were evaluated for the potential to develop support for
gifted education following the 2008 Wallace Research Symposium.
Prospective Templeton International Fellows were selected based on both
potential for future substantive support for gifted children in their home
countries and diversity of gender, professional role, and country of origin,
with priority given to developing countries in Asia, Africa, Central and South
America, and the Middle East.
All applicants were notified by e-mail in October 2007, about their final status
in the selection process. The Templeton Fellows were sent contracts to return by
fax, as well as official letters of invitation to facilitate the acquisition of requisite
passports and visas. The final list of Templeton International Fellows included
54 participants, but 2 of those selected, 1 from Bangladesh and 1 from Sudan,
were denied visas and were unable to participate. A Russian applicant selected
for participation withdrew because of a serious family illness. The Templeton
International Fellowship was finalized at 51 Fellows, 36 women, 15 men,
representing 41 countries (see Map). Some Fellows had multiple roles, but
• 28 were associated with universities, including 2 who were psychologists at
specialized university centers;
• 9 were involved in the K–12 setting, either public or private (independent), as
teachers, department heads, and 2 directors;
• 8 Fellows were affiliated with local, regional, or national offices of education,
including 5 specifically representing national ministries of education;
• 3 focused on support for high-ability students through independent
organizations;
• 1 was an educational consultant.
2008 Templeton International Fellows
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During the last months of 2007 and the first months of 2008, the Fellows acquired
necessary passports and visas. As well, they communicated with a travel agency
in Iowa City to arrange reservations from a local airport to the Cedar Rapids /
Eastern Iowa Airport; the cost of coach tickets was part of the Fellowship, as was
ground transportation to the Sheraton Hotel on the south side of The University
of Iowa main campus. Communication, especially with Ms. Jerilyn McCarty
Fisher, Administrator for Conferences and Events, was ongoing to ensure that the
Fellows would arrive no later than 14 May; this included communication with
embassy personnel for some Fellows, explaining the purpose of their travel—and
communication with Customs at an airport in the United States where one Fellow
was delayed just one state away from Iowa.
Pre-Symposium Activities
The Templeton Fellows Listserv was launched on 17 April 2008. All Fellows had
their preferred e-mail addresses entered on the list, and Dr. Nicholas Colangelo, the
Director of the Belin-Blank Center, sent a short welcome message:
Dear Templeton International Fellows:
I very much look forward to welcoming you to the Belin-Blank Center in just a few weeks.
The Fellowship program will be stimulating and enjoyable. I hope you are all doing very well.
My best wishes,
Nicholas Colangelo, Director Belin-Blank Center
Dr. Colangelo’s message was followed by a welcome from Dr. Susan Assouline,
Associate Director of the Belin-Blank Center:
Dear Templeton International Fellows,
I join Dr. Colangelo in an electronic welcome to the Templeton International Fellowship Program. We are all counting the days
until you arrive (28 days!). Meanwhile, you will be receiving periodic messages about your forthcoming sojourn to Iowa City,
Iowa.
For some of you, it will be the first time to come to the United States; for others, you will be revisiting us. No matter what your
past experience is, we are proud to welcome all of you to the U.S. and we can’t wait to greet you face-to-face.
My very best wishes,
Susan G. Assouline, Ed.S., Ph.D.
Associate Director
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Part 1: Pre-Symposium activities
The greetings opened the channels of communication as Fellows responded back
to the listserve and to the Center, expressing their enthusiasm for the possibilities
embodied in the Fellowship.
Over the following several days, Dr. Laurie Croft, Administrator for Professional
Development, sent messages with details about international travel, including
details about entering the United States, especially important for the Fellows who
had never traveled outside their own countries.
Ms. Lois Gray, University of Iowa News Services, asked the Fellows about their
interest in participating in the program, and the status of gifted education in their
home countries, enabling her to prepare a press release about the upcoming program.
On 2 May 2008, Dr. Croft asked the Fellows to complete an online pre-assessment
surveying both knowledge of and attitudes toward gifted education, in preparation
for the upcoming program. The request was a delicate one, since she was asking the
Fellows to demonstrate both their knowledge—and their lack of knowledge. Even
though the assessment would be anonymous, Dr. Croft explained:
Your answers will not be linked to you. We will have a snapshot of what the “group” knows—not what each individual knows.
PLEASE do not look up the answers online or in any other resource. The wording may not be clear. You may have no idea about
some of the questions. But please respond based on what you think as you’re reading. We give this same preassessment to local
teachers, and many of them do not know the answers, either. It is your understanding as you first read and answer these general
knowledge questions that is very important to us.
On the attitude survey, there are no right or wrong answers—just your opinion. It is your opinion on each question that is important.
I believe you will be able to complete this assessment in no more than 30 minutes; this will vary a bit, depending on how many
times you re-read each question ;-) We know that many gifted individuals are “perfectionists”, even when we assure them that this
is an anonymous preassessment ;-)
The pre-assessment was to be completed by 10 May 2008.
The Templeton Fellows began arriving as early as 13 May.
For the Fellows who arrived before 15 May, arrangements with the Sheraton Hotel
allowed them to have meals at the hotel and charged to their rooms; the costs
of the rooms and all meals were included in the Fellowship award. Beginning
at breakfast on 15 May, buffets were available at breakfast and lunch, and Drs.
Colangelo, Assouline, Croft, and Ms. Fisher met many of the Fellows during those
meals. That evening, a reception at The University of Iowa Old Capitol was the first
formal event for the Fellows, allowing them to see some of the campus as well as an
historic site at the university, and giving them a chance to visit with each other and
with administrative staff who had facilitated their visit.
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Pre-Symposium Workshop (May 16 – 17)
The Templeton Pre-Symposium program was designed to provide participants
with a comprehensive overview of gifted education, including student programs,
assessment and psychological services, the importance of acceleration practices in
various academic environments, and the importance of professional development.
Each session was intended to maximize the value of the Wallace Research
Symposium, emphasizing topics that are critical to greater understanding in
the field. As well, the Pre-Symposium included references to the research of
Symposium keynote speakers. Of great importance, these two days provided time
for the Fellows to develop a community of colleagues, getting to know each other
and sensing the potential in collaboration.
Formal activities on 16 May began with an opening luncheon at Hotel Vetro, next
door to the Sheraton, including words of welcome to all the Templeton Fellows
from the mayor of Iowa City, as well as from officials from The University of
Iowa, the College of Education, and the Belin-Blank Center. Their first formal
activity allowed small-group discussion, with Fellows organized by geographic
region. Members of each group were able to meet and talk with those with whom
they most easily might collaborate; they discussed the traits of gifted learners as
perceived in their countries and regions. They shared their perspectives with the
larger group, and they had a chance to meet more of their attending colleagues.
Following a brief tour of the campus and of the Blank Honors Center, the Fellows
met in the Pappajohn Business Building for their first formal presentation. Dr.
Colangelo introduced the origin, mission, and activities of the Belin-Blank Center,
emphasizing the centrality of teacher training as a way of making a difference in the
lives of greater numbers of gifted learners. The scope of opportunities for teachers,
students, and their families facilitated by the Center provided participants with a
sense of the wide range of possibilities. If programs for teachers began in a Xerox
box holding Dr. Colangelo’s files, the Center celebrating its 20th Anniversary
continued its active role in professional development, as well as led in student
identification through the Talent Search model, and engaged in academic year and
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Part 1: Pre-symposium Workshop (May 16–17)
summer programming for students; advocacy, especially for acceleration programs;
assessment and counseling services; and national and international leadership
through conferences and publications. Dinner and optional attendance at the
College of Education Teacher Convocation followed Dr. Colangelo’s presentation.
On Saturday, 17 May, the Fellows began the day with a presentation from Drs.
Assouline and David Lohman, Professor of Educational Psychology in the UI
College of Education and Director of Research at the Belin-Blank Center. The two
presenters, both experts in the identification of gifted children, were able to provide
information about a variety of complex issues associated with various options
for the assessment of ability. Of particular importance, Dr. Assouline was able to
elaborate on the role of above-level assessment for the discovery of talent, and Dr.
Lohman explored the concept of culture-fair testing, and the difficulties associated
with that concept. After a short break, Dr. Linda Brody, Director of the Julian C.
Stanley Study of Exceptional Talent (SET) at the Johns Hopkins University Center
for Talented Youth, described SET and Cogito.org, a Website designed specifically
for highly gifted children. She invited the Fellows to join Cogito.org, and to
encourage their gifted students to join, as well. Her presentation clarified some of
the opportunities crucial for highly gifted children to achieve their full potential.
The program included cultural activities as well as immersion in gifted education.
The Fellows traveled to the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in
West Branch for a tour of the museum and of the grounds, gaining a sense of Iowa’s
rich history. A picnic on the grounds, and an interval to stretch and enjoy the
beautiful day, provided opportunities to both network and relax and reflect.
Saturday afternoon provided the time and the opportunity for participants to
network with one another in the Blank Honors Center. Each participant could
select one room for discussion, or they could visit more than one room. The topics
that were suggested included:
• “Higher Education and Research (ongoing and planned)”;
• “Higher Education and Programming (classes, presentations)”;
• “Practical Applications for Gifted Children / Schools”; and,
• “Administrative Planning at State/Country/Regional Levels”.
These discussions planted the seeds for fruitful collaborations that have continued
since the Fellowship, including plans for a book about “Talent Development
Around the World,” which will portray a nation’s identification procedures, talent
development programs and educational services, the national perceptions of talent
development, local issues, and the future of talent development in that locale.
The evening’s reception in the Blank Honors Center lobby marked the informal
opening of the Wallace Research Symposium. The Speakers’ Reception offered
the Fellows an opportunity to meet and interact with the speakers who were
presenting at the Wallace Research Symposium, as well as with others who would
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be attending. Before the Symposium opened, however, all Fellows had a chance
to participate in an interactive session about creativity with Dr. Clar Baldus,
Administrator for Inventiveness, Rural Schools, and Visual Arts Programs at the
Center. Fellows who did not represent institutions of higher education joined Ms.
Catherine Blando, Administrator for Talent Search and Curriculum Development,
to learn more about the ways educators can make a difference in the lives of gifted
students, and the ways the students can make a difference in the world. Those who
represented higher education met with Ms. Jan Warren, Administrator for Student
Programs, to learn about the variety of student programs offered for gifted students
on The University of Iowa campus. The Pre-Symposium sessions ended with a
presentation from Dr. Croft about curriculum interventions that promote talent
development and with lunch at the Iowa Memorial Union.
The Wallace Research Symposium (May 18 – 20)
The Wallace Research Symposium opened on Sunday afternoon. The Symposium
is acknowledged as one of the preeminent international conferences in the fields of
gifted education and talent development. Keynote presentations over the three-day
event, attended by all Fellows, included:
• Dr. Nancy C. Andreasen, “The Creative Brain: The Neuroscience of Genius”;
• Dr. Stephen Ceci, “Why Are So Few Women in Math-Intensive Fields?”;
• Dr. Nicholas Colangelo, “The Impact of a Nation Deceived: A National and
International Perspective”;
• Dr. Donna Y. Ford, “Under-Representation and the Ongoing Search for Equity
in Gifted Education”;
• Dr. James J. Gallagher, the Julian C. Stanley Distinguished Lecture, “What Do
Schools Need to Provide Quality Education for Gifted Students?”;
• Dr. Camilla Persson Benbow, “Special Report: The Final Report of the
National Mathematics Advisory Panel”;
• Dr. Marc Tucker, “Tough Choices or Tough Times: The Report of the New
Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce”;
• Dr. Joyce VanTassel-Baska, “What Works in Curriculum for the Gifted: A
Research Synthesis”.
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Part 1: The Wallace Research Symposium (May 18 – 20)
In addition to the array of extraordinary keynote presentations, Fellows could
determine which invited presentations most interested them, typically with just two
speakers from which to choose. Invited speakers included — among others —
Dr. Carolyn Callahan (Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate
Programs); Dr. Frank Worrell (social identities and academic talent development);
Dr. Assouline (the Belin-Blank Center’s role in the past and future of gifted
education); Dr. Françoys Gagné (Differentiated Model of Giftedness and
Talent); Dr. David Lohman (utilizing the most effective identification procedures
to discover academic talent); and Dr. Ann E. Robinson (biography in gifted
education). Concurrent presentations and poster sessions provided an even greater
number of choices; several Fellows had submitted proposals for presentations at the
Symposium and were integral to these latter sessions, including:
• Dr. Fatma Al-Lawati (Sultanate of Oman) and Dr. Najat Al-Hamdan
(Kingdom of Bahrain), “The Attitudes of Omani Administrators Towards
Gifted Education”;
• Dr. Sheyla Blumen (Peru), “Identification and Enrichment of the Culturally
Disadvantaged Gifted in Multicultural Contexts”;
• Ms. Huang Yang-Ting (Taiwan), “A Study on the Causes of Underachievement
— Musically Gifted Students in Piano Studies”;
• Ms. Lin Ling-Hui (Taiwan), “The Study of Family Influences for Career
Development of the Math- and Science-Talented in Taiwan”;
• Ms. Lye Chan Long (Australia), “Principal Leadership and Gifted Education
Programs in Government Secondary Schools”;
• Dr. Verónica Lopez Leiva (Chile), “Results of a System for Identifying and
Selecting Academically Talented Students for a Network of Schools in Chile”.
The Fellows gathered for an informal dinner following the Symposium to share
their impressions and thoughts. Most of the keynote presentations were posted on
the Templeton Website, allowing the Fellows to return to that information upon
their return to home and work.
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Post-Symposium Workshop (May 21)
On Wednesday following the Symposium, the program highlighted presentations
by experts on advocacy, media relations, and organizational and community
change. The days leading up to the Post-Symposium seminars delineated content;
the three sessions on Wednesday offered suggestions on ways to productively use
that content. Ms. Nancy Green, Executive Director of the National Association
of Gifted Children (NAGC), distributed the NAGC Advocacy Toolkit and
elaborated on ways to successfully cultivate growth in gifted education. Ms. Lois
Gray, Assistant Director, University of Iowa University News Services, described
the “tools, tips, and techniques” to generate media interest in gifted education.
Finally, Dr. Dennis Schrag with the Longview Group in Iowa City and a lecturer
in The University of Iowa Tippie College of Business, generated both energy and
enthusiasm for the kinds of effective communication that make growth in gifted
education possible. Emphasizing the power of a personal story, Dr. Schrag invited
Grace White to share her story of personal growth from completion of Belin-Blank
Center programs to early entrance as a University of Iowa undergraduate; following
her graduation from the university, Grace entered a Ph.D. program in Personality
and Social Psychology. Dr. Colangelo closed the formal presentations with an
overview of the Fellowship, “today and tomorrow.”
The final event for the 2008 Templeton Fellowship included a banquet at the
Levitt Center for University Advancement. In addition to one more pleasant meal
together, the guests enjoyed a presentation by Crescendo, an Iowa City organization
dedicated to the development of musical talent in children from second through
eighth grades. Drs. Colangelo, Assouline, and William Reisinger, Dean, University
of Iowa International Programs, and Associate Provost, awarded program certificates
to each Fellow, congratulating them on their commitment and dedication to gifted
children in their countries and in the world. A closing PowerPoint from the BelinBlank Center staff to the Fellows noted that, “We will miss you. We will treasure your
friendship and our work together, over the years ahead, on behalf of gifted children.”
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Part 1: Post-Symposium Workshop (May 21)
The Fellows, under the leadership of Dr. Sendova, responded with their own
PowerPoint message:
A very modest presentation
about gifted education
(slightly longer than a “hello”
on behalf of every fellow)
Welcome, welcome, dear guests
from North and South, East and West,
representing every nation
involved in gifted education!
Avoid miscommunication
and use this short interpretation
of phrases, gestures, sailor’s flags:
help yourself with welcome bags!
Bon giorno, Morning,
Buenos dias,
let us share nice ideas!”
Thus Nick Colangelo
(the Great)
Laurie, Susan Assouline
Candice, Ann, and Jerilyn,
Maureen and David - all have made
a perfect friendly atmosphere
for us to feel at home here….
Enrichment and acceleration
(the key for gifted education)
research amazingly consistent
and commitment so persistent!
We saw books and cube-recursion
and enjoyed a great excursion
visiting the place of Hoover
not less pretty than the Louvre….
The outputs are:
• Deep reflections
• Interesting ties, connections,
• Tools of insights and brainstorming
• Media rapidly transforming
• Effective great
communications….
This fantastic institution
has made tremendous contributions
to the gifted education
and deserves appreciation.
Its tree will be ever growing,
its real pride - forever glowing!
thank you, dear hosts,
we can’t possibly be most
grateful, happy, feeling blessed,
to stay together, be the best
collaborators, sisters, brothers,
to share what we’ve learned with others!
Bulgarian interpretation,
+ Ukrainian illustration
of everybody’s fascination
of Templeton’s great foundation.
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Templeton Fellows in Action
Once Fellows returned to their home countries, the group continued to
communicate their questions, ideas, and successes through the listserve. Many of
the Fellows completed an online post-assessment about their knowledge of attitudes
toward gifted education. From May 2008 through May 2009, they were responsible
for initiating at least three activities to promote and support gifted education in
their own nations. The activities originally envisioned could include presentations
to colleagues, to regional meetings, or to ministries of education; they could include
articles in the newspapers/journals or interviews on radio or television about their
experiences as Fellows. Fellows might develop new initiatives for gifted children,
or new programs for pre-service or in-service educators about gifted children.
Fellows completed reports of their endeavors, either using an online form to record
their various actions, or sending e-mail accounts of activities, sometimes including
presentations or articles that could be shared on the Website. Their actions, as
reflected in Part III of this report, are innovative and extensive.
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Part 1:Templeton Fellows in Action
Postscript (2010 Wallace Research Symposium, May 16 – 18)
Before 2009 closed, some of the Fellows were asking when the 2010 Wallace
Research Symposium would occur. The Templeton Foundation provided an
extension to the original Templeton Fellowship grant, and in November, 2009, Dr.
Colangelo was able to send this message to the listserve:
Dear Templeton Fellows: I hope each of you has been doing well. I remember very well the vibrant time that all of us spent
together at the Wallace Research Symposium in 2008. This Templeton Fellows listserv that Laurie Croft established has been most
helpful in keeping us in contact.
I am very happy to inform you that The John Templeton Foundation is providing some funding so that many of you can attend
the next Wallace Research Symposium which is at The University of Iowa on May 16-18, 2010. This invitation is open only to
you, the Templeton Fellows. We have funding to help pay the costs for a maximum of 20 Templeton Fellows to attend the Wallace
Research Symposium, May 16-18, 2010. If you are interested in attending, you simply let us know that YES you want to attend.
You do not have to apply as you did for the original Templeton Fellowship. Simply complete the form below and email back. We
have limited funds and can assist a maximum of 20 people. We will honor the requests of 20 people who let us know by January
10, 2010 that you are willing to attend. The sooner you can let us know, the better.
Here are the costs that the new Templeton Fellowship (2010) will cover: Your hotel room at the Sheraton Iowa City Hotel form
May 14-May 18, 2010 Your Wallace Research Symposium Registration Your meals, receptions and banquets associated with the
Wallace Research Symposium/Fellows Program Educational materials developed for the Symposium and for your program You
are responsible for the following expenses: Airfare and ground transportation to Iowa City Meals outside of the sponsored events
for the Wallace Symposium and the Fellows Program Personal items/expenses This is a great opportunity for you to continue your
professional development in the area of gifted education by attending the Wallace Research Symposium and the events of the
Templeton Fellows. Also, it will be a wonderful opportunity for us to see each other again. If you have any questions, please contact
Laurie Croft at [email protected] It is the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S. and while this is a national holiday, the idea
of giving thanks is universal. All of us at the Belin-Blank Center are thankful for the Templeton Fellows who are very much a part
of our lives. My best wishes to each of you and your families,
Dr. Nick.
Fellows were asked to complete a simple e-mail application and return it to Dr.
Croft before 10 January 2010. Questions about lodging or about the 2010 Wallace
Research Symposium could be directed to Ms. Fisher. All Fellows who hoped for
consideration for this award had to submit their activity report, bringing in final
late accounts of actions on behalf of gifted education.
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Although 22 Fellows applied to return for the Symposium, only 16 Fellows from
14 different countries were able to return in May 2010. Five were unable to secure
funding for their travel, and one had to withdraw because of a serious family illness.
Because of the eruption of an Icelandic volcano, several Fellows were concerned
about their ability to fly to the United States, but all were able to arrive for the
opening of the Symposium.
The countries represented
for the 2010 Symposium
again included both
developing and developed
nations. The following home
countries were represented:
Australia
Bulgaria
Ireland
Korea
Lithuania
Malaysia
México
The Netherlands
Nigeria
Sultanate of Oman
Peru
Philippines
Russia
Zambia
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Keynote presentations available for the Templeton Fellows at the Symposium
included:
• Dr. Camilla Benbow, “Panel on Policy”, with Drs. Brody, Mark Saul, and Rena
Subotnik;
• Dr. Colangelo, “Panel on Academic Acceleration”, with Drs. Assouline,
Lohman, and David Lubinski;
• Dr. David Geary, “Evolved Cognitive Biases, Human Intellectual Talent, and
the Creation of Culture”;
• Ms. Nancy Green, “Brief Overview of NAGC’s State of the State Report”;
• Dr. Frances Horowitz, “Velcro Labels; Dynamic Processes: A Developmental
Perspective on Giftedness and Talent”;
• Dr. Rex Jung, “Towards a Neuroscience of Creativity”;
• Mr. Stephen Murdoch, “IQ: How Psychology Hijacked Intelligence”;
• Dr. Susan Pinker, “The Sexual Paradox: Extreme Boys, Gifted Girls, and the
Real Gender Gap”;
• Dr. Nancy Robinson, presenting the Julian C. Stanley Distinguished
Lecture, “The Cousins at the Two Tails of the Normal Curve: Issues One
Finds with a Wide-Angle Lens”;
Of the Fellows attending, several were again among those selected for concurrent or
poster sessions, including:
• Dr. Sheyla Blumen (Peru), “New Trends on the Development of Giftedness in
Peru with the Templeton Fellowship”;
• Ms. Lindsay Donnan (Australia), with Dr. Karen Rogers, Ms. Maria Bousnakis,
Ms. Tracy Burns, and Ms. Grace Mugavero, “Integrated Underachievement
Model: Interventions for Gifted Indigenous Underachieving Students”;
• Ms. Leslie Graves (Ireland), “’No Bed of Roses and Beyond…’ A Gardener’s
Personal Story Featuring Acceleration as an Eventual Form of Fertilization”;
• Dr. Lianne Hoogeveen (Netherlands), “Acceleration in Dutch Primary School:
The Acceleration Desirability List”;
• Ms. Lye Chan Long (Australia), with Ruth Targett, Lindsay Donnan, and
Sherrol Gane, “Planning and Implementing Differentiated Assessment in a
School System”;
• Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh Phuong (Vietnam), with Dr. Miraca Gross and Jin
Putai, “The Development of a Confucian Value Scale for Gifted Students and
their Age-Peers not Identified as Gifted in Vietnam”;
• Dr. Park Kyungbin (South Korea), “Reach Out for the Socioeconomically
Disadvantaged Gifted”.
Part 1:Postscript (2010 Wallace Research Symposium, May 16 - 18)
Over 43 percent of the returning Fellows had submitted proposals to present at the
2010 Symposium and were selected in a blind review process. Almost all of these
presentations reflected research undertaken as Fellows. This record of research and
dissemination is significant in terms of productivity in the field with meaningful
outcomes for gifted children.
The Fellows were able to meet Dr. Kent Hill, a guest of honor at the Symposium,
and a representative of the Templeton Foundation. Each took the opportunity to
tell him what kinds of advocacy and outreach had benefited his or her nation, and
each wanted to express gratitude to the Foundation for its support. The ongoing
dedication to gifted education captures what the Templeton Fellowship Program
had proposed: the development of a global cohort of dedicated professionals who
will serve for years as regional and national resources, able to convey to others the
nature and needs of gifted learners, and ways to best meet those unique needs. The
foundation reflected in their efforts, conveyed through titles of their presentations,
suggests a bright future for gifted children in nations around the world, with
leadership skilled in nurturing potential and developing excellence.
15
16
Part II: Impact and Accomplishment, 2008 - 2010
Part II: Impact and Accomplishment,
2008 – 2010
The Templeton International Fellows Program (Fellowship) was conceptualized
to provide international educators with information and skills to support
their interests in and commitment to advocacy for gifted children. Over 175
international educators applied to become Templeton International Fellows
(Fellows), representing 61 countries from 6 continents.
Applicants represented nations from A–Z, including 120 women and 58 men,
public and private schoolteachers, university lecturers and professors, psychologists
and researchers, curriculum developers and other educational officers from both
private companies and ministries of education.
The Fellowship facilitated the attendance of 51 international educators at the
Wallace Research Symposium, hosted by The Connie Belin & Jacqueline N.
Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development
(Belin-Blank Center) on The University of Iowa campus in May 2008. The
substantial financial support provided by the John Templeton Foundation made
it possible for the participating educators, representing 41 countries around the
17
Table 1. Most Populous Countries*
Rank Country 1
Population (July 2009 est.) China 2India
3
United States
Templeton Fellows (N)
1,338,612,968 3
1,166,079,217
2
307,212,123
NA
4Indonesia
240,271,522
1
5Brazil
198,739,269
1
6Pakistan
176,242,949
0
7Bangladesh
156,050,883
1†
8Nigeria
149,229,090
1
9Russia
140,041,247
3∞
10 127,078,679
0
111,211,789
3
Japan
11México
*CIA World Factbook
† One Bangladeshi applicant was accepted but was unable to secure a visa
∞Four Russian applicants were accepted; one had to withdraw because of a serious family illness
world, to participate in a comprehensive professional development program
in gifted education. (Educators from 43 countries were accepted, but the
participants from Bangladesh and Sudan were unable to secure visas to attend
the program.) The Fellowship served as a catalyst for the development of a global
cohort of dedicated professionals who will serve for years to come as national
and regional resources about the nature and needs of gifted learners, and ways
to best meet their unique needs. As reflected in Table 1, of the world‘s 10
most populous countries (excluding the United States), 7 were represented (CIA
World Factbook, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
rankorder/2119rank.html, accessed 30 December 2009).
The following summaries recount extraordinary productivity throughout the
months following the Wallace Research Symposium (Symposium), and the roles of
Fellows, as well as their wide-ranging activities, reflect the impact of the Fellowship
in higher education, in local schools, among children, parents, and teachers, in
academic settings, in public settings, and in the media. Especially in the context
of comparative demographics that reflect the well-being of the people in their
home countries (Table 2), the Fellows are clearly making a difference on behalf of
students who can lead their nations toward greater prosperity and well being.
18
Part II: Templeton Fellows from Middle America
95˚W
Temple
30˚N
90˚W
Nacogdoches
Alexandria
Waco
Natchez
Baton Rouge
Austin
Houston
San Antonio
85˚W
Hattiesburg
Mobile
Biloxi
Mis
Lake Charles sissip
pi
R.
Valdosta
Panama City
Corpus Chr i s t i
Nuevo Laredo
Fort Pierce
Ciudad Victoria
West Palm Beach
Miami
o f
MEXICO
60˚W
30˚N
A t
Melbourne
Fort Myers
G u l f
25˚N
65˚W
Orlando
Sa ra so t a
ande
70˚W
Da yt o n a Be a ch
Tampa
Rio Gr
75˚W
Bru n swi ck
Jacksonville
Tallahassee
New Orleans
Houma
Galveston
80˚W
Al b a n y
Dothan
Pensacola
O
Nassau
a
c
n
e
t
a
i
c
n
25˚N
THE BAHAMAS
Ke y We st
Havana
M e x i c o
l
Long Island
CUBA
Pachuca
Mexico City
Puebla
Cuernavaca
Chilpancingo
Oaxaca
Tuxtla Gutierrez
15˚N
Merida
Campeche
Chetumal
Villahermosa
Flores
Belize City
Belmopan
S a n PHONDURAS
e d r o S ul a
Tegucigalpa
Plymouth
Basse-terre
Pu e rt o L e m p i ra
S a n Mi g u e l NICARAGUA
Mat a g a l p a
Leon
Managua
Granada
C
Puerto Cabezas
L i b e ri a
P u n t a r e na s
r
i
b
b
e
a
n
S
Oranjestad
Barranquilla
San Jose
Colon
COSTA RICA
e
Maracaibo
M o n t e ri a
PANAMA
Cu cu t a
a
L e s s
e r
A n t i l
l e s
Barquisimeto
Maturin
85˚W
80˚W
75˚W
10˚N
Ciudad Guayana
V E N E Z U E L A
Sa n Cri st o b a l
noco
C iudad Bolivar
Rio Ori
Georgetown
COLOMBIA
90˚W
Trinidad
Cumana
Valencia
15˚N
Castries
Kingstown
Bridgetown
Medellin
95˚W
Roseau
Willemstad St. George’s
Port of Spain
Caracas
Panama
Da vi d
O c e a n
a
Bl u e f i e l d s
L. Nicaragua
Rivas
P a c i f i c
San Juan
Puerto Barrios
EL SALVADOR
10˚N
HAITI
Puerto
DOM. REP.
G r
Rico
e aPort-au-Prince
t e r
A n
Domingo
JAMAICA
t i Santo
Kingston
l l e
s
BELIZE
Gulf
Coban
of
Tehuantepec
GUATEMALA
Qu e z a l t e n a n g o
Guatemala
San Salvador
20˚N
George Town
Rio Magdalena
20˚N
Pu e rt o Ayacucho
70˚W
65˚W
GUYANA
60˚W
Lic. Rocio Labastida Gómez de la Torre
Mexico
0
500 Miles
0
Dr. Hadrian Peter
Barbados
500 KM
Templeton Fellows from Middle America
Parallel scale at 20˚N 0˚ E
Lic. Rocio Labastida Gómez de la Torre, Directora de Innovación [Director
of Innovation] for the Sinaloa [México] Department of Education, coordinates
ASES, Apoyo a Sobresalientes en el Estado de Sinaloa [Support for Gifted
Children in the State of Sinaloa], a gifted education program serving children
and adolescents in Sinaloa, México; since the Symposium, she has created a
foundation to support work with students and implemented multiple new
opportunities for gifted youth throughout Sinaloa. These include classes about a
wide variety of topics in science, mathematics, the humanities, art, and sports, as
well as community service opportunities, field trips, and academic competitions.
ASES also has sponsored educational programs for parents of gifted children.
Lic. Labastida organized and facilitated the Third International Congress
for Creativity and Talent in México in October 2009; the Congress featured
important international figures in gifted education, including Drs. Françoys
Gagné of Canada and Saturnino de La Torre of Spain.
Dr. Hadrian Peter, a Senior Lecturer at the University of West Indies, Barbados,
has shared information about gifted children with a number of stakeholders. He
communicated with the permanent secretary in the national Ministry of Education
about his participation in the Symposium and the greater knowledge of gifted
education he brought back to Barbados; he further inquired whether the Ministry
would collaborate to initiate a gifted education program and requested the name of
someone in the Ministry with whom he could liaise. He also contacted the director of
the School of Education at the University of the West Indies to provide information
about the Symposium, soliciting the director’s help in establishing contact with
faculty members interested in gifted education. Since this initial contact with the
School of Education, he and the director have met several times, sharing relevant
resource material received during and after the Symposium. Dr. Peter and his contacts
are enthusiastic about designing a gifted education program for Barbados and look
forward to support from the Belin-Blank Center in the initial stages of their efforts.
19
Dr. Pedro Sánchez
Mexico
Ms. Garnell Williams
Bahamas
Dr. Fabiola Zacatelco
Mexico
Dr. Pedro Sánchez, a faculty member at the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán in
México, advocates for gifted children in a variety of ways. Since his participation
as a Fellow, he has participated in conferences from Riga, Latvia, to Véracruz,
México, and Daejeon, Korea, exchanging research findings and best practices about
the concepts of giftedness and creativity. As well, he delivered a keynote in Mexico
City at an event sponsored by the federal Office for Talent Development. He has
had two articles published in refereed journals; the first outlined procedures for
screening gifted indigenous Mayan students, and the second discussed the use of
Mexican norms when using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III).
He is coauthoring a cross-cultural exploration among versions of the Wechsler
Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV) in México, Spain, and the United
States, and he is developing a research protocol to explore the attitudes of parents
and teachers toward academic acceleration in México. He continues to explore
the unique difficulties of identifying indigenous Mayan children, and he has
provided a television interview about gifted education. Dr. Sanchez launched the
Website for the Centro para el Desarollo de Talentos y Sobresalientes [Center
for the Development of Talented and Gifted Children]. He accompanied gifted
children to Daejeon to participate in the Fourth World Creativity Festival, and he
has contacted federal education officials to organize a Creativity Congress in the
State of Yucatán. He has collaborated with the Belin-Blank Center to organize the
Mexican Scholars Program, sending gifted students from Yucatán to The University
of Iowa for specialized programming.
Ms. Garnell Williams, an educator for the Ministry of Education, describes plans
to initiate programs for gifted students in the Bahamas by sharing the things she
has learned as a Fellow with colleagues at the national Ministry of Education.
Through contacts at the national newspaper and a national radio program, she
can disseminate information widely. As well, her efforts to provide in-service
professional development will include the San Salvador Primary and High Schools,
the Cat Island, Rum Cay, and San Salvador school districts. Through both a
newsletter and a resource center for gifted education, she is hopeful that others will
gain greater understanding of gifted children in the Bahamas.
20
Part II: Templeton Fellows from South America
Dr. Fabiola Zacatelco, an academic researcher at the Universidad Nacional
Autónoma de México (UNAM), is an advocate for the gifted in Mexico City.
Since returning home from the Symposium, she has held monthly meetings
with her research team to develop a protocol to identify gifted children in local
elementary schools. In 2009, her team launched a trial program entitled “Design
and Development of an Enrichment Program for Gifted Children.” During this
three-year trial, the research agenda approved by UNAM will generate and validate
instruments for gifted children in an indigenous population located in marginalized
regions. Dr. Zacatelco hopes that the research will provide information that may be
used to develop and strengthen effective programs for gifted students throughout
one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world.
80˚W
75˚W
70˚W
C a r i b b e a n
Puerto Cabezas
NICARAGUA
65˚W
S e a
Barranquilla
Panama
Maracaibo
Trinidad
C u ma n a
Valencia
oco
Ciudad Guayana
Rio Orin
Rio
Or
ECUADOR
SURINAME
Bo a Vist a
Mitu
n R.
Amazo
S ao Lui s
ra
ei
ad
M
s
jo
pa
io
Rio
Purus
Rio
Hua n u c o
Rio
Aya cu ch o
de
dre
Ma
Ri
o Te
les
Po r to Ve lh o
B R A Z I L
C ac hi m bo
Pire
s
Xin
s
Rio
P E R U
Hu a n ca yo
5˚S
I m per at r i z
Ja ca r e a ca n ga
ra
ei
ad
M
C o ca ma
Cerro De Pa sco
Lima
Rio
R io Br a n c o
Ara
Tarauaca
guaia
Jurua
Rio
Rio
Huaraz
tins
O r e lla n a
Trujillo
Ter es i n a
Sao Goncalo
Ta
R
Fortaleza
tins
Sullana
Chiclayo
10˚S
Belem
gu
n R.
Rio Tocan
Amazon R.
Xin
Loja
S ant ar em
Manaus
T e fe
IqAm
u itoazo
s
0˚
Marajo Island
M ac apa
Rio Negro
Cuenc a
Talar a
5˚N
C am opi
Rio
Dio
Rio
Recife
co
ancis
Fr
Sao
10˚S
M ac ei o
A r ac aj u
G ur upi
B ar r ei r a s
A l v or ada
Salvador
Cu zco
Ica
C anav i ei r a s
ai
Goiania
Sa n ta C r u z
T a cn a
Ar ica
20˚S
Cu i aba
Rio
La Paz
Ar e q u ip a
gu
B O L I V I A
Pu n o
Lake Titicaca
15˚S
Brasilia
a
15˚S
Ara
5˚S
FRENCH
GUIANA
S er r o D o N av i o
Quito
Guayaquil
Gulf of
Guayaquil
O c e a n
Cayenne
Ap o te r i
inoc
o
A t l a n t i c
Georgetown
Paramaribo
GUYANA
Pu e r to Aya cu ch o
Bogota
C O L O M B I A
Pasto
0˚
10˚N
Ma tu r in
C iu d a d Bo liva r
Sa n C r isto b a l
lena
Cali
35˚W
V E N E Z U E L A
Cu cu t a
5˚N
40˚W
Port of Spain
Caracas
Barquisimeto
Mon te r ia
Medellin
45˚W
Rio Tocan
Colon
David
PANAMA
50˚W
Bridgetown
gu
COSTA
RICA
San Jose
55˚W
Castries
St. George’s
Willemstad
Rio Magda
10˚N
60˚W
Kingstown
Oranjestad Lesser Antilles
Bluefield s
Sucre
Iq u iq u e
20˚S
Belo Horizonte
C am po G r ande
V i t or i a
an
a
F o r tin Ma d r e jo n
Par
PARAGUAY
Rio
Parag
C r uz ei r o D o S ul
Co n ce p cio n
25˚S
Sa lta
Asuncion
Sa n Mig u e l D e T u cu ma n
Co r o n e l O v i edo
30˚S
Foz Do Iguacu
Rio Parana
Re siste n ci a
io
R
Cordoba
O c e a n
Me n d o z a
Va lp a r a iso
35˚S
Buenos Aires
Sa n R a fa e l
25˚S
Curitiba
Fl or i anopol i s
ay
30˚S
Porto Alegre
T a cu a r e mb o
Rosario
Rio
Paran
a
Santiago
Pa ysa n d u
D u r a z no
U R U G U A Y
35˚S
Montevideo
A t l a n t i c
C o n ce p cio n
Ba h ia Bla n c a
40˚S
Pu e r to Mo n t t
O c e a n
Ma r D e l Pl at a
Ne u q u e n
Va ld ivia
Rio De Janeiro
gu
ru
U
A R G E N T I N A
P a c i f i c
Campinas
Sao Paulo
uay
Sa n Sa lva d o r De Ju ju y
B oa V i s t a
Rio
T a r ija
CHILE
An to fa g a sta
40˚S
Sa n C a r lo s d e Ba r ilo ch e
Gulf of San Matias
Isla Grande
de Chiloe
R a wso n
45˚S
Co ih a iq u e
C o mo d o r o
Riva d a vi a
50˚S
Pu e r to Sa n ta C r u z
Pu e r to Na ta le s
45˚S
Gulf of
San Jorge
50˚S
FALKLAND ISLANDS
R io G a lle g o s
Port Stanley
Strait of Magellan
Pu n ta Ar e n a s
55˚S
Dr. Gabriel Andrade
Venezuela
Dr. Sheyla Blumen
Peru
SOUTH GEORGIA ISLAND
Tierra Del Fuego
55˚S
Templeton Fellows from South America
U sh u a i a
80˚W
75˚W
70˚W
65˚W
60˚W
55˚W
50˚W
45˚W
40˚W
35˚W
0
500 Miles
Dr. Gabriel Andrade, a faculty member at the Universidad del Zulia (LUZ) in
Venezuela, has encountered unanticipated setbacks in his advocacy for gifted
learners since his participation in the Templeton Fellowship. The passage of the
Organic Education Law in Venezuela committed the nation to free education from
childhood through the undergraduate years in college, but at the same time, it has
defined principles for the national education system, including “equality among
all citizens without discrimination of any kind” (Suggett, J. 2009. Venezuelan
Education Law: Socialist Indoctrination or Liberatory Education? Venezuelanalysis.
com, retrieved on 10 September 2009). The emphasis on “equality among all
citizens without discrimination of any kind” has been interpreted to mitigate
against any advocacy for differentiated approaches to education. Dr. Andrade will
need to wait for a different political climate before he can openly discuss the needs
of high-ability learners.
0
500 KM
Parallel scale at 20˚S 0˚E
Dr. Sheyla Blumen, an Associate Professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica del
Perú (PUCP), has assumed a leadership role in gifted education in her country and
region. Dr. Blumen chaired the Seventh Biennial Ibero-American Conference on
21
Dr. Paula León
Chile
Dr.Verónica Lopez Leiva
Chile
Ms. Renata Maia-Pinto
Brazil
Creativity, Intelligence, and Talent for the Federación Iberoamericana del World
Council for Gifted and Talented Children (FICOMUNDYT), with representation
by 300 participants from over 17 countries. As well, she coordinated the first IberoAmerican Summit of Gifted Youth, hosting 100 gifted young people, ages 14 – 17
years. Dr. Blumen attended the 11th European Council for High Ability (ECHA)
Conference in Prague, Czech Republic, and discussed with other attending Fellows
the need for collaboration on both research and establishing gifted certification
programs in their respective countries. She has discussed giftedness on two different
widely-viewed television programs, on one radio show, and through several
newspaper interviews. She has published numerous articles since her participation
in the Fellowship, and she has given 15 presentations on various aspects of
giftedness. In addition to all of her professional activities on behalf of the gifted, she
has also found the time to volunteer her time to work with gifted children living in
poverty, with a special emphasis on those participating on the Peruvian team for the
International Mathematics Olympiad. In Spring, 2010, Dr. Blumen was awarded
the Premio Nacional de Psicología Educacional 2010 [2010 National Award in
Educational Psychology] by the Colegio de Psicólogos del Perú [the Peruvian
affiliate of the American Psychological Association].
Dr. Paula León, responsible for professional development and continuing
education at the Programa Educacional para Niños con Talentos Académicos
[Educational Program for Children with Academic Talentes], known as PENTA
UC, has disseminated a great deal of new information from the Fellowship and
the Symposium since her return to Chile. She presented to all staff members at
PENTA UC, an expanding program housed at El Centro de Estudios y Desarrollo
de Talentos [The Center for the Study and Development of Talent] at Pontificia
Universidad Católica de Chile, dedicated to the needs of gifted learners. She
has coordinated two training and continuing education programs in Chile for
professionals who are interested in earning certificates in gifted education. These
include the Diplomado en Psicología y Educación de Alumnos con Talentos
Académicos [Diploma in the Psychology and Education of Students with Academic
Talents] for professionals, including psychologists and faculty with interests in
22
Part II: Templeton Fellows from South America
talent development, and the Diplomado en Innovación Educacional y Transferencia
al Aula [Diploma in Educational Innovation for the Classroom] for public
school teachers in the high-poverty Conchala District in Santiago. Dr. León also
coordinated the staff that developed the e-learning training program Diplomado en
Distancia Psicología y Educación de Alumnos con Talentos Académicos [Distance
Learning Diploma in the Psychology and Education of Students with Academic
Talents], the first e-learning program in Latin America to train professionals in
gifted education.
Dr. Verónica Lopez Leiva, an Associate Professor at Pontificia Universidad
Católica de Valparaiso (PUCV) also has had a significant impact on gifted
education in Chile. She has both published in journals and presented at
conferences. She has implemented and evaluated an extracurricular intra-school
program for approximately 250 elementary school gifted students from highpoverty backgrounds in Santiago de Chile. Dr. Lopez continues to network with
other Templeton Fellows, for example, meeting during the Seventh Biennial IberoAmerican Conference on Creativity, Intelligence, and Talent, FICOMUNDYT,
held in Lima, Perú, with Jill Bevan-Brown (Australia), Sheyla Blumen (Perú),
and Lianne Hoogeveen (Netherlands), and Renata Maia-Pinto (Brazil), about
possible collaborative research concerning aboriginal children´s conceptions of
giftedness. Since her participation in the Fellowship, Dr. Lopez has networked with
professionals in college-based gifted programs in Chile, including Program BETA
(Buenos Estudiantes con Talento Académico / Good Students with Academic
Talent housed at PUCV) and Program PROENTA (Programa Educacional
para Niños, Niñas, y Jóvenes con Talentos Académicos / Educational Program
for Boys, Girls, and Youth with Academic Talent housed at the Universidad de
la Frontera); both programs invited her to speak at their regional seminars. Dr.
Lopez donated three of the four books received, thanks to additional support
from the Templeton Foundation, to Program BETA; she shares the Standards
book regularly. Collaborating with with Dr. Sonia Bralic, one of the original
leaders of the gifted education movement in Chile, Dr. Lopez has agreed to act as
counselor for one of their programs for gifted learners. Dr. Lopez also has provided
professional development, designing a module on “The Cognitive and SocialEmotional Characteristics of Gifted Students” as one component in a teachertraining diploma. As well, invited as a guest lecturer for the course “Education
and Multiculturalism” at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, she
presented on “Diversidad y Educación: Diferencias Según Habilidades Académicas”
(Diversity and Education: Differences According to Academic Abilities).
Ms. Renata Maia-Pinto, a technical consultant for the Secretary of Special
Education of the Ministry of Education of Brazil, was the first person to complete
the application process for the Fellowship; alerting the Belin-Blank Center to
a problem with the online application, she submitted the required information
directly to Dr. Croft as a PDF. Ms. Maia-Pinto is completing a doctorate,
writing her dissertation on parent and teacher perceptions of the acceleration
of gifted pre-school children. Her participation in the Fellowship, as well as her
23
10˚W
5˚W
0˚
5˚E
10˚E
assessment of Ministry of Education policies for gifted education, was covered in
a widely-read Brazilian magazine, Revisto Isto É. She provided a two-hour online
presentation about giftedness, talent, and creativity to the Ecuadorian Congress
for Talent Development, and she attended the Seventh Biennial Ibero-American
Conference on Creativity, Intelligence, and Talent, FICOMUNDYT, presenting
about educational policy related to giftedness and talent and about Brazilian
governmental plans to support gifted students. Ms. Maia-Pinto also attended the
ECHA conference in Prague, presenting about “Assessing Data from a Public
Project on Giftedness.” She has been interviewed by the Federal Senate‘s television
program, Inclusion, for a panel presentation about Gifted Child: Brilliant Mind;
and she has provided a 10-hour class in northeast Brazil at the University Center of
Joào Pessoa, emphasizing the role of giftedness in inclusive education.
15˚E
Norwegian Sea
Trondheim
Ostersund
Faroe Islands
Torshavn
S W E D E N
N O R W A Y
Shetland Islands
60˚N
Gavle
Oslo
Bergen
Lerwick
Hebrides
S e a
DENMARK
Liverpool
London
Swansea
Brussels
Le Havre
Se
in
e
r
English Channel
Bonn
Liege
LUX.
Mannheim
Se
Strasbourg
e
in
Loire
F R A N C E
Nantes
B a y
Geneva
Clermont-Ferrand
o f
Bordeaux
B i s c a y
Gar
on
n
LIECH.
Milano I
Po
Turin
Toulouse
T A L Y
Valladolid
Co vilh a
40˚N
Rio Douro
Co imb ra
PORTUGAL
H U N G A R Y
Pecs
Zagreb
CROATIA
Novi Sad
Banja Luka
Split
Bastia
Adriatic Sea Titograd
Rome
Barcelona
YUGOSLAVIA
Bari
Naples
Madrid
Tirane
Sardinia
Valencia
diana
Rio Gua
40˚N
Palma
Majorca
M e d i t e r r a n e a n
Cordoba
Algiers
Malaga
Strait of Gibraltar
Ta n g ier
Tyrrhenian Sea
S P A I N
Sevilla
Gibraltar
MOROCCO
5˚W
Oran
0˚
Annaba
Constantin e
A L G E R I A
5˚E
45˚N
B O S N I A
Sarajevo
Firenze
Tagus River
Lisbon
10˚W
Rijeka
Venezia
Bologna
Corsica
Zaragoza
Salamanca
Danube
Gyor
Budapest
SLOVENIA
Ljubljana
50˚N
SLOVAKIA
Bratislava
Vienna
A U S T R I A
Innsbruck
Graz
A N D O R R A
Brag a
Porto
Brno
Verona
Genova
Monaco
Marseille
Bilbao
Plzen
Bern Vaduz
e
Bayonne
L a Coru n a
Zurich
Lyon
Krakow
Hradec
Kralove Ostrava
C Z E C H
Ruzomberok
Nurnberg
Stuttgartnube
Da
Munchen
SWITZERLAND
Rhone
45˚N
Karlsruhe
Lodz
Wroclaw Breslau
Prague
Frankfurt
Wiesbaden
Luxembourg
Paris
Poznan
P O L A N D
Lubin
G E R M A N Y Dresden
Rive
Plymouth
Berlin
Leipzig
Cologne
55˚N
Bydgoszcz
Magdeburg
Rotterdam Essen
BELGIUM
ine
50˚N
Amsterdam
The Hague
Dover
Rh
Bristol
er
Waterford
Bremen
Riv
Dublin
S e a
Gdansk
Hamburg
Elbe
Groningen
NETH.
Manchester
Birmingham
Leicester
Limerick
Cork
B a l t i c
Kiel
Leeds
ne
IRELAND
U. K.
Malmo
Odense
Sunderland
Belfast
Galway
Copenhagen
Vejle
Edinburgh
Londonderry
Rhi
55˚N
Goteborg
N o r t h
Inverness
Glasgow
60˚N
Uppsala
Stockholm
Orkney Islands
Batna
S e a
Palermo
Tunis
T U N I S I A
10˚E
Sicily
MALTA
Catania
Ionian Sea
Vallelta
15˚E
Dr. Anika Borsch
Germany
0
0
500 Miles
Ms. Leslie Graves
Ireland
500 KM
Parallel scale at 50˚N 0˚E
Templeton Fellows from Western Europe
Dr. Anika Borsch, a psychologist at Gaesdoncker Beratungsstelle für
Begabtenförderung (GBfB); Radboud Universität Nijmegen, returned home
to work on behalf of gifted children at the GBfB in Germany. She shared her
experiences as a Fellow with her colleagues at work, and also with colleagues who
are working at two other institutions in Germany, all psychologists working to
identify and support gifted children. She sent the translation of A Nation Deceived
to all her German colleagues, encouraging them to share it as widely as possible.
She led a seminar, presenting theories about the gifted, about identifying them,
and about supporting gifted learners in the classroom, for a group of enthusiastic
elementary teachers. She and a colleague are planning additional professional
development experiences for the school where Dr. Borsch has a counseling center;
the school is very interested in learning more about the ways to support individual
gifted children in the classroom. As well, she has held round table talks about
utilizing the Renzulli Revolving Door model at this same school, exploring the
model’s theoretical background. Dr. Borsch has partnered with the school’s art
teacher to plan two different courses for creative children between the ages of 8 and
24
Part II: Templeton Fellows from Western Europe
12 years. One of these would facilitate collaboration with an artist for the creation
of a movie; the other would encourage children to build nests, first individually and
then collaboratively.
Ms. Leslie Graves is the vice-chairperson of the Irish Association for Gifted
Children and a part-time lecturer at the University of the City of Dublin. She has
edited a newsletter for parents and teachers of high-ability children in Ireland,
and she helped coordinate a conference about understanding giftedness, hosted
by the Centre for Talented Youth Ireland. Ms. Graves has made presentations
at teachers‘ conferences, including teachers of special education, librarians, and
support teachers. The range of her presentations demonstrates her ability to connect
at a personal level with varying audiences: “A Composition of Complexity — in
G Minor or Major” (about twice-exceptionality); “Talented Teaching for Talented
Learners—in an Irish Context” (introducing acceleration); “L is for Library and S
is for Sanctuary—or Horton Hears a Who” (discussing special needs and the role
of acceleration in meeting those needs). She has collaborated on the creation of an
Irish Website about giftedness (www.giftedkids.ie), and the site has been the catalyst
for the creation of five parent support groups around the country. Ms. Graves has
written about the Fellowship and about gifted education in publications both local
and global, including Mothers and Toddlers in Ireland and in the World Council
for Gifted and Talented Children (WCGTC) Newsletter. While Ms. Graves is
completing her Master’s in Gifted Education through Middlesex University, she
advocates for highly gifted children (such as her son), lobbying the new government
Education Minister to support gifted education; proposing a study to the National
Council for Special Education revolving around the rate of school dropouts
among the gifted; launching a section for gifted education in the central school
library network; and collaborating with the National Council for Technology in
Education, developing a page about the highly gifted, with appropriate and useful
resources for educators.
25
Dr. Lianne Hoogeveen
The Netherlands
Ms. Gemma Vilaseca Gonzalez
Spain
Dr. Lianne Hoogeveen, developmental psychologist and researcher at the Center
for the Study of Giftedness, Radboud University Nijmegan, dedicates her days to
assessing children and adolescents in the Netherlands, helping them understand
their abilities and potential. Since her participation as a Fellow, she has presented
information about gifted education at conferences in the Netherlands, Perú, the
Czech Republic, and Italy. She has advised parents and teachers about the needs
of the gifted, and she has founded a special coaching network for those who
need support in their efforts to coach gifted children. In addition to lecturing
about gifted education in both Perú and Italy, she has served as an advisor for an
organization that establishes special schools for gifted children in the Netherlands,
and she is participating in a European network of schools that is launching
a Website dedicated to strategies for teaching gifted secondary students. Dr.
Hoogeveen has provided interviews to newspapers, magazines, and a national
radio station, and she has written five publications about various aspects of gifted
education. She has made regular and frequent presentations to K–12 school staff;
she is working to develop modules about giftedness for professional development in
general education in the Netherlands; and she has taught both in-service and preservice educators about the gifted. Dr. Hoogeveen has initiated a new “Specialist in
Giftedness” certificate at her university in partnership with ECHA, and she meets
regularly with the Dutch Ministry of Education to enhance gifted education in her
country. In recognition for her expertise in gifted education, Dr. Hoogeveen has
been promoted to Director of the Center for the Study of Giftedness.
Ms. Gemma Vilaseca Gonzalez, Head of the Department of Educational
Psychology at the University of Barcelona, returned to Spain and provided a
seminar to legislative lobbyists at the Department of Education in Catalonia.
Her presentation served both to enhance the understanding of gifted education
and to summarize the Symposium and the growth and role of the BelinBlank Center in advocating for the needs of gifted children. As a result of the
seminar, she is working one day each month with an expert group created by the
Department of Education to promote legislation facilitating gifted education. As
a participant in a university commission to the Catalán Parliament, she described
26
Part II: Templeton Fellows from Eastern Europe
ways to enhance gifted education throughout the nation. Collaborating with
the Department of Education, the College of Psychology, and the College of
Pedagogy [Education], Ms. Vilaseca organized an international conference in
gifted education in Barcelona in 2009. She has conducted workshops for faculty
members from both the University of Barcelona and the University of Vic,
providing insights into the research from the Symposium and the potential of a
center dedicated to gifted education; as well, she has shared copies of A Nation
Deceived with the Colleges of Psychology and Pedagogy at the University of
Catalán, one of the largest university communities in southern Europe. She has
strengthened the work of the Oms Foundation of the Oms I de Prat School,
a charitable foundation dedicated to encouraging collaborative efforts among
Catalán teachers, specialists, higher education faculty, and parents to advocate
for improvements in the education of gifted and talented students. In addition to
building on the research to complete her dissertation, Ms. Vilaseca has been able
to provide details about her evaluation of an intervention implemented to meet
the special educational needs of gifted children in an inclusive school context
to teachers and administrators participating in the research, as well as to public
school teachers in Barcelona and in Osona comarca [province], to the Barcelona
City Council, and in an interview on Catalán radio.
5˚E
10˚E
15˚E
20˚E
25˚E
30˚E
35˚E
40˚E
Gulf of
Bothnia
S k e l l e fte a
A r c h an ge l s k
S e v e r od v i ns k
FINLAND
Umea
O s te r s u n d
Trondheim
Vaasa
Ta m p e r e
Gavle
NORWAY
SWEDEN
Gulf of Finland
Stockholm
Goteborg
Amsterdam
Rhine
BELGIUM
Brussels
Karlsruhe
Rhine
e
in
Se
Bern
FRANCE
Geneva
SWITZERLAND
Milano
Lyon
Rho
ne
Turin
LIECH.
Vaduz
CZECH
nu
AUSTRIA
In n s b r u c k
Rijeka
Venezia
G y o r Danube
BOSNIA
Split
Firenze
Rome
ITALY
Annaba
Co n s t a n t in e
S e a
5˚E
Sicily
Tunis
ga
r
Danu
Stara Zagora
Burgas
45˚N
Krasnodar
Constanta
Pleven
BULGARIA
Sofia
S oc hi
B l a c k
Varna
O r d z h on i k i d z e
S e a
Poti
Ti to v V e l e s
Tirane
MACEDONIA
Istanbul
X a n th i
Thessaloniki
ALBANIA
Io a n n i n a
Larisa
GREECE
P a tr a i
Peloponnesus
C a ta n i a
L. Tuz
S e a
20˚E
Crete
Khania
Ir a k l i on
25˚E
40˚N
Euphrates R.
TURKEY
L. Van
Izmir
Tigris R.
Adana
A nt al y a
MALTA
Yerevan
Ankara
Lesbos
Athens
Tbilisi
Z o ng ul da k
Bursa
Aegean Sea
Agrinion
15˚E
Sea of Azov
S i mf e r op ol
be
Volgograd
Frunze
Odessa
Ionian Sea
Vallelta
10˚E
st
Braila
Bucharest
Skopje
T i to g r a d
Dne
50˚N
Don
Dnepropetrovsk
Donetsk
Zaporozhye
r
Krivoy Rog
MOLDOVA
Chisinau
Sarajevo
Palermo
TUNISIA
Batna
Danube
Belgrade
Tyrrhenian Sea
Algiers
Novi Sad
ep
ROMANIA
Mikhaylovgrad
Adriatic Sea
Naples B a r i
Majorca
B o t o s a ni
Cluj
Arad
Timisoara
YUGOSLAVIA
Bastia
Dn
UKRAINE
Debrecen
CROATIA
Kharkov
V i nn i t s a
tr
Miskolc
Zagreb
Banja Luka
Bologna
es
RuzomberokKosice
SLOVAKIA
Bratislava
V or o ne z h
Kiev
Lvov
Dn
HUNGARY
Szeged
Pecs
SLOVENIA
L ut s k
Krakow
Ostrava
Budapest
Graz
Ljubljana
Sardinia
40˚N
Brno
be
Vienna
Verona
Genova
Corsica
Da
Po
Monaco
Marseille
Nurnberg
Stuttgart
Munchen
Zurich
Strasbourg
55˚N
O r el
Voronezh
POLAND
Prague
Plzen
Warsaw
Lodz
lga
Mo gi l e v
BELARUS
Wroclaw Breslau
Hradec Kralove
LUX.
Luxembourg
45˚N
Lubin
Dresden
GERMANY
Frankfurt
Vo
K a l u ga
G omel
Poznan
Leipzig
Bonn
Wiesbaden
S mo l e ns k
Minsk
L i da
O l s z ty n
Magdeburg
Enschede
The Hague
Lille
50˚N
Dnepr
Bydgoszcz
Berlin
Bremen
Gorkiy
Moscow
V i t e bs k
Kaliningrad
Gdansk
Hamburg
Elbe
Groningen
NETH.
RUSSIA
LITHUANIA
S o v i e ts k
Kaunas
Kiel
Jaroslavl
Rostov
Volga
D au ga v p i l s
Klaipeda
Malmo
LATVIA
Riga
Liepaja
Copenhagen
Odense
V ol og da
Rybinsk Res.
N ov go r od
Pskov
North Sea
DENMARK
V e j le
60˚N
St. Petersburg
Tallinn
ESTONIA
Parnu
T ar t u
Baltic Sea
55˚N
L. Ladoga
Helsinki
Uppsala
Vol
Oslo
Bergen
60˚N
Rhodes
Nicosia
30˚E
Mosel
Aleppo Eu
ph
Cyprus
35˚E
SYRIA
rate
s R.
40˚E
0
0
500 Miles
500 KM
Dr. Ivan Ferbežer
Slovenia
Templeton Fellows from Eastern Europe
Dr. Ivan Ferbežer, an Associate Professor at the Universa V Mariboru [University
of Maribor] is a very productive proponent of gifted education within and beyond
the borders of his native Slovenia. In Cirkovce and Kidričevo, two primary schools
in northeast Slovenia, he helped organize clubs for gifted students, facilitating
excursions to a number of different locales, including Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest,
and Zagreb. An active delegate for both the WCGTC and ECHA, Dr. Ferbežer
has provided professional development in a number of ways. He spoke to 300
headmasters and directors of primary schools in Bled, Slovenia, about the
development of giftedness, and to the Slovenian Rotary Club about the field of
27
Ms. Lyubov Humenyuk
Ukraine
Dr. Irina Kraeva
Russia
.
v
.
Dr. Brone Narkeviciene
Lithuania
gifted education. He has organized and held workshops, seminars, and lectures
for many teachers throughout Slovenia about issues in gifted education, and he
has participated in many individual consultations concerning the problems faced
by individual gifted pupils, meeting with school guidance services, teachers,
headmasters, as well as parents through Slovenia. As well, Dr. Ferbežer is widely
published. In addition to his book, Is This Child Gifted?, he has academic
publications in international journals, including over 15 articles about the nature
of program evaluation for gifted pupils, the social and emotional characteristics
and problems of gifted children, competencies of teachers, developing leadership
abilities in gifted children, counseling gifted children, and the Fellowship.
Ms. Lyubov Humenyuk of Ukraine works at the Rivne Municipal Department
of Education on the team for the Program for Holistic Upbringing, a program
that develops the optimal intellectual, moral, physical, and spiritual education
of its students. Ms. Humenyuk is particularly interested in creativity and talent
development and has indicated a commitment to two main goals. These include
effective identification procedures to help facilitate greater awareness of gifted
students in her program and innovative teaching strategies for these students. She
felt it was critical to share information from the Fellowship with colleagues at
Rivne, including the wide variety of professionals who can spread the information
among educators throughout the city. As well, Ms. Humenyuk believes that
workshops with principals, assistant principals, teachers, and the general public, is
an effective way to disseminate information about the importance of appropriate
practices for working with the gifted. She is developing a comprehensive Web
resource specifically geared toward parents and teachers of the gifted.
Dr. Irina Kraeva, the Dean of the College of Humanities and Applied Sciences
at Moscow State University of Linguistics, supervises a large faculty from four
departments, including Foreign Languages and Cultures, Psychology, Pedagogy,
and Applied Linguistics. She has concentrated primarily on activities aimed at
disseminating information about gifted education among the staff and students in
her college. As a result she has a team of energetic professionals, both experienced
28
lecturers and young researchers, who have been developing strategies to raise the
awareness of pre-service and in-service teachers of the needs of gifted students.
Gifted education has become a popular subject for graduate and undergraduate
research, both within courses and as capstone projects. Convinced that gifted
children must be aware of their talents as well as the responsibilities and challenges
these might involve, Dr. Kraeva and her colleagues organized a conference for
young researchers who are senior [high school] students of the Lyceum affiliated
to their university. For most of the participants the opportunity was not only their
first research but also their first experience in public presentations. Three of the
presentations dealt with issues of gifted children, a good start to further develop
gifted education. As well, Dr. Kraeva has launched an optional extracurricular
program for students talented in language learning, mathematics, and information
technology. She plans to develop a gifted education course for students majoring
in the teaching of foreign languages and cultures. Dr. Kraeva appreciates the
Templeton listserve and says she continues to share the Fellows’ ideas and materials
with her colleagues, staff, and students.
Dr. Bronė Narkevičienė, an Associate Professor at Kaunus University of
Technology, has made major contributions to gifted education in Lithuania. She
works with students of all ages as well as with local teachers and school districts. She
launched the first program for identifying gifted children in Lithuania, selecting 104
of 402 assessed for participation in a special educational program at the National
Student Academy. She organized the first international program in Lithuania for
gifted children; 72 children from Lithuania and Germany participated in the 16-day
summer program. She has organized educational programs for hundreds of gifted
children in multiple cities, and because of her efforts and expertise, additional
school districts are offering programs for gifted children from rural areas. Dr.
Narkevičienė has offered five one-day seminars, developing the competence in gifted
education for over 200 teachers, and she has shared her experiences as a Fellow
with the State Secretary at the Ministry of Education and Science, as well as with
scientists at her university and colleagues at the National Student Academy. She
designed and supervises an advanced studies program at at Kaunus University of
Technology, establishing the Center for Academic Advancement. Dr. Narkevičienė
has organized and presented at numerous conferences. She presented at the ECHA
conference in Prague and she initiated the Second International Conference Gifted
Children: Challenges and Possibilities, held at the University of Latvia in 2009. The
conference focused on the development of gifts and talents; promoting a supportive
environment for gifted children, both at home and in all educational settings; and
teaching for talent.
29
Dr. Daniela Ostatnikova
Slovakia
Dr. Irina Petrova
Russia
Dr. Elena Piskunova
Russia
Dr. Daniela Ostatnikova, a Professor and Senior Researcher at the Institute of
Physiology at Comenius University Medical School, returned to Slovakia energized
to continue her advocacy for gifted children. She quickly organized meetings to
encourage the Ministry of Education to promulgate a resolution about the rights
of the gifted and their need for special education in Slovakian schools, and she
is organizing an international conference on giftedness. She attended the ECHA
Conference in Prague, where she was invited to speak about her longitudinal
research on the neurobiology of intellectual giftedness. For over 10 years, her
research has focused on the connection between testosterone and giftedness,
including adolescent maturation in relation to testosterone levels. Dr. Ostatnikova
contributed two chapters to Inclusive Pedagogy, designed for university students
who are preparing to teach children with special needs. One chapter focuses on
the development of the brain; the other is entitled “Exceptional Talents and Gifts”
and explores giftedness and talent as pedagogical and psychological phenomena;
provides definitions; emphasizes the special needs of gifted children, including
emotional and social problems; details characteristics of gifted children; and
discusses the characteristics and educational methods of successful teachers of the
gifted. Dr. Ostatnikova lectures to medical students about the neurophysiology
of giftedness, as well as about new trends and methods of research in the field.
She has included information gained from the Symposium for these lectures, as
well as in ongoing conversations with the Director and teachers at the School
for Intellectually Gifted Children. She has also talked to the Vice Dean for
International Relations at Comenius University Faculty of Pedagogy, where the
teachers for intellectually gifted are trained, and she has donated Fellowship
materials to their library.
Dr. Irina Petrova, the Head of the Department of English at Russia State
Humanities University in Moscow, is using the knowledge gained about the BelinBlank Center and its structure to open an instructional and research Center for
Creativity and Gifted Education at her university; she is currently investigating
funding sources to help her establish this center. She is particularly interested in
applying the principles of effective identification and methods of teaching the
30
gifted to advance programs for high-ability students. She has shared knowledge
from the Fellowship and the Symposium with colleagues on the Curriculum
Committee for Russian State Humanities University, advocating a training program
for teachers of the gifted. She also is developing a course on gifted education for
students specializing in Linguistics, Philosophy, Psychology, and Sociology.
Dr. Elena Piskunova, Professor of Pedagogy at Herzen State Pedagogical
University of Russia, applied to the Fellowship to learn more about best practices
in gifted education. Noting that the field is less developed in Russia due to the
de-emphasis of the importance of individual talent during the Soviet era, she
is committed to using information from the Fellowship and the Symposium to
develop special schools for the gifted in Russia and to training teachers to effectively
develop the potential of gifted students. Her focus since the Fellowship has been
to advocate for the gifted through the Ministry of Education, provide workshops
to colleagues at the Curriculum Committee of the Herzen State Pedagogical
Univeristy, and make presentations to the school directors of the St. Petersburg
Central District. She is writing articles to publish in scholarly journals in Russia.
Dr. Evgenia (Jenny) Sendova
Bulgaria
Dr. Evgenia (Jenny) Sendova, a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of
Mathematics and Informatics at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, attended the
Templeton International Fellowship from Bulgaria, but her work with and on
behalf of gifted children goes beyond one country. Following the Fellowship, Dr.
Sendova spent six weeks with the Research Science Institute (RSI) international
summer program for secondary students held at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT); the participants were young scholars exploring research
projects in science and mathematics. She has organized a section dedicated to
gifted education in the library at the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics,
where she is a senior research fellow, and she has met with mathematics colleagues
from Bulgaria, Austria, and Denmark to share experiences in identifying
mathematically gifted students, as well as challenging both those who love timed
competitions and those who prefer immersion in complex but untimed problems.
She has presented about mathematics, including encouraging creative approaches
to solving problems, in a variety of venues, utilizing materials from the
Fellowship. As well, she has contributed chapters about identifying and serving
mathematically and /or scientifically gifted students, collaborating with The
Harvard College Undergraduate Research Association in collecting information
from high-ability students around the world. Dr. Sendova has been active in
Developing an Active Learning Environment for Stereometry (DALEST) to
develop dynamic three-dimensional software suitable for teaching stereometry in
middle schools. The proposed software focuses on the development of learners‘
thinking abilities and on their abilities to model ideas and to analyze and solve
problems in their everyday lives. The materials are available in Portuguese, Greek,
Bulgarian, and English, summing up Dr. Sendova‘s approach to disseminating
best practices as widely as possible.
31
15˚W
10˚W
Lisbon
5˚W
Tagus
R.
adiana
Rio Gu
P O R T U G A L
5˚E
Majorca
20˚E
ITALY
25˚E
Ioanni na
Lari sa
Annaba
Or an
Aegean
Sea
Khani a
Irakl i on
Tripoli
Ouargl a
Rhodes
Crete
Sfax
Gafsa
M edeni ne
Mar r akech
Ionian
Sea GREECE
MALTAVallelta
TUNISIA
Batna
M O R O C C O
TURKEY
Izmir
Athens
Peloponnesus
Sicily
Constanti n e
Lesbos
Agrinion
Patrai
Catani a
Tunis
Rabat
Madeira Island
15˚E
Tyrrhenian
Sea
Palermo
Algiers
Gibraltar
Tangier
Casablanca
10˚E
Sardinia
Pal m a
Valencia
Malaga
Strait of Gibraltar
35˚N
0˚
S P A I N
Cordoba
Sevilla
Banghazi
Alexandria
30˚N
30˚N
Canary Islands
Timimoun
A L G E R I A
Layoun
Sabhah
R eggane
L I B Y A
M arzuq
25˚N
Aozou
At ar
Tessalit
M A U R I T A N I A
Gao
Bobo D ioulasso
Tamale
Kor hogo
IVORY COAST
Freetown
Man
SIERRA LEONE
Bouake
LIBERIA
Sokode
TOGO
Ch
Kaduna
Abuja
Parakou
Lake Volta
Ibadan
ar
Jos
.
eR
nu
Be
Lome
Abidjan
Lagos
Port Harcour t
Malabo
Sao Tome
15˚W
10˚W
5˚W
0˚
5˚E
Ndel e
Waw
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
Ngaounder e
Bossangoa
CAMEROON
Douala
Gulf of Guinea
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
10˚N
iR
.
M oundou
Porto Novo
Kumasi
GHANA
Accra
Monrovia
Zari a
BENIN
Kankan
Conakry
15˚N
A l Fashi r
N’Djamena
M ai duguri
Uba
Ebol owa
Bata
Libreville
10˚E
ngi
Berberati
Yaounde
Bangui
i R.
GUINEA
GUINEA BISSAU
L. Chad
Katsi na
N I G E R I A
BURKINA
S U D A N
C H A D
Zi nder
Sokoto
M akokou
CONGO
15˚E
Ubang
Bissau
N I G E R
Tahoua
Niamey
Ouagadougou
Niger R.
N
R.
Bamako
GAMBIA
Tamba
.
R
iger
er
Nig
Kayes
Tambacounda
5˚N
Faya-Largeau
Agades
Tombouctou
SENEGAL
Banjul
Bi l m a
M A L I
Senegal R.
Dakar
20˚N
Ar aouane
Nouakchott
10˚N
25˚N
A l Jawf
Taoudenni
WESTERN
SAHARA
15˚N
E G Y P T
Dj anet
20˚N
35˚N
Mediterranean Sea
M i sratah
R.
Congo R.
5˚N
Bangassou
Bum ba
C O N G O
20˚E
0
Ki sangani
25˚E
Adama Alemdjrodo
Togo
500 Miles
0
500 KM
Ms. Chang Edith Ngonwie
Cameroon
Templeton Fellows from Western Africa
Adama Alemdjrodo, a teacher from Fondacio Togo, returned to Togo and began
advocating through public forums for gifted children. He blogged about the
Fellowship experience, elaborating on the importance of gifted education, and his
article attracted widespread attention. He was also interviewed by a new urban
magazine in Togo, and he was asked by the magazine’s Director of Publication
to serve as an education correspondent, writing additional articles dedicated to
education. This new position provided him with regular opportunities to effectively
advocate for gifted education throughout his country and region. Mr. Alemdjrodo
also explained concepts in gifted education to his colleagues through both informal
discussions and teacher workshops and training activities, as well as through a
presentation directly to students. In August 2008, Alemdjrodo and his colleagues
launched identification procedures to find gifted students at Fondacio Togo. As
well, Mr. Alemdjrodo has initiated plans to create an association that will organize
student opportunities such as Talent Search and academic competitions.
Ms. Chang Edith Ngonwie is a teacher at the Lycee Technique in Cameroon.
She has organized the National Association for Gifted Underprivileged Children,
enabling teachers and parents to advocate for high-ability children, especially the
underprivileged; Ms. Ngonwie submitted the necessary documents to gain nongovernmental organization (NGO) status for the association. She has been meeting
with school administrators, parents, and teachers at conferences, seminars, school
meetings, and even social gatherings, to describe the need for special programming
for gifted children. She has emphasized the educational needs most critical for
Cameroon’s high-ability learners, including better-equipped facilities, such as libraries
and science laboratories, and options such as acceleration for those who are ready
to move ahead with their education. She has proposed special summer programs to
keep learners engaged. Ms. Ngonwie has published her experience as a Templeton
Fellow in a daily newspaper in Cameroon, and she has shared Fellowship materials
with colleagues. She serves as the gifted resource person for her school, and having
had some of her gifted children withdraw from school during the academic year, she
32
Part II: Templeton Fellows from western Africa
Ms. Gladys O. Oyewole-Makele
Nigera
Ms. Esther Toseafa
Ghana
has convinced her administrator to provide a small scholarship for gifted children
who risk having to withdraw because of the cost of the private school tuition. She
has plans to talk with the Minister of Education to try to encourage public schools
to explore gifted education, and she has had success with private colleges that have
pledged to send their teachers for more extensive formal training in the field.
Ms. Gladys O. Oyewole-Makele is a management consultant and Chief Executive
Officer of Godmijt Educational Consultants, a private consulting firm in Nigeria. Since
her participation in the Fellowship, she has launched a coordinated effort to determine
the status of gifted education in her country and to inform all relevant stakeholders
about gifted education and talent development. Her needs assessment, conducted
in the Nigerian states with the greatest number of primary and secondary schools,
suggested that the Nigerian government’s emphasis is currently on the elimination of
illiteracy. No state has a department or section dedicated to gifted education, but all
stakeholders contacted for the needs assessment (including officers of local education
boards, directors of secondary education, directors of the State Universal Basic
Education Board, and deans and faculty members in Colleges of Education in multiple
universities, both public and private) agreed that gifted children needed to be identified
and supported. Her consulting firm has initiated discussions with Colleges of Education
to develop academic coursework in gifted education and to lobby state Ministries
of Education to support and fund gifted education. Ms. Oyewole-Makele has given
television and newspaper interviews, and she has presented about gifted education to
NGOs prominent in Nigeria. She has co-sponsored a successful roundtable conference
on gifted education and talent development with Lead City University, and she
attended the WCGTC in Vancouver to further develop her understanding and ensure
that Nigeria assumes a leadership role in gifted education in western Africa.
Ms. Esther Toseafa, a teacher at the Koforidua Secondary Technical School,
returned to Ghana eager to share with her colleagues and to improve her work
with her own students. Her first activity was a presentation made to her colleagues
at their first staff meeting for academic year 2008–2009. Most of her colleagues
were unfamiliar with the concept of “gifted education,” and she explained some
33
of the characteristics exhibited by gifted and talented learners. Although Ghana
has no instruments available to help teachers identify talented students in their
classrooms, some of her colleagues were interested in the materials provided by
the Fellowship. Ms. Toseafa, a full-time teacher in a public school and a part-time
teacher in a private school, has advocated for gifted students in both settings. Many
families of gifted students cannot afford school fees for either public or private
schools, and children drop out because their parents are poor or unaware of the
importance of education. Public schools find it a challenge to waive the fees of
even brilliant but needy students, but she has convinced the chief executive of the
private school with which she works to inaugurate a policy of waiving 20 percent
of the term fees for students who place first or second in a merit exam for their
class. She hopes public schools eventually will adopt this policy. Focusing on her
students, she has subscribed some to Cogito.org, the site for gifted students hosted
by the Johns Hopkins University, so they can see the articles written by other
students gifted in science, as well as participate in discussions. Collaborating with
others in her Science Department, she has initiated ecological trips to the beach
and to a botanical garden to enable students to experience concepts explored in
their texts. Providing gifted students enrichment beyond their usual learning, the
experience has been added to the annual calendar of the Science Department. Ms.
Toseafa has homogeneously grouped the gifted students in her own classes, giving
them monthly projects that provide both enrichment and acceleration in science.
The new option has also encouraged her gifted learners to work collaboratively
toward common goals and enhance their cooperative learning skills. Enjoying the
challenges, her students now regularly approach her with their academic challenges.
34
Part II: Templeton Fellows from Central Africa
15˚W
10˚W
5˚W
Tagus
R.
Sevilla
Strait of Gibraltar
0˚
5˚E
Ga fsa
Crete
Banghazi
Alexandria
A L G E R I A
Shiraz
R.
Medina
Aswan
Al Manamah BAHRAIN
QATAR
A R A B I A
Ad Dawhah
Riyadh
Nig
er
TOGO
Ku m a si
Ibadan
Lagos
GHANA
Accra
ri
Lome Porto Novo
Be
F
R
I
C
A
Mekele
Aseb
15˚N
Suqutra
DJIBOUTI Gulf of Aden
Djibouti
10˚N
Berbera
Hargeysa
S O M A L I A
Dire Dawa
Addis Abbaba
N dele
Moundou
Al G haydan
Y E M E N
T aizz
Waw
Asela
G oba
ETHIOPIA
Bo ssa n g o a
Douala
Gulf of Guinea
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
Eb o l o wa
M a ko ko u
Bumba
Lake Albert
R.
Con
go
sai
RWANDA
L. Kivu
Kigali
0˚
Kisumu
Lake
Victoria
C hisimayu
Nairobi
Mwanza
B U R U N D I
Mombasa
Kinshasa
ai
as
K
Kananga
5˚S
T anga
Tabora
T A N Z A N I A
Kalemi
Matadi
Mogadishu
Eldoret
Bukavu
Bujumbura
R.
K E N Y A
UGANDA
Kampala
Kisangani
C O N G O
Ka
Brazzaville
5˚N
Gulu
Congo R.
Congo R.
GABON
Kayes
Po i n te -No i re
Bangassou
i R.
Mbandaka
CONGO
Lake Turkana
Juba
Ubang
Be rb e ra ti
Bata
Sao Tome
Po rt Ge n ti l
Bangui
Yaounde
Libreville
5˚S
A
R.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
N g a o u n d e re
CAMEROON
Po rt Ha rco u rt
LIBERIA
e R.
nu
gi R.
Lake Volta
Cha
Jo s
Abuja
Uban
Bo u a ke
Abidjan
N’Djamena
M a i d u g u ri
Za ri a
Ka d u n a
Niger R.
M an
Monrovia
N I G E R I A
So ko d e
e Nile
Freetown
SIERRA LEONE
Ka tsi n a
So ko to
BENIN
Pa ra ko u
Ta m a l e
Sanaa
Al Mukalla
White Nile
Ouagadougou
BURKINA
Bo b o Di o u l a sso
Ko rh o g o
IVORY COAST
Salalah
ERITREA
Asmara
S U D A N
Al F ashir
Blu
Nig
25˚N
20˚N
Red Sea
Atbarah
Khartoum
L. Chad
R.
Bamako
K ank an
Port Sudan
R.
Fa ya -L argeau
C H A D
Zi n d e r
30˚N
Abu Dhabi
U. A. E.
Mecca
Ag a d e s
N I G E R
Niamey
GUINEA
Conakry
5˚N
Esfahan
ates R. Basra
S A U D I
Nile
Ta h o u a
Ta m ba
er R.
35˚N
I R A N
R.
Euphr
le
M A L I
Ga o
Bissau
ris
Kuwait
KUWAIT
Persian
Gulf
Lake
Nasser
Bi l m a
To m b o u ctou
K ay es
Tam bac ounda
GUINEA BISSAU
Tig
I R A Q
Ao zo u
SENEGAL
Banjul
GAMBIA
Amman
Dead Sea
Ni
Dakar
Baghdad
Bakhtaran
Te ssa l i t
Ara o u a n e
Nouakchott
10˚N
E G Y P T
Caspian Sea
Tehran
R.
JORDAN
Suez
Al Jawf
Ta o u d e n ni
M A U R I T A N I A
Senegal R.
15˚N
L I B Y A
M a rzu q
Dj a n e t
A t ar
es
El-Minya
Sa b h a h
Re g g a n e
WESTERN
SAHARA
rat
SYRIA
Damascus
Beni Suef
25˚N
20˚N
ph
Port Said
Cairo
50˚E
Ardabil
Tabriz
Mosel
Aleppo Eu
Beirut
LEBANON
ISRAEL
Tel Aviv
Mi sra ta h
45˚E
L. Van
Tigris R.
Adana
Nicosia
CYPRUS
S e a
40˚E
Ankara
T U R K E Y
Antalya
Rhodes
Iraklion
Ti m i m o u n
Lay oun
35˚E
L. Tuz
Izmir
Aegean
Sea
Khani a
Tripoli
30˚E
Lesbos
Agrinion
PeloponnesusAthens
Ionian
Sea
Sicily
Ou a rg l a
Canary Islands
25˚E
Larisa
GREECE
Io a n n i na
Patrai
Ca ta n ia
MALTA Vallelta
Sfa x
Me d e n i n e
M O R O C C O
20˚E
ITALY
Palermo
Tunis
TUNISIA
Ba tn a
Mar r ake ch
30˚N
15˚E
Tyrrhenian Sea
An n a b a
C o n sta n ti n e
Ora n
Rabat
Casablanca
Madeira Island
10˚E
Sardinia
Majorca
Algiers
Malaga
Gibraltar
Ta n g i e r
Pa l m a
Valencia
S P A I N
iana
Guad
Rio Cordoba
Lisbon
P O R T U G A L
35˚N
Zanzibar Island
Dar es Salaam
R
L. Tanganyika
.
Lake
Mweru
Kamina
Luanda
10˚S
Mbeya
Malange
Huambo
mb
Za
Mongu
ez
i R.
Harare
Victoria F alls
Maun
15˚S
Blantyre
Za
m
be
Bulawayo
B O T S W A N A
zi
Mozambique
Channel
MADAGASCAR
R.
Antananarivo
20˚S
F ianarantsoa
Limpopo R.
Walvis Bay
T ulear
Gaborone
25˚S
Pietersburg
Pretoria
Johannesburg
Ke e tm a n sh o o p
L u d e ri tz
al R.
S O U T H
Kimberley
Bloemfontein
D e Aar
A F R I C A
Bisho
15˚W
10˚W
5˚W
0˚
5˚E
10˚E
15˚E
Maputo
Mbabane SWAZILAND
I N D I A N
LESOTHO
Maseru
Durban
30˚S
Umtata
O C E A N
Beaufort West
Oudtshoorn
Cape Town
25˚S
T olanaro
Welkom
Va
Orange R.
30˚S
35˚S
T omasina
Beira
Francistown
Windhoek
O C E A N
Antsiranana
MOZAMBIQUE
Nampula
Z I M B A B W E
Tsu m e b
N A M I B I A
MALAWI
Lilongwe
Lake Kariba
Livingstone
A T L A N T I C
Comoros
Chipata
Lusaka
Lubango
20˚S
10˚S
Likasi
Lubumbashi
L u ena
A N G O L A
Z A M B I A
15˚S
L. Malawi
Kasama
East London
Port Elizabeth
20˚E
25˚E
35˚S
30˚E
35˚E
40˚E
45˚E
50˚E
0
0
500 Miles
500 KM
Ms. Rose Izizinga
Uganda
Mr. Francis Mabiala
Republic of Congo
Parallel scale at 0˚ 0˚
Templeton Fellows from Central Africa
Ms. Rose Izizinga is the head teacher of the Makerere College School and
chairperson of the National Association of Secondary School Headteachers of Uganda
(NASSHU). Her focus during the Fellowship was to learn about effective methods
of identification and instruction for the gifted students in her school. She has been
in contact with the Ministry of Education and Sports in Uganda, in an effort to
increase awareness of the need for gifted education. As part of her role in NASSHU,
she is helping to spearhead the creation of Centers of Excellence. She also advocates
for gifted education through other professional organizations, including the Uganda
National Examination Board, the National Curriculum Development Center, the
Education Sector Consultative Committee, and the Kyambogo University Education
Board, the biggest teacher education faculty in Uganda.
Mr. Francis Mabiala, a National Inspector with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education in the Republic of Congo, emerged as a leader during the Templeton
International Fellowship program. New to the field of gifted education, he has synthesized everything he learned through the Fellowship program, and he has begun to
systematically evaluate the status of and potential for gifted education in his nation. Although the Republic of Congo has been dedicated to educating its children since gaining its independence, gifted education has never been considered, either in the home
or in the school system. Mr. Mabiala has established a committee for gifted education
at the Inspection Generale, recognized in law, and chairs an eight-person team of
inspectors focused on promoting gifted education. He has developed a survey to begin
to identify gifted children throughout Brazzaville schools, K–12, and he is compiling
the data results. Mr. Mabiala understands the problems: teachers are not equipped to
support gifted children; parents do not understand the issues and challenges of gifted
children; and the government has no existing policy mandating gifted education. The
steps to overcome these issues include launching a teacher training program focused
on identification and best practices in the classroom; supporting parents of the gifted;
collaborating with experienced international institutions; and sponsoring county-wide
conferences for teachers as prelude to professional development.
35
Mr. James Nyirenda
Zambia
Mr. James Thiba
Malawi
Mr. James Nyirenda, a teacher at the International School of Lusaka and an adjunct
university lecturer, returned to Zambia committed to advocating for gifted students
in as many ways as possible. The main newspaper in Zambia, The Post Newspaper,
interviewed him and published an article about gifted education. With courage
acquired as a Fellow, he went to the offices of Zambia National Broadcasting
Television (ZNBC TV) and introduced himself as a Templeton International Fellow.
The producer of the morning show liked what he heard, and Mr. Nyirenda appeared
on Kwacha Good Morning Zambia. The eight-minute segment on the national
broadcaster focused on gifted and talented learners; the show is typically viewed by
more than 10 million people. In addition to Zambia, ZNBC is accessible in border
towns of Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana, Tanzania, Angola,
Mozambique, Namibia, and Malawi, and on the Internet. The results of the interview
were very positive, with people continuing to ask questions about gifted education
long after the interview aired. Although unable to secure funding, Mr. Nyirenda was
invited by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) to attend The World Conference on Education for Sustainable
Development in Bonn, Germany, expressing an interest in his paper, Gifted Education
through African Folk Tales. The Fellowship experience has enabled him to serve as a
resource for gifted education at his school and throughout his country, and he has
been able to talk about gifted education to groups of teachers, including those from
private schools in Lusaka, Zambia’s largest city. Of great importance to Mr. Nyirenda,
he was able to begin differentiating his teaching methods so that he could challenge
the gifted learners in his classes.
36
Part II: Templeton Fellows from eastern Africa
Mr. James Thiba, a teacher at Namiwawa Private Primary School in Malawi,
has become a vocal advocate for gifted education. His school is located in the
Ministry of Education‘s Southern Division, one of the five educational regions in
the country, and he has focused on communicating with officials at the regional
level about the needs of gifted and talented students. He has also held a number of
discussions with the head teaching staff at St. Andrews, an international school in
Malawi. The school has been very receptive to recommendations that originated
in the information from the Fellowship, including a project dedicated to the
identification of talented pupils and providing them with special programs in the
sciences. Importantly, St. Andrews agreed to provide scholarships for summer
science studies during the holidays. Mr. Thiba and other committed colleagues
are working to maintain a productive relationship with the UNESCO and will
coordinate their work on behalf of gifted learners with support from UNESCO.
25˚E
I o a n n in a
L a r isa
Agrinion
30˚E
Lesbos
35˚E
L. Tuz
Izmir
Athens
Pa t r a i
Peloponnesus
35˚N
I r a klio n
Rhodes
Crete
Mediterranean Sea
Ba n g h a zi
Beirut
Tel Aviv
Alexandria
Eu
ph
rate
SYRIA
Damascus
Ba k h t a r a n
Baghdad
Amman
Tig
ris
I R A N
R.
I R A Q
Esfahan
Euphra
tes R. Basra
KUWAIT
Beni Suef
e
Nil
A R A B I A
R.
E G Y P T
S A U D I
25˚N
Al Ja w f
Lake
Nasser
Medina
Aswan
Ke r ma n
Shiraz
30˚N
Ba m
Kuwait
Persian
Gulf
El - M i n y a
L I B Y A
Mashhad
35˚N
.
JORDAN
Suez
Ashkhabad
Tehran
sR
Dead Sea
Port Said
Cairo
Mosel
Aleppo
LEBANON
55˚E
Caspian Sea
Tabriz
Adana
ISRAEL
30˚N
50˚E
Ar d a b il
Tigris R.
Nicosia
CYPRUS
45˚E
L. Van
Antalya
Aegean
Sea
Kh a n ia
GREECE
40˚E
Ankara
T U R K E Y
Ba n d a r Ab b a s
Al Manamah BAHRAIN
Ad Dawhah
Riyadh
QATAR
Abu Dhabi
U. A. E.
25˚N
Muscat
Mecca
Al Kh a lu f
20˚N
e
Nil
C H A D
Port Sudan
R.
20˚N
Red Sea
Atbarah
Sa la la h
Khartoum
15˚N
A l F a sh i r
Asmara
ERITREA
S U D A N
Sanaa
Mekele
eN
Djibouti
ile
White Nile
Blu
DJIBOUTI
10˚N
Al G h a y d a n
Y E M E N
15˚N
Al Mu k a lla
Ta iz z
As e b
Suqutra
Gulf of Aden
10˚N
Be r b e r a
S O M A L I A
D i r e D a wa
Ha r g e y s a
Addis Abbaba
N d e le
Waw
CENTRAL
AFRICAN
REPUBLIC
Asela
Goba
5˚N
Juba
Uban
gi R.
Congo R.
Lake Albert
Kisa n g a n i
C O N G O
Congo R.
0˚
Gulu
UGANDA
K E N Y A
L. Kivu
Bukavu
Kigali
I N D I A N
Kisumu
Lake
Victoria
0˚
O C E A N
Ch is ima y u
Nairobi
Mwanza
Bujumbura
B U R U N D I
5˚S
Mogadishu
Eldoret
Kampala
RWANDA
5˚N
Lake Turkana
Ba n g a sso u
Bu m b a
ETHIOPIA
Mombasa
5˚S
Tanga
Tabora
T A N Z A N I A
K
Kalemi
.
R
Dr. Endawoke Mulu Yalew
Ethiopia
Zanzibar Island
Dar es Salaam
L. Tanganyika
ai
as
Ka n a n g a
Ka m in a
25˚E
Lake
Mweru
Mbeya
L. Malawi
30˚E
35˚E
40˚E
45˚E
50˚E
55˚E
Templeton Fellows from Eastern Africa
0
0
500 Miles
500 KM
Dr. Endawoke Mulu Yalew, Academic and Research Vice President at Bahir Dar
University, returned to Ethiopia grateful for the resources he received while in
Iowa City. With the support of the President of the University, he is utilizing the
books to help the University to offer appropriate lessons to those students in both
under- and post-graduate programs studying special needs education. As well, since
his participation in the Fellowship, he has communicated about the importance
of gifted education to major stakeholders in Ethiopia, including officials in the
Ministry of Education and the Regional Educational Bureau.
37
10˚E
0˚
Sao Tome
15˚E
Ebolowa
Bata
Makokou
R.
RWANDA
Kigali
L. Kivu
.
K E N Y A
B U R U N D I
Mombasa
K
ai
as
.
R
Lake
Mweru
Mbeya
10˚S
L. Malawi
K as ama
Likasi
Moroni
Comoros
Lubumbashi
MALAWI
Huambo
Z A M B I A
A N G O L A
C hipata
Lusaka
ezi
mb
Za
M ongu
MOZAMBIQUE
Lilongwe
R.
M aun
15˚S
N ampul a
Harare
Za
m
be
zi
Z I M B A B W E
Ts um eb
N A M I B I A
Mozambique
Channel
R.
20˚S
Fianarantsoa
Limpopo R.
Tulear
Gaborone
P i etersburg
25˚S
Pretoria
l
Vaa
ATLANTIC
Orange R.
OCEAN
R.
Bloemfontein
LESOTHO
Maseru
Durban
O udts hoor n
Cape Town
15˚E
30˚S
I N D I A N
De A ar
A F R I C A
Umtata
B eaufort W es t
Bisho
10˚E
Mbabane SWAZILAND
W el k om
K i m berl ey
S O U T H
25˚S
Tolanar o
Maputo
Johannesburg
K eetm ans hoop
L u deri tz
35˚S
Tomasina
Beira
Bulawayo
Walvis Bay
30˚S
MADAGASCAR
Antananarivo
Franc i s town
B O T S W A N A
Antsiranana
Blantyre
Lake Kariba
Li v i ngs tone
V i c tori a Fal l s
Windhoek
Zanzibar Island
Dar es Salaam
L. Tanganyika
Luena
5˚S
Tanga
T A N Z A N I A
K al em i
M al ange
20˚S
0˚
Mw anza
K ananga
K am i na
Mogadishu
C hisimayu
Nairobi
Tabora
L u b ango
50˚E
Kisumu
Lake
Victoria
B uk av u
Bujumbura
ai R
Luanda
15˚S
45˚E
S O M A L I A
Eldoret
Kampala
K i s angani
Kinshasa
Matadi
10˚S
40˚E
Lake Turkana
Gulu
UGANDA
Lake Albert
C O N G O
Kas
Brazzaville
Kayes
Pointe-Noire
5˚S
35˚E
Juba
B um ba
Congo R.
go
n
Co
30˚E
B angas s ou
gi R.
Congo R.
Mbandaka
CONGO
Port Gentil
GABON
25˚E
Uban
B erberati
CAMEROON
Libreville
20˚E
Bangui
Yaounde
Douala
Ubangi
R.
Port Harcourt
Malabo
EQUATORIAL
GUINEA
O C E A N
E as t London
P ort E l i z abet h
35˚S
20˚E
25˚E
30˚E
35˚E
40˚E
45˚E
50˚E
0
0
Dr. Mojeed Kolawole Akinsola
Botswana
500 Miles
500 KM
Mr. Justus Kashindi Ausiku
Nambia
Templeton Fellows from Southern Africa
Dr. Mojeed Kolawole Akinsola is a Senior Lecturer at the University of BotswanaGaborone. Following his participation in the Fellowship, he has secured a
commitment from colleagues in the Department of Educational Foundations, which
includes Special Education, to develop courses in gifted education for undergraduates
majoring in special education. He presented an informal report of Fellowship
activities at the University, and the information was posted on the University Website
for a week in June, inviting questions and discussion. He has made presentations
about gifted education to the Science and Mathematics Unit of the Department of
Primary Education to all lecturers, Masters candidates, and upperdivision students.
Dr. Akinsola also moderated a week-long mathematics program for the four Colleges
of Primary Education that graduate all elementary school teachers in the country;
he had a two-hour period of time to present information about gifted and talented
students. Lecturers at both the Tlokweng and Lobatse Colleges of Education have
expressed the opinion that gifted education should be a part of the curriculum.
Lecturers from all four colleges have asked Dr. Akinsola to help them develop courses
and pursue research in the identification of gifted and talented students. Beyond the
university environment, Dr. Akinsola has also delivered a one-hour presentation to
all Zonal Inspectors of Education in Botswana; participants have agreed that a day
will be dedicated in the future to a presentation to the officers of the Ministry of
Education about the needs of gifted and talented learners.
Mr. Justus Kashindi Ausiku is the Oshindonga Education Officer at the National
Institute for Educational Development (NIED) in Namibia. Mr. Ausiku became
ill shortly after arriving in Iowa City and had to miss much of the Symposium, but
he pursued several goals following his Fellowship experience. One of his areas of
emphasis was a presentation to his colleagues in Namibia about the information he
gained from the Symposium. Another was the publication of both a journal article
for the NIED quarterly publication, Reform Forum, and a newspaper opinion
piece about gifted children. Mr. Ausiku has focused on consulting with other
38
Part II: Templeton Fellows from southern Africa and western asia
stakeholders in Namibian education to prepare the way for a national program
for gifted children. He has created a website in his home country of Namibia
(www.freewebs.com/templetonnamibia) to share resources about gifted education,
including Cogito.org as a resource dedicated to high-ability students.
30˚E
35˚E
40˚E
45˚E
50˚E
55˚E
60˚E
Bucharest
Danube
BULGARIA
Stara Zagora
Aral Sea
Constanta
Varna
B l a c k
Sochi
O rd z h o n i k i d z e
Poti
Zongul dak
Istanbul
40˚N
hrates
Eup
TURKEY
L. Tuz
Izmir
Yerevan
R.
Ashkhabad
Tabriz
A rd a b i l
Me y ma n e h
Baghdad
Amman
Dead Sea
Esfahan
35˚N
AFGHANISTAN
ris
IRAQ
R.
Euphra
tes R.
JORDAN
Suez
IRAN
Tig
Por t Sai d
He ra t
B a k h t a ra n
Damascus
ISRAEL
Tel Aviv
Cairo
Mashhad
Tehran
es R.
SYRIA
LEBANON
Beirut
Mediterranean Sea
Alexandria
Mosel
Euphrat
Aleppo
CYPRUS
30˚N
TURKMENISTAN
L. Van
Nicosia
Crete
40˚N
Baku
Adana
Ant al y a
Rhodes
I r ak lion
UZBEKISTAN
Caspian Sea
AZERBAIJAN
Tigris R.
35˚N
Nu k u s
Tbilisi
GEORGIA
ARMENIA
Ankara
Bursa
Lesbos
Shevchenko
S e a
Burgas
K e rma n
Basra
Shiraz
KUWAIT
30˚N
Zahedan
Kuwait
B e n i Suef
Bam
El - Mi ny a
Riv
BAHRAIN
er
Nile
EGYPT
Bandar Abbas
Persian Gulf
S A U D I
25˚N
Str. of
Hormuz
Al Manamah
A R A B I A
QATAR
Ad Dawhah
Riyadh
Medina
As wan
U. A. E.
Lake Nasser
25˚N
Gulf of Oman
Muscat
Abu Dhabi
Red Sea
OMAN
Mecca
Al K h a lu f
20˚N
er
Riv
20˚N
P o rt S u d a n
Nile
Arabian Sea
At bar ah
S a la la h
Sanaa
ERITREA
Blue
15˚N
A l Mu k a lla
A l F as h i r
White Nile
Mekele
Taizz
Aseb
DJIBOUTI
ETHIOPIA
Djibouti
35˚E
40˚E
45˚E
Suqutra
Gulf of Aden
B e rb e ra
30˚E
YEMEN
Nile
SUDAN
A l Gh a y d a n
Asmara
Khartoum
15˚N
SOMALIA
50˚E
55˚E
60˚E
0
0
500 Miles
Dr. Najat Al-Hamdan
Kingdom of Bahrain
Dr. Fatma Al-Lawati
Sultanate of Oman
500 KM
Templeton Fellows from Western Asia
Dr. Najat Al-Hamdan, from the Kingdom of Bahrain, returned home to her work
as a professor of gifted education at Arabian Gulf University. Dr. Al-Hamdan has
utilized new information gained from both the Fellowship and the Symposium
in her classes for both practicing teachers and teacher education students. She has
been active, pursuing her research agenda on creativity and thinking skills, and
publishing her research in scholarly journals. As well, she committed to publishing
an opinion piece for a local newspaper about her Fellowship experience. She has
emphasized her opportunities to share the information gained from the Fellowship
with colleagues at her university, as well as with local teachers and administrators in
elementary schools.
Dr. Fatma Al-Lawati, an educational expert for the Ministry of Education, advocates
for the needs of gifted children in the Sultanate of Oman. Following the Fellowship, she
began to work with a group of faculty members in Sultan Qaboos University (SQU)
to find a suitable instrument to measure giftedness among students in the Omani
educational system, visiting two neighboring Arab countries in order to exchange ideas
with them during this process. Dr. Al-Lawati has given a short interview in Arabic,
describing her experiences at the Symposium and as a Fellow. She has launched a
column in one of Oman’s most widely circulated newspapers that covers topics related
to education and family, exploring, for example, topics such as how to raise a gifted
child or the importance of reading. She has presented acceleration strategies to SQU
faculty members, is in the process of translating a book on gifted education, and has
conducted two research projects in gifted education, in spite of a lack of funding. Dr.
Al-Lawati hopes to pursue research about the leadership characteristics of gifted Muslim
women, analyzing Muslim women’s lives to ascertain characteristics of giftedness.
39
75˚E
80˚E
85˚E
90˚E
95˚E
105˚E
100˚E
110˚E
115˚E
120˚E
125˚E
130˚E
135˚E
L. Chany
Lena R.
Amur
ys
Irt
R U S S I A
h
L. Baykal
Irkutsk
Pa vl o d a r
Chita
U la n Ude
ur
Am
Kom som olsk
Semipalatinsk
Qaraghandy
Amur
Hailar
Hulun Nur
Ulaanbaatar
H o vd
Khabarovsk
Choybalsan
Irtys
h
Balqash
Qiqihar
B a ya n h o n g o r
A lt a y
L. Balqash
M O N G O L I A
Ka ra ma y
Harbin
Sh i h e z i
Yi n i n g
Changchun
D a la n d za d a g a d
Urumqi
Alma Ata
Hohhot
Baotou
Huang Ha
Beijing
In
du
Xian
R.
Ya
R.
a
sh
BANGLADESH
Khulna
Varanasi
a R.
shn
Kri
Sholapur
Hyderabad
Vishakhapatnam
C h ia n g M a i
o f
.
Str
P a c i f i c
Taipei
25˚N
O c e a n
Taiwan
Shantou
Kaohsiung
Hong Kong
Zhanjiang
Hai Phong
20˚N
Vientiane
S o u t h
Nong Khai
C h i n a
Khon Kaen
S e a
Laoag
PHILIPPINES
THAILAND
g
on
Rangoon
Gulf of Tonkin
V in h
ek
M
B e n g a l
Krishna R.
P anaji
Nanning
Hanoi
LAOS
30˚N
S e a
Mekong
B a y
Salween R.
ari R.
Godav
Pune
E a s t
C h i n a
Fo
Monywa
MYANMAR
Sit t w e
Ulhasnagar
VIETNAM
M a n d a la y
Nagpur
Surat
Xiamen
Guangzhou
Chittagong
Shikoku
Fuzhou
Shaoguan
ng
ko
Calcutta
Shanghai
Jiaxing
Ningbo
Wenzhou
Kunming
Me
Jamshedpur
Imphal
Dhaka
Dhanbad
35˚N
Honshu
Pingxiang
Guiyang
Dukou
Salween R.
Ganges
Ganges
Indore
Vadodara
Narmada
utra
map
Brah
Patna
Allahabad
Jabalpur
Mekong
Kanpur
Bhopal
Wuhu
Huzhou
Shang Rao
os
a
Thimphu
Nagoya
Wuxi
Hangzhou
Jingdezhen
Nanchang
Changsha
Jin
BHUTAN
Lucknow
INDIA
kot
Huangshi
Yueyang
Chongqing
e
tz
ng
Agra
Jaipur
Ahmadabad
Zigong
NEPAL
Kathmandu
Ya
New Delhi
B ik a n e r
ombay
Wuhan
ng
tze
Chengdu
L h a sa
B ahawalpur
Osaka
Kyushu
Yangtze
rm
Ind
us
sha
Hefei
Multan
Hiroshima
Fukuoka
Nanjing
Mianyang
Kyoto
Pusan
Kita-kyushu
Huainan
Jin
Salween
Tokyo
Sakai-minato
Taegu
SOUTH KOREA
Xuzhou
Huaibei
JAPAN
Taejeon
Qingdao
Kaifeng
Luoyang
s
Faisalabad
Lahore
40˚N
J a p a n
Seoul
Yellow Sea
Taian
g Ha
Shiquan
Gujranwala
gar
Hu
Incheon
Ha
Zaozhuang
Huang Ha
an
walpindi
Pyongyang
Jinan
Lanzhou
PAKISTAN
Hu
o f
Dandong
Niigata
ang
Handan
Xining
Go lm u d
C H I N A
NORTH KOREA
Feng Cheng
Dalian
Shijiazhuang
Taiyuan
H o t an
S e a
Benxi
Yingkou
Tangshan
Tianjin
Yinchuan
Q i e mo
Jinzhou
Zhangjiakou
Datong
Yumen
Kashi
Srinagar
Fushun
Ko rl a
Tarim R.
KYRGYZSTAN
45˚N
Liaoyuan
Fuxin
TAJIKISTAN
Jixi
Jilin
Vladivostok
Hami
Bishkek
slamabad
50˚N
U la a n g o m
KAZAKHSTAN
Luzon
Baguio
Da Nang
Be l g a u m
75˚E
80˚E
85˚E
90˚E
95˚E
100˚E
105˚E
110˚E
115˚E
120˚E
125˚E
130˚E
0
0
135˚E
Ms. Fu Zheng
People’s Republic of China
500 Miles
500 KM
Ms. He Liping (Alice)
Templeton Fellows from Eastern Asia
Ms. Fu Zheng, an associate professor in the School of International Studies at
Zhejiang University in the People’s Republic of China, sought to achieve an advanced
understanding of gifted education through her participation in the Fellowship. She
has long been interested in how different cultures perceive and teach the gifted,
and how gifted education relates to second-language learning. She has shared the
information she gained from the Fellowship with colleagues at Zhejiang University
and she continues to pursue research in gifted education at her university. Ms. Fu
has been actively involved in China BESTS, a comprehensive program that identifies
gifted secondary students from China and facilitates their study during the summer
at The University of Iowa and the Belin-Blank Center. After successful completion
of the challenging three-week Chinese Scholars Program during the summer, the
students are guaranteed admission to The University of Iowa (and the University
Honors Program) upon graduation from their high schools.
Ms. He Liping (Alice), Vice President of Harvest Consulting in the People’s
Republic of China, has been crucial in promoting and administering the China
BESTS program (see description above) in close collaboration with the Belin-Blank
Center. She shared her experience as a Fellow with the China BESTS team, all of
whom are advocates in China for the promotion of gifted education in general and
China BESTS in particular. She secured the publication of a series of articles about
China BESTS in June, 2008, in influential local newspapers, including the Qianjiang
Evening News, which ranks the 50th among daily newspapers in the world with an
average circulation of 951,000 (World Association of Newspapers). She has sponsored
a China BESTS Website that has allowed those who were interested in the program,
including education officials, teachers, parents, and interested students, to share the
experiences of the participating China BESTS students in Iowa. Ms. He scheduled
a celebration and meeting of current China BESTS students and parents, as well as
new registrants for the program and their parents, and she continues to encourage
participation through school visits, the administration of the qualifying exam, and the
dissemination of a newsletter that promotes the importance of this unique program.
40
Part II: Templeton Fellows from eastern asia
Ms. Huang Yang-Ting
Taiwan
Ms. Lin Ling-Hui
Taiwan
Ms. Huang Yang-Ting returned from the Symposium to her position as the Director
of the Kaohsiung Creativity Learning Center in Taiwan, responsible for the planning
and implementation of creativity programs for children from pre-school through
senior high and vocational high schools. One pre-school, 30 elementary schools,
25 junior high schools, and 21 senior high schools, representing 5,000 teachers,
30,000 students, and 2,000 parent volunteers, were involved in these programs
in 2008. She has taught 4 university-level classes, representing approximately 200
students, sharing her knowledge about gifted education, as well as her experiences
with programs designed to enhance creativity and to develop the talents of musicallygifted learners. She has had a number of articles published in the areas of gifted
education, including an emphasis on giftedness and talent in music, and in creativity.
She has made many presentations at conferences, including, for example, The Process
of Teaching Creativity in the Curriculum in Kaohsiung City, Psychological and
Physical Requirements for Musically-Gifted Students Studying Wind Instruments,
Training Teachers for Lifelong Creativity, and A Study of the Creative Process of an
Outstanding Composer.
Ms. Lin Ling-Hui, a teaching assistant for the Department of Special Education
in Taiwan, has advocated for gifted children in a variety of ways. She has shared
A Nation Deceived with her colleagues, gifted education officials, and graduate
students, and she has initiated a discussion group about gifted education with
graduate students. Once a month, these young professionals share their goals and
accomplishments in the field of gifted education, learning from each other about
gifted education in Taiwan. Ms. Lin also taught a two-credit course about the social
and emotional development of gifted students as part of a weekend professional
development program for teachers, sponsored by a local education bureau. She has
provided several lectures to help parents understand more about the special needs
of their gifted learners and to enhance their perceptions of early entrance into
elementary school. She presented at the 18th Biennial WCGTC, explaining the
effects of the family on creative and productive achievements in mathematics and
science. Ms. Lin is planning to study the learning adjustments of gifted minority
students in Taiwan, recognizing that foreign brides have greater difficulties attaining
41
Ms. Xie Huiping (Grace)
Dr. Kyungbin Park
Republic of South Korea
an appropriate education for their children; she hopes that the findings might provide
information to parents, teachers, and policy makers to ensure that these minority
children can fully develop their talents.
Ms. Xie Huiping (Grace) is the Junior High English Department Chair at the
Hangzhou Foreign Languages School in the People’s Republic of China. She teaches
in her school’s A-level program, working with gifted learners. She has presented
about meeting the needs of gifted students to the English teachers in her school, all
of whom showed great interest in gifted education. Students from Ms. Xie’s classes
were in the inaugural class of the China BESTS program, and 25 of her students were
admitted as Honors students to The University of Iowa.
Dr. Kyungbin Park is one of the most productive advocates for gifted education in
the Republic of South Korea. She has presented her research at several conferences,
including the Spring Conference for the Korean Society for the Gifted (Incheon
University); the Autumn Conference for the Korean Society for the Gifted
(Kunkuk University); and the Excellence in Education 2008 Future Minds and
Creativity in Paris, France. At the events at Incheon and Kunkuk Universities,
Dr. Park was the Chairperson of the Organizing committee; she also served as a
committee member for the Fourth World Creativity Festival at the Korea Advanced
Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Daejeon. She has published a book
titled Child Development, which included a special section on gifted children, as
well as a paper about the development of talent among scientifically gifted youth.
Dr. Park has taught an undergraduate course on gifted education at Kyungwon
University. She created and taught a graduate course focused on Creativity and
Leadership. She was also a speaker at a teacher training workshop emphasizing the
socio-emotional characteristics of the gifted students. Her community outreach
efforts have included national leaders in gifted education, as well as colleagues and
friends; she has shared A Nation Deceived with colleagues and students, and she
has directed colleagues to numerous online resources. Her own research in gifted
education includes studies comparing learner characteristics and learning styles of
average and gifted students at both the elementary and middle school levels, as well
42
Part II: Templeton Fellows from southeastern asia
as a study about gifted education in North Korea. Dr. Park has visited the Korean
Academy for Gifted Education (KAGE), one of the largest public institutions
for gifted education in Korea; she has taught classes for gifted children in a local
district, and she has assisted with a special mentoring program offered to gifted
students in 4th and 6th grade from her community She is developing plans to
initiate a program for underprivileged gifted students.
95˚E
100˚E
105˚E
n
ee
Zigong
110˚E
tze
ng
Ya
Pingxiang
BANGLADESH
Dhaka
ns
ha
R.
tra
Brahmapu
Dukou
Guiyang
125˚E
Shang Rao
130˚E
135˚E
140˚E
145˚E
150˚E
155˚E
East China Sea
Wenzhou
Fuzhou
CHINA
Kunming
I m phal
120˚E
Jingdezhen Ningbo
Nanchang
Changsha
Ji
Mekong
25˚N
115˚E
Yueyang
Chongqing
R.
R.
Jinsha
lw
Sa
Lhasa
BHUTAN
TAIWAN
Taipei
Shaoguan
25˚N
Formosa Str.
Xiamen
Chittagong
Monywa
MYANMAR
R.
P A C I F I C
Zhanjiang
Hai Phong
LAOS
Kaohsiung
Hong Kong
Hanoi
lwe
Sittw e
M andalay
Shantou
20˚N
en
20˚N
Guangzhou
Nanning
C hiang M ai
Sa
Bay of Bengal
Gulf of Tonkin
Vinh
Vientiane
Nong Khai
THAILAND
Rangoon
VIETNAM
M
Kh on Kaen
Laoag
S o u t h
g
on
ek
Da Nang
C h i n a
Luzon
S e a
Bagui o
15˚N
Bangkok
Saipan
Quezon City
Guam
Phnom Penh
Agana
Samar
PHILIPPINES
Il oi l o
g
kon
Me
C hum phon
Andaman Sea
10˚N
15˚N
Philippine Sea
Manila
KAMPUCHEA
Andaman Islands
Ho Chi Minh City
Palawan
Bacol od
10˚N
Can Tho
Cagayan De Or o
Nicobar Islands
So ngkhla
5˚N
Davao
Zamboanga
Kokor
Senyavin Islands
Bandar Seri Begawan
Strait of
Malacca
BRUNEI
MALAYSIA
Medan
Natuna
Kuala Lumpur
MALAYSIA
Singapaore
Manado
SINGAPORE
Halmahera
Nias
Pontianak
Sumatra
Siberut
0˚
Samarinda
Borneo
Makasar Strait
Admiralty Islands
Celebes
Jayapura
Seram
Palembang
Bismarck
Archipelago
Wewak
Banjarmasin
5˚S
Jakarta
Enggano
I n d i a n
J a v a
Surabaya
S
Madang
Ujungpandang
I
A
Bali
New Guinea
Aru
Tanimbar
Solomon
Islands
Lae
Solomon Sea
Flores
Timor
A r a f u r a
Kupang
S e a
Honaira
Port Moresby
Torres Str.
Guadalcanal
10˚S
t Ba
Grea
Darwin
rrier
O C E A N
110˚E
115˚E
120˚E
125˚E
130˚E
135˚E
140˚E
Reef
Gulf of Carpentaria
AUSTRALIA
105˚E
5˚S
Bougainville
New Britain
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Sumbawa
Sumba
100˚E
Ra b a u l
New Ireland
S e a
I N D O N E
Semarang
Bandung Java
10˚S
95˚E
5˚N
O C E A N
Celebes Sea
Simeulue
0˚
Palau Islands
Mindanao
145˚E
150˚E
155˚E
Dr. Surachman Dimyati
Indonesia
0
500 Miles
0
500 KM
Parallel scale at 0˚ 0˚
Ms. Khong Beng Choo
Singapore
Templeton Fellows from Southeastern Asia
Dr. Surachman Dimyati, the Assistant Director for the Graduate Studies Program
at Universitas Terbuka Jakarta, is dedicated to introducing the importance of
gifted education to Indonesia, a country with little awareness about the needs of
its highest-ability learners. Through discussions with the Dean, the Director of
Graduate Students, and with lecturers his university, Dr. Dimyati is promoting new
courses for educators and administrators about gifted and talented education. He
has made presentations across 16 provinces and in many cities around the country,
discussing the importance of gifted education; one trip, with stops at 10 sites, took
over 70 hours! He also visited the Science School of Averos in Sorong, West Papua
Province; the school is committed to providing a challenging science curriculum
for gifted students, and Dr. Dimyati provided resources to this school for its
digital library. Dr. Dimyati has discussed the importance of gifted education with
undergraduate and graduate students, teachers, professors, administrators and with
parents. He has shared resources from the Fellowship with all of these stakeholders.
Ms. Khong Beng Choo, a gifted education specialist for the Ministry of
Education, has impacted gifted education in Singapore in a number of ways. She
planned the program, reviewed proposals, and presented at the 10th Asia-Pacific
Conference on Giftedness. Her four presentations reflected her research: the first
reviewed findings about the significant difference the Gifted Education Programme
(GEP) made to a comparison group of gifted learners, both in terms of higherlevel thinking and on performance on the national exams; the second discussed
43
Dr. Nasir Masran
Malaysia
Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh Phuong
Vietnam
Dr. Leticia Peñano-Ho
Philippines
schools’ efforts to promote interaction among gifted students, regardless of their
participation in the schools‘ GEP; the third investigated the pedagogical practices
of primary [elementary] GEP classrooms; and the last presentation detailed the
components of a mathematics program for gifted children. Ms. Khong also has
written a chapter about the mathematics curriculum for the gifted in Singapore.
She was the guest speaker at the International Symposium on Public Policy on
Gifted and Talented Education: Focusing on Disadvantaged Students in Korea,
conducting a full day seminar on the Renzulli Model. She shared her Fellowship
experiences with her colleagues; she conducted a comprehensive workshop
for teachers, introducing topics as varied as conceptions of giftedness through
identification and programming; and she introduced gifted education in Singapore
to a group of Korean educators. Ms. Khong continues to help officers and teachers
with mathematics curriculum units for gifted children, and she has initiated a
new Mathematics Exploration Day for advanced mathematics pupils in Grade 6;
over 350 pupils from 101 schools attended the first-ever event, learning the vast
applications of mathematics beyond the classroom.
Dr. Nasir Masran, the Head of Special Education at the Univesiti Pendidikan
Sultan Idris, returned to Malaysia to teach five new courses at his university. Dr.
Masran developed the courses so that Gifted and Talented Education could emerge
as one of the three concentrations that undergraduate students must take for their
Special Education degree. Although he has taught all of the courses himself, he has
sent appointment letters to two of the Fellows to assist him with the teaching, and
he plans to collaborate with them to draft the proposal for a Center for Gifted and
Talented Education that would, in part, offer graduate-level courses. He already
has accepted one Malaysian undergraduate to pursue her Master’s and her Ph.D.
degrees in gifted education. Dr. Masran is applying for grants to do research on the
concept of giftedness among Malaysian aborigines and develop teaching modules
for them. In 2008, he had the opportunity to represent the Malaysian Ministry
of Higher Education — and promote gifted education — at the UNESCO
Conference on Inclusive Education in Geneva.
44
Part II: Templeton Fellows from southeastern asia
Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh Phuong, a lecturer at the College of Foreign Languages,
the University of Danang, is involved in a number of activities on behalf of
gifted children in Vietnam. She has planned new programs for students gifted in
learning foreign languages, and she is having ongoing discussions with individual
teachers about their preferences for keeping gifted children in their classrooms
to serve as models for other children versus others’ inclination to group gifted
children together to learn from true peers. Ms. Nguyen is completing her
dissertation through the University of New South Wales in Australia. She is
completing studies comparing gifted and non-gifted adolescents who have
completed an innovative measure of moral reasoning and Confucian values
toward learning, as well as other traits important in Vietnam. Preliminary results
suggest that intellectually gifted Vietnamese adolescents express higher levels of
social responsibility, self-control, and moral reasoning than their age-peers who
were not identified as gifted. Findings support specifically-tailored acceleration
programs in both academic and social activities as potentially beneficial for
intellectually gifted Vietnamese adolescents.
Dr. Leticia Peñano-Ho, a professor from the University of the Philippines,
is also the President of the Philippine Association for the Gifted. Following
the Fellowship, she led the planning for the national convention in 2008.
She gave a lecture on twice-exceptional children and was invited to conduct a
more comprehensive workshop on the topic. Inspired by the Fellowship, she
has persisted in seeking — and has received — approval for a program for
twice-exceptional students at her university, and she has developed plans for a
university-wide assessment to identify those who qualify for a special academic
program. She also provided a one-day workshop on “Actively Searching for the
Filipino Gifted” and provided a brief overview of the state of gifted education
in the countries represented by the Fellows. Of tremendous importance for the
Philippines, Dr. Peñano-Ho has secured the funding to establish a Center for
Giftedness. The location at the University of the Philippines will ensure both its
visibility and its continuity.
45
65˚E
70˚E
75˚E
80˚E
85˚E
90˚E
95˚E
Yumen
Kashi
Dushanbe
Qiemo
TAJIKISTAN
TURKMENISTAN
Ho t a n
Golmud
Mazar-e Sh a ri f
H erat
Kabul
AFGHANISTAN
Huang
Islamabad
Srinagar
Ind
Jin
sh
us
In
du
s
Rawalpindi
Q andahar
Gujranwala
M
NEPAL
nges
Agra
Allahabad
Bhopal
Ahmadabad
Jamn a g a r
20˚N
A r a b i a n
Lucknow
Kanpur
Hyderabad
Indore
Vadodara
Ra j k o t
Thimphu
Jamshedpur
25˚N
I mphal
Dhaka
Dhanbad
Jabalpur
utra
Brahmap
BANGLADESH
INDIA
Gan
ge
Calcutta
s
Khulna
Chittagong
Monywa
Nagpur
Surat
S e a
BHUTAN
PatnaGanges
Ganges
ada
Narm
R.
Karachi
Kathmandu
Ga
Bikaner
Jaipur
25˚N
Jinsha
Indu
g
New Delhi
s
Sukkur
on
Lhasa
B a h a wa l p u r
PAKISTAN
Mandalay
MYANMAR
Sit t we
Bombay
Ulhasnagar
Godavari R.
Pune
Panaji
na
Hyderabad
R.
Rangoon
B e n g a l
e
i v
a d
c c
L a
Coimbatore
Cochin
B a y
o f
Krishna R.
Bangalore
20˚N
Chiang Mai
Vishakhapatnam
Belgaum
Ma n g a l o r e
10˚N
Varanasi
Sholapur
Krish
15˚N
30˚N
ek
Multan
Zahedan
35˚N
Ha
R.
Salween
Lahore
Faisalabad
Q uetta
30˚N
a
CHINA
Sa
lwee
n R.
Meymaneh
35˚N
15˚N
Madras
Andaman Islands
Tiruchchirappalli
Chumphon
Madurai
Andaman Sea
a
S e
SRI LANKA
10˚N
Nicobar Islands
Colombo
Strait of Malacca
65˚E
70˚E
75˚E
80˚E
85˚E
90˚E
95˚E
0
0
500 Miles
500 KM
Dr. Narayan Desai
India
Mr. Prodipta Hore
India
Templeton Fellows from Southern Asia
Dr. Narayan Desai, an executive council member for the Mensa India Pune chapter,
supports gifted children and their education, is dedicated to improving gifted
education in India for tribal children. Since his participation in the Fellowship, he
has pursued additional research related to identifying gifted children, and he has
ensured that nearly 2,000 tribal children have been assessed for gifted services. He has
conducted workshops for tribal children identified as gifted, presented to parents of
high-ability children, and he has designed and begun to implement a Tribal Teacher
Training Program. Due to his advocacy, the Government of Maharashtra State has
established the first Tribal Teacher Training Center. Dr. Desai has published materials
about identifying gifted children and nurturing them in Marathi, a local language,
and he and colleagues are developing a Teacher Training Manual focusing primarily
on the special characteristics and role of educators for rural, tribal gifted children. A
deeply spiritual man, Dr. Desai has made sure that professional development for tribal
teachers is culturally and spiritually relevant, emphasizing philosophical references
from Sanskrit Vedic literature. The Tribal Mensa Nurturing Program, which Dr.
Desai heads, has launched its first Website (www.tribalmensa.net), and all of his
varied activities have resulted in $15,000 in funding from the Deshpande Foundation
to inaugurate identification and services for gifted children in the Belgaum District of
Karnataka State.
Mr. Prodipta Hore, the head of Department of Mathematics at Sarala Birla
Academy, returned to India committed to supporting the academic needs of gifted
children. He held informal conversations with his colleagues about his experiences
as a Fellow, and he has pursued the possibility of participating in additional training
in gifted education through online workshops. Mr. Hore is particularly committed
to nurturing the academic abilities of students who are gifted mathematically; he
acknowledges that nurturing exceptional talent requires greater efforts by teachers. He
has been dedicated to developing an excellent mathematical library at his academy,
and he provides his students with regular opportunities for problem solving and
independent learning. He encourages colleagues to serve as mentors to high-ability
46
Part II: Templeton Fellows from eastern southern asia and oceania
learners, a requirement for summer projects that is mandatory for students who
compete for the prestigious Kishor Vigyan Protsahan Yojana scholarship. Mr. Hore
has actively recruited and prepared students to compete in regional and national
mathematics competitions, in preparation for those who might compete in the
Regional or Indian National Math Olympiads. In addition to taking students from
Bangalore to Mumbai to participate in a competition, he was asked to present a paper
about “Locating and Promoting Mathematics Talent at the School/College Levels.”
E
130˚E
140˚E
145˚E
150˚E
155˚E
160˚E
165˚E
170˚E
175˚E
Madang
New Britain
mor
m o r
Bougainville
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
SOLOMON
ISLANDS
Lae
A r a f u r a
P a
S e a
Torres Str.
Port Moresby
Honaira
S o l o m o n
c
i
f
i
e
a
n
c
Guadalcanal
O
S e a
c
10˚S
S e a
Darwin
G u l f
o f
New Hebrides
r
15˚S
e
C a r p e n t a r i a
G
a
t
Wellesley
Islands
B
Vanua Levu
a
r
Ca i r n s
VANUATU
r
C
ie
r
o
r a
l
S
e
a
FIGI
Efate I.
R
Viti Levu
Port-vila
e
e
Suva
f
E
135˚E
Aru
Tanimbar
Te n n a n t C r e e k
20˚S
Don River
Mount Isa
Mackay
Loyalty Islands
A U S T R A L I A
NEW CALEDONIA
Noumea
Alice Springs
Gladstone
25˚S
Fraser
Brisbane
30˚S
Darling
Bourke
Cook
Broken Hill
Port Augusta
Murray River
e a t
A u s t r a l i a n
B i g h t
Sydney
Murray River
Port Lincoln
Adelaide
35˚S
Canberra
Great Barrier Island
Kangaroo Island
Auckland
Melbourne
T
a
s
m a
n
S
e
a
Hamilton
Rotorua
North Island
New Plymouth
40˚S
Tasmania
We s t p o r t
Wellington
Greymouth
Hobart
South Island
Christchurch
Timaru
NEW ZEALAND
45˚S
Dunedin
Invercargill
Stewart Island
Antipodes Island
130˚E
135˚E
140˚E
145˚E
150˚E
155˚E
160˚E
165˚E
170˚E
0
500 Miles
175˚E
Dr. Jill Bevan-Brown
New Zealand
Templeton Fellows from Oceania
0
500 KM
Dr. Jill Bevan-Brown is an associate professor at Massey University in New Zealand.
She is on a National Advisory Committee on Gifted Education; because the Ministry
of Education has been reviewing its provisions for gifted children, her first report
after returning home was to the Advisory Committee about what she had learned in
Iowa. In particular, she shared James Gallagher’s Wallace Symposium keynote address,
outlining the components of infrastructure essential for gifted education with the
committee and suggesting that they incorporate his recommendations in the future
development of gifted education in New Zealand. She has provided four presentations
and published several papers, including, for example, one presentation to a group of
teachers from a Maori total immersion school that she has been working with for a
number of years. In her paper, “Giftedness and Gifted Education: One Size Does Not
Fit All,” she discusses the theoretical concept of giftedness comparing Maori, Australian
Aborigine, and Navaho concepts. She also has used information gained in Iowa (and
in emails since) to update her own courses, to supervise her students; and to work with
teachers. For example, she provided David Lohman’s information on culture-fair testing
and identification to a teacher who is using the Ravens Matrices to identify gifted
Maori students for both his teaching and his Ph.D. Dr. Bevan-Brown also reported on
her own work in gifted education and what she had learned during the Fellowship at
the annual meeting of the National Talent Development Initiative Personnel, Ministry
of Education, in Auckland; at The Canterbury Gifted Association in Christchurch;
and at the World Indigenous People’s Conference: Education in Melbourne, Australia,
focusing on educating gifted Maori children. Dr. Bevan-Brown has also made contact
47
Ms. Lindsay Donnan
Australia
Ms. Lye Chan Long
Australia
with Drs. Sheyla Blumen (Perú) and Verónica Lopez (Chile), and the three are
planning to do collaborative research/writing about indigenous giftedness.
Ms. Lindsay Donnan, the Education Officer for K–12 Gifted Education for the
Catholic Education Office, has continued to be a productive advocate for gifted
children since she returned to Australia. She has presented her paper, “Integrated
Underachievement Model Interventions for Gifted Underachieving Students,”
at gifted education conferences in Tasmania, Adelaide, and Sydney; as well, she
hosted a conference for the Gifted and Talented Secondary Teachers Association.
Ms. Donnan has trained directors, gifted education regional advisers, school
coordinators, and school leadership teams in the Gifted Education Standards
Framework that she developed for the Archdiocese of Sydney. She collaborated
with Dr. Karen Rogers to provide an in-service for school leadership teams and a
three-day advanced class for graduates from the Certificate of Gifted Education
(COGE), offered through the University of New South Wales. She has also assisted
regional gifted education advisers in understanding and disseminating gifted
education policy at school leadership and teaching in-services. She has initiated
a six-day program to train teachers in identifying “invisible” and underachieving
students, especially those from indigenous and minority groups. She has published
articles focused on gifted education in the 168 schools in the Archdiocese. She
designed the content for parent focus-group interviews, seeking parent opinions
to guide future directions in gifted education. She has formed a committee of
regional parents liaison officers and gifted education advisers to develop strategies
and processes to engage parents in the education of their gifted children and
advocacy for gifted education; these efforts have culminated in the development of
informational brochures and in ongoing workshops. Ms. Donnan meets regularly
with curriculum teams to infuse gifted education into their curriculum areas and
to provide training. She is an ex-officio member of the Archdiocesan Aboriginal
Education Committee and regularly provides information related to giftedness and
indigenous students. She established and chairs the Archdiocesan Gifted Education
Committee, and she has become an inaugural board member of Culture at Work,
a non-profit organization focusing on giftedness in art, science, and innovation.
48
Part II: Templeton Fellows from oceania
Ms. Donnan is evaluating the effectiveness of a 16-hour Mini-Certificate in
Gifted Education to determine its effectiveness in changing teacher attitudes and
pedagogy with gifted learners, and she is leading a team to develop a comprehensive
collection of differentiated tasks and samples of student work for educators to
utilize to implement differentiated assessment in their own schools.
Ms. Lye Chan Long, a doctoral student at the University of New South Wales, has
spent most of her time since returning to Australia supporting gifted education and
completing her academic studies. She dedicates one day each week planning and
facilitating withdrawal groups [pull-out programs for children] in an independent
middle school. Ms. Long collaborates with the Gifted Education Research,
Resource, and Information Centre (GERRIC), and she has provided training for
over 200 teachers in both public and independent schools, including those in the
Catholic school system. Working with Karen Rogers, she presented to principals
on strategic planning for gifted education in their schools. She has also partnered
with Lindsay Donnan (above) to provide exemplars for differentiated assessment
and assess their effectiveness in promoting the strategy in the classroom. Through
Gateways Education, a private education consulting company, Ms. Long is training
teachers to differentiate curriculum and effectively work with gifted learners She
has made presentations at multiple seminars and conferences, including events
in Queensland, in Sydney at the University of New South Wales, and in Hobart,
Tasmania; at the national gifted education conference in Hobart, Ms. Long trained
120 teachers in the JASON Project’s Resilient Planet. In all of her presentations,
she has shared all the the tools, websites, and materials that were useful for teachers
that she gained from the Fellowship; she has shared the PowerPoint developed by
Jenny Sendova (p. 11) to explain the meaning of the Fellowship to the participants.
Many of her presentations have engendered enthusiasm for the 2010 Wallace
Research Symposium among Australian teachers.
Templeton Fellows
The individuals described provide vignettes of success — local, regional, and international – stemming from the impact of
the Templeton Fellowship Program. They represent educational stakeholders as varied as schoolteachers, professors, executive
council members for a private educational system, members of gifted organization, psychologists, national educational
inspectors, employees at a Ministry of Education, educational consultants, and research fellows. The results reflect the
accomplishments reported in just the first year following the Fellowship; most Fellows have continued their active involvement
in the field, enhancing the awareness of the issue of talent development in their nations, and developing greater familiarity with
the most appropriate educational experiences for high-ability learners.
They are establishing foundations for the education of talented youth and enhancing understanding about gifted and talented
learners in countries throughout the world, and many are reaching far beyond their own borders through teaching, advocacy,
interviews, networking, presentations, research, traveling, and writing. The Templeton Fellows are implementing changes in the
many ways they can, often collaborating with one another, and maintaining their enthusiasm for embracing the challenges of
nurturing potential and inspiring excellence among the world‘s gifted children.
49
Table 2: Comparative Demographic Data
Literacy age
15 and over
can read and write Total
Life
Infant
% of population Education
population
expectancy at mortality rate definitions expenditures millions
birth years
per 1,000
may vary % of GDP
(2007a)
(2009 estimate) (2009 estimate) (2003 estimate) (date varies)
north America
United States
301.62
Middle America
Bahamas
Barbados
Mexico
0.3365.80
23.1795.6 3.6
0.2973.94
12.2999.7 6.9
105.28
76.06
18.42
91.0
5.5
South America
Brazil
Chile
Peru
Venezuela
191.60
16.59
27.90
27.47
71.99
77.34
70.74
73.61
22.58
7.71
28.62
21.54
88.6
95.7
92.9
93.0
4.0
3.2
2.5
3.7
82.27
4.37
16.38
44.88
79.26
78.24
79.40
80.05
3.99
5.05
4.73
4.21
99.0
99.0
99.0
97.9
4.6
4.7
5.3
4.2
Eastern Europe
Bulgaria
Lithuania
Russia
Slovak Republic
Slovenia
Ukraine
7.64
3.38
141.64
5.40
2.02
46.38
73.09
74.90
66.03
75.40
76.92
68.25
17.87
6.47
10.56
6.84
4.25
8.98
98.2
99.6
99.4
99.6
99.7
99.4
4.5
5.0
3.8
3.9
6.0
6.3
Western Africa
Cameroon
Ghana
Nigeria
Togo
18.5353.69
63.3467.9 3.3
23.4659.85
51.0957.9 5.4
147.98
46.94
94.35
68.0
0.9
6.5858.69
56.2460.9 2.6
Western Europe
Germany
Ireland
Netherlands
Spain
78.11
*July 2009 est (CIA World Factbook ) "not available or data missing
50
6.26
99.0
5.3
Atlas of Global Development , 2nd Ed. 2009. Washington, DC: The World Bank.
a
Part II: demographic data
Access to
Burden of
improved
dependencyb
water source
Mobile
Television
% of GDP
% of
cellular
broadcast
Internet
population
per capita $
population
telephones
stations
Users
(2009 estimate) (2008 estimate)
(2006a) (2008) (date varies) (2008) 33.0
47,500.00
99
270 mil
2,218
231 mil
Starting a
business
time
required in
days
(June 2007a)
6
32.8
30,700.00 "
358,000 2
106,500 "
28.7
18,900.00100
406,000 3
188,000 "
35.4
14,300.00
95
75.3 mil
236
23.26 mil
27
33.2
32.2
34.8
35.7
10,200.00
14,900.00
8,500.00
13,500.00
91
95
84
92
150.6 mil
14.8 mil
21 mil
27 mil
138
63
13
66
65 mil
5.5 mil
7.1 mil
7.2 mil
152
27
72
141
33.9
32.9
32.3
32.6
35,500.00
45,500.00
40,500.00
34,600.00
100
"
100
100
107.2 mil
5 mil
20 mil
49.7 mil
373
4
342
379
62 mil
2.83 mil
14.3 mil
25 mil
18
13
10
47
31.5
30.1
28.5
28.3
30.1
29.7
12,900.00
17,800.00
16,100.00
22,000.00
29,600.00
7,400.00
99
"
97
100
"
97
10.6 mil
5 mil
187.5 mil
5.5 mil
2 mil
55.7 mil
39
44
7,306
37
31
647
2.6 mil
1.78 mil
45 mil
3.6 mil
1.1 mil
10.4 mil
32
26
29
25
60
27
44.1
2,300.00 706.2 mil
40.9
1,500.00 80
11.57 mil
44.5
2,300.00
47
63 mil
44.3900.00 591.5 mil
1
725,00037
7
997,00042
3
11 mil
34
3
350,00053
Percent of the population younger or older than working age
b
51
Table 2 (continued): Comparative Demographic Data
Literacy age
15 and over
can read and write Total
Life
Infant
% of population Education
population
expectancy at mortality rate definitions expenditures millions
birth years
per 1,000
may vary % of GDP
(2007*)
(2009 estimate) (2009 estimate) (2003 estimate) (date varies)
Central Africa
Congo (Republic of)
Malawi
Uganda
Zambia
3.77
54.15
79.78
83.8
1.9
13.9243.82
89.0562.7 5.8
30.93
52.72
64.82
66.8
5.2
11.9238.63
101.2080.6 2.0
Eastern Africa
Ethiopia
79.0955.41
80.8042.7 6.0
southern Africa
Botswana
Namibia
1.8861.85
12.5981.2 8.7
2.0751.24
45.5185.0 6.9
Western Asia
Bahrain (Kingdom of)
Oman (Sultante of)
0.75
2.60
75.16
74.16
15.25
16.88
86.5
81.4
3.9
4.0
1319.98
22.97*
48.53
73.47
77.96
78.72
20.25
5.35
4.26
90.9
96.1
97.9
1.9
"
4.6
225.63
26.55
87.89
4.59
85.14
70.76
73.29
71.09
81.98
71.58
29.97
15.87
20.56
2.31
22.88
90.4
88.7
92.6
92.5
90.3
3.6
6.2
2.5
3.7
1.8
1123.32
69.89
30.15
61.0
3.2
21.02
4.23
81.63
80.36
4.75
4.92
99.0
99.0
4.5
6.2
Eastern Asia
China (People’s Republic of)
Taiwan
South Korea (Republic of)
Southeastern Asia
Indonesia
Malaysia
Philippines
Singapore
Vietnam
Southern Asia
India
Oceania
Australia
New Zealand
*July 2009 est (CIA World Factbook ) "not available or data missing
52
Atlas of Global Development , 2nd Ed. 2009. Washington, DC: The World Bank.
a
Part II: demographic data
Access to
Burden of
improved
dependency b
water source
Mobile
Television
% of GDP
% of
cellular
broadcast
Internet
population
per capita $
population
telephones
stations
Users
(2009 estimate) (2008 estimate)
(2006a) (2008) (date varies) (2008) 48.8
3,900.00
71
1.8 mil
48.5800.00 761.8 mil
52.1
1,300.00
64
8.56 mil
47.4
1,500.00 583.5 mil
Starting a
business
time
required in
days
(June 2007a)
1
155,000
37
1
316,10037
8
2.5 mil
28
9
700,00033
48.8900.00 423.2 mil 1
360,00016
38.6
13,900.00 961.5 mil 2
120,000
108
39.8
6,400.00 93 1 mil 2
113,50099
29.8
45.5
37,400.00
20,200.00
"
"
1.4 mil
3.2 mil
4
13
402,900
465,000
"
34
27.9
27.4
27.7
6,000.00
31,100.00
27,700.00
88
"
"
634 mil
25.4 mil
45.6 mil
3,240
76
57
298 mil
15.1 mil
37.5 mil
35
"
17
34.0
36.4
39.4
23.3
30.6
3,900.00
15,200.00
3,300.00
51,600.00
2,800.00
80
99
93
100
"
140.6 mil
27.1 mil
68.1 mil
6.4 mil
70 mil
54
88
250
1
67
30 mil
16.9 mil
5.6 mil
3.37 mil
20.8 mil
105
24
52
5
36.4
2,900.00
89
427.3 mil
562
81 mil
33
32.1
33.5
38,200.00
27,900.00
100
"
22.12 mil
4.62 mil
104
41
15.17 mil
3 mil
2
12
Percent of the population younger or older than working age
b
53
54
Part III: Activities Itemized, 2008 – 2010
Part III: Activities Itemized
2008 – 2010
Programs
“As a result we have a team of energetic professionals (both experienced lecturers and
young researchers) who have been working on the strategies and ways to raise the
awareness of teachers and would-be teachers of the needs and challenges of gifted
students and gifted education.”
Templeton International Fellow, describing efforts to introduce teachers and pre-service
teachers to gifted education
New K–12 Initiatives
New University Initiatives9
New Institutes or Associations
42 initiatives (for example, one new Creativity Learning Center served some
5,000 teachers, 30,000 students, and 2,000 parents, and a 6-day program trained
teachers in techniques for identifying “invisible” underachieving students, especially
those from indigenous and minority groups); this includes 7 new identification
initiatives, involving hundreds of students
4, including a committee to plan a 2010 international conference in gifted
education
Student Program Modifications6
University Program Modifications1
Visits to Other Programs5
Total Programs
67 new initiatives impacting thousands of gifted learners
55
Research “I did a ‘report’ on the Fellowship for Abbotsleigh Girls’ staff who are right into action
research, etc., and Katherine reckons she’s got a busload of people all wanting to come to
the next Wallace, so there you go. You may have more Aussies coming your way.”
Templeton International Fellow, recounting the research interests among those who learn
about the Wallace Research Symposium
Research Proposals Approved,
In-Process, or Completed49
Additional Research
3 Fellows have facilitated research at the university level, allowing numerous
undergraduates and graduate students to conduct research related to gifted
education; one university will sponsor a research forum for young researchers
Total Research
52 examples of research in gifted education
Technology “Gifted students need to identify and relate to other students who possess the rare gift
they have so that they do not feel odd and left out. For this reason I have listed some
of my students [on] Cogito [the site for gifted students hosted by the Johns Hopkins
University].”
Templeton International Fellow, remarking on the use of technology to support gifted
students
Disseminating Online Resources
4
Engagement Online
Website Development
Software Development
Total Technology
56
3, with one Yahoo group for ongoing professional discussion and support, and one
country subscribing students to Cogito.org
7, including one European site under development to demonstrate best strategies
for educating gifted secondary students
1 (3-D educational physics software for middle school students)
15 new uses of technology, including Websites to make gifted students visible
Public Outreach
“I flew for about 70 hours to get to those places, not to mention water and ground
transportation.”
Templeton International Fellow, describing the logistics of local outreach efforts
Public Meetings
14, including outreach to parents, students involved in programs, and alumni of
those programs
Outreach in Education
Outreach to Teacher
Education Programs
59, including presentations and conversations with university administrators,
colleagues, graduate students, and undergraduates, as well as with private and
public school administrators and colleagues: “most of my colleagues have never
heard anything about gifted education.” One county’s private schools have made
a commitment to send their teachers for more formal training in content and
pedagogy. Several Fellows described “multiple meetings” or “many individual
consultations” with counselors, teachers, headmasters, and parents, although these
references were counted only once
6 faculty in other departments have established productive relationships with
Colleges of Education and have secured commitments for pre-service gifted
education
Regional Education Officers4
National Education Officers
International Outreach
12, including 10 Ministries of Education, 1 meeting with national leaders in gifted
education, and 1 meeting with executive members of organizations interested in
supporting gifted education
6, including 2 Arab countries not represented by Templeton Fellows
Total Public Outreach 101 examples of outreach, from the local to the international. This dramatic
increase in service in the cause of gifted education included commitments to
include information about the gifted in teacher education programs as well as
substantive discussions with Ministries of Education in 9 nations
57
Media / Public Relations
“Being firmly convinced that gifted children must be aware of their talents as well as the
responsibilities and challenges these might involve, we organized this April a conference
for young researchers who are senior students of the Lyceum affiliated to our University
(high school classes). For most of the participants that was not only their first research
projects but the first experience in presenting the results publicly.”
Templeton International Fellow, detailing one way to provide gifted secondary students
with the opportunity to introduce their own research and abilities to the public
Published in Print News
2 publications in international newsletters
Magazines/Newsletters
58
22 publications in national resources, including a new educational column for a
national newspaper, another Fellow serving as an Educational correspondent for a
new city magazine, and a series of articles about gifted children (counted as 1 for
total) in a daily paper ranked 50th in the world in terms of circulation
Interviews
Newspaper4
Magazine2
Radio4
Television 9, including examples of national broadcasts reaching 10 million, plus an
additional audience in border towns in 8 countries
Online 21, including a new blog, with ongoing dialog
Total Media/Public Relations
64 specific instances of public relations on behalf of gifted education, with other
Fellows simply referencing “multiple publications and interviews”; as well, several
of these have expanded into ongoing public relations campaigns, with Fellows
becoming new educational columnists for national media
Resources
“How generous of you and Mark and of course the Templeton Foundation that you have
offered the possibility to all Templeton fellows for the professional growth. I was asked
recently to contribute a chapter to the Slovak textbook for the educators of intellectually
gifted children. It is a wonderful possibility to use your books and cite it.”
Templeton International Fellow, expressing appreciation for resources
Dissemination of Nation Deceived
22, with specific references to the importance of German and Russian translations
Dissemination of other Resources
12, including dissemination to 2 Colleges of Education, to a national school
dedicated to gifted students, and to science faculty
Gifted sections in libraries4
Development of original Resources
Total 46 reported instances of dissemination of materials, with both individual and large
groups as recipients; lessons and curriculum units will be widely disseminated for
use with gifted children
Education
8, including curriculum units for students gifted in mathematics (2 of these were
developed in English and translated to a native language)
Designed New Course
in Gifted Education
Plans Approved
New courses/Modules Developed
Updated coursework
“I am heading to next step as per Nick’s Xerox Model of Gifted Education i.e. teacher
training program.”
Templeton International Fellow, referring to the Belin-Blank Center’s first professional
development program, offered out of one Xerox box
5 new college courses have been approved for development
6
1
ourse or Seminar in Gifted Education
C
College / University 20, including one new electronic program
Guest Presentation in a
Course or Seminar 25
Professional Development 54, including one online teacher training session, and one program funded by a
local grant secured by a Fellow
Total Publications
111 examples of activities related to teaching, including educational activities
exemplified by course development and teaching
59
Publications
“I have had some articles published in journals about gifted education, creativity
education and musically-gifted education….I wrote an article….Article published….”
Templeton International Fellows, relating their successes in publishing articles in the
area of gifted education
Academic Journal or24
Proceedings 2 additional articles submitted for publication
Education News Magazine 1
Chapters in books 6
1 additional chapter under revision
Book on Child Development 1, with a special section on gifted and talented children
Books about Gifted Education 1 book authored by a Templeton Fellow
1 book edited by a Templeton Fellow
1 book about gifted education under translation into Arabic
60
Total Publications
38 academic publications
Participation in Conferences “I AM planning to go to Vancouver—I will be so excited to see you there! I need to send
this question to the listserve to see who else is going—I know that Gladys from Nigeria
plans to be there…maravilloso!!”
Templeton International Fellow, anticipating an international conference in gifted
education
Attendance
National6
Regional3
International 47 (one Fellow represented the Ministry of Higher Education at a UNESCO
conference; another launched a network about new teacher education preparation
in gifted education at university)
Presentations
National22*
Regional 12 (including one video conference)
International** 43 (including presentations—one invited-- at the conference of the European
Council for High Ability [ECHA] and the conference for the World Council for
Gifted and Talented Children [WCGTC])
*These include presentations at 3 general education conferences, as well as
conferences about gifted education, on topics as diverse as gifted students living in
poverty, urban vs. rural gifted students, aboriginal gifted students, students gifted
in math, science, music, and involving students in national and international
competitions; presentations were to university faculty, researchers, parents, teachers,
and gifted high school students, depending on the setting.
**One Fellow organized a group of children to travel to and participate in an
international Congress related to creativity. Another Fellow was invited to present
at a UNESCO conference on Educational Sustainability as it related to gifted
education but was unable to secure airfare to attend.
Hosted
National7
Regional1
International4
Total Participation in Conferences
145 examples of attendance or presentations at national, regional, and international
conferences in early childhood, general education, library science, and gifted
education (all presentations were focused on topics in gifted education, particularly
crucial at conferences of educators less aware of issues in gifted education); 11 of
these included Fellows who hosted conferences in gifted education. This level of
involvement in conferences included submitting proposals for review, attending,
and presenting; several presentations reflected new research in the field
61
62
appendices
Appendix A:
Application Form for the Templeton International
Fellowship Program
Appendix B:
Contract for the Templeton International
Fellowship Program
Appendix C:
Award Letter to Templeton International
Fellowship Application
63
Application Form
Templeton International Fellowship Program
May 15, 2008 through December 2009
The Connie Belin & Jacqueline N. Blank International Center for
Gifted Education and Talent Development
The University of Iowa
Funded by John Templeton Foundation
Please indicate your preference for communication: Institution Email Institution Fax Home E-mail
Name:____________________________________________________________________________________
(Family/Last Name) (Given/First Name) (Middle Initial)
Position/Title: _____________________________________________Highest Degree____________________
Institution Name: ___________________________________________________________________________
Institution Street Address: ____________________________________________________________________
Institution City / State-Province / Postal Code:____________________________________________________
Institution Country: _________________________________________________________________________
Institution Telephone: (______)___________________ Institution E-mail: _______________________________
*Optional: Home Information
*HOME Street Address: ______________________________________________________________________
*HOME City / State-Province / Postal Code: _____________________________________________________
*HOME Country: ___________________________________________________________________________
*HOME Telephone: (______)___________________ *HOME e-mail: __________________________________
I will be able to arrive in Iowa City, Iowa USA May 14-15, 2008, and remain until May 22, 2008. Yes
I am fluent/conversant in English.
64
Yes
No
No
appendix a
Please answer the following three questions: (Attach additional pages as necessary)
Application Essay #1
1. How do you expect to benefit by attending the Wallace Research Symposium and learning about gifted
education?
1. What do you think you can contribute to the other Templeton International Fellows?
It is expected that when you return to your home country after the Wallace Research Symposium, you will
take action in order to initiate discussion or programs in gifted education. Each Templeton International
Fellow will need to do at least three “action steps” as part of the agreement with the Belin-Blank Center.
The following are examples of action steps:
• Present to your school, or at a conference regarding what you have learned at the Wallace Research
Symposium;
• Write an article for a journal or newsletter regarding the Wallace Research Symposium or about gifted
education;
• Write an opinion/article for a newspaper or magazine regarding the Templeton Fellowship experience
• Initiate or teach a course in gifted education;
• Help a school initiate or expand a gifted education program;
• Write a grant or obtain funding for a gifted education program;
• Help set-up a resource area in a school or library for gifted education;
• Attend a conference on gifted education.
You are not restricted to these examples.
For Application Essay #3, please specify what actions you plan to take from June 2008—December 2009
that would further gifted education in your home area.
Application Deadline: Completed applications must be received by September 15, 2007.
Please fax to 1+ (319) 335-5151
Notice to all applicants: We will send all applicants verification when we receive the completed application
form and the required Letter of Reference.Verification will be sent to your preferred e-mail address (or fax
number, if no e-mail address is provided).
All applicants will be notified of the final selections for the 50 Templeton Fellowships by
October 1, 2007.
65
Dear :
Please read the Contract for the Templeton International Fellowship. Provide the information that is requested directly on this
e-mail and return the completed contract, with your agreement to its terms, to [email protected].
Contract for the Templeton International Fellowship Program
Congratulations. You have been selected to receive a Templeton International Fellowship presented by the Belin-Blank Center
for Gifted Education at The University of Iowa. In order for you to accept the Fellowship, you must agree to all the conditions
of this contract. Please read carefully and return this contract, completing all information in the How to Return this
Contract section. If your contract is not received by November 15, 2007, your Fellowship will be offered to an international
candidate on the list of alternates for the Fellowship.
Again, congratulations, and I look forward to seeing you at The University of Iowa.
Sincerely,
Nicholas Colangelo, Director
Myron & Jacqueline Blank Professor of Gifted Education
The Templeton Fellowship covers the following costs:
1. Roundtrip airline ticket (coach) from your home country to the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Airline
tickets and travel arrangements will be made through Meacham’s Travel of Iowa City. After we receive your returned
contract, you will be contacted by Meacham’s Travel in Iowa City to arrange your travel.
2. Roundtrip ground transportation from the Eastern Iowa Airport to The University of Iowa.
3. Hotels and meals for the Templeton Fellowship Program. (Hotel arrangements will be made for you. Each Fellow will
have his or her own room at the Sheraton Hotel in Iowa City).
4. Educational materials and textbooks for the Templeton Fellowship Program.
5. Registration for the Wallace Research Symposium.
66
appendix B
Personal/Financial Responsibilities of each Templeton Fellow
(These are costs NOT covered by the Fellowship)
1. Costs for travel documents, such as passport, visa, medical documents, etc., that are needed to attend the Templeton
Fellowship Program.
2. Costs for medical expenses/insurance.
3. Costs for meals, personal expenses, and souvenirs that are not part of the Templeton Fellowship Program.
Arrival
You must arrive at the Sheraton Hotel in Iowa City on either Wednesday, May 14, or Thursday, May 15, 2008.
Attendance
You are required to attend all of the scheduled presentations and activities of the Templeton Fellowship Program. These include
evening activities. As of now, you are required to be present at the following (please note that there may be changes in the final
schedule):
Required Program Activities:
Friday, May 16 – evening activities
Saturday, May 17 – all day and evening activities
Sunday, May 18 – afternoon and evening activities
Monday, May 19 – all day and evening activities
Tuesday, May 20 – morning and afternoon activities
Wednesday, May 21 – all day and evening activities
Thursday, May 22 – depart for Eastern Iowa Airport
If personal, religious, or cultural obligations make it impossible for you to attend all the functions stipulated, you may need to
decline the Fellowship. Please contact us directly regarding possible conflicts so that we can determine if you are still eligible for
the Fellowship.
Family Members
The Templeton Fellowship Program is a unique opportunity to be intensively involved in research and programming regarding
gifted education. Your time with us will be very structured. We do not recommend that you bring family members or guests
with you. We request that your time be devoted to the Fellowship Program. If a family member does accompany you, the
Fellowship does not cover any expenses or arrangements for this person.
Official Language of Templeton International Fellowship Program: English
By accepting the Fellowship, you are affirming that your English language skills are proficient enough so that you can
understand and benefit from the presentations and activities without need of a translator. Also, you affirm that you will
provide evaluations of the Fellowship Program as requested, as well as write a final report of your activities (in 2008-2009)
in English. All presentations at the Wallace Symposium and all materials provided you as part of the Templeton Fellowship
will be in English.
67
Smoking Regulations
The University of Iowa is a smoke-free environment, and smoking will not be allowed at any of the presentations or
activities that are part of the Fellowship Program. The University of Iowa does not allow smoking in its buildings or
within 25 feet (7.62 meters) of its buildings. Also, the Sheraton Hotel has very few rooms for smokers, so while you may
request a “smoking room,” there is no assurance that such a room will be available to you.
Special Diet
There will be a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals available to you. We may be able to accommodate special meals,
based on medical reasons. We will not be able to provide special meals for reasons other than medical.
Assistance with Disabilities
The University of Iowa is sensitive to meeting the needs of people requiring special assistance. We will make every effort to
provide for such needs. Please let us know in advance what disabilities you may need assistance with.
Age
You must be at least 21 years of age to accept the Templeton Fellowship.
Respect for Diversity
The purpose of the Templeton Fellowship Program is to bring people of diverse backgrounds together for the purpose of
learning about gifted education. The men and women who receive Templeton Fellowships will represent diversity in terms of
country, culture, gender, age, ethnicity, religion, language, and political ideology. By accepting a Templeton Fellowship, you are
indicating your willingness to work with all Fellowship recipients and staff and to respect the diverse backgrounds and cultures
of the participants. Any attitudes or behaviors that indicate less than full respect will be reason to revoke a Fellowship.
Letter of Invitation
After you have returned this contract, you will receive a formal invitation on official Belin-Blank Center stationery to attend
the Templeton Fellowship Program. This formal invitation should help you in securing the necessary travel documents and
permission needed to travel to Iowa in order to participate in the Fellowship Program. Visa You should apply for a B-1
(business visitor) or the equivalent visa for your participation in the program. You are responsible for making all necessary visa
arrangements.
Deadlines
You will be required to meet several deadlines. By returning this contract, you are agreeing to meet the deadlines set forth
by the Belin-Blank Center for the Templeton Fellowship Program, including activities in your home country in 2008-2009.
Failure to meet deadlines may result in cancellation of your Fellowship.
Photographs
We would like a current photograph (color photos are preferred) of each Fellowship recipient. Your passport picture, or one of
equivalent size, will be acceptable. During your time at The University of Iowa, photos and videos will be taken and used for
the program. Acceptance of the Templeton Fellowship gives your permission to the Belin-Blank Center to use photographs and
videos of you for presentations about the Fellowship Program.
68
appendix B
Special Requests (please complete #1 - #4 if they apply to you):
1. I have medical dietary needs. Please specify.
2. I have a physical disability and may need assistance. Please specify.
3. I may not be able to meet all the obligations for meetings and presentations. Please specify.
4. Are there any issues regarding your participation that you think the Belin-Blank Center needs to know? Please specify.
How to Return this Contract and Photograph
1. Once you have read the terms of the contract and fully accept all the terms of the contract, please reply to this email
message and complete the following information. If there are any terms of the contract you cannot agree to, contact us
and we will attempt to resolve the issues.
I have read the contract for the Templeton International Fellowship Program and accept all terms stated. Please
type an “X” following YES or NO.
YES: NO:
Please complete A-L:
A. Your Name as it appears on your Passport (Last Name/First Name/Middle Initial):
B. Country Issuing Passport:
C. Passport Number:
D. Expiration Date of Passport (Month/Day/Year)
E. Nationality/Country of Citizenship:
F. Date of Birth (Month/Day/Year):
G. Complete Office Mailing Address (Street or mail box / City / Province or State / Postal code / Country)
H. Complete HOME Mailing Address (street or mail box / city / province or state / postal code / country)
I. Which mailing address do you prefer be used for the mailing of official Templeton Fellowship documents,
i.e., plane tickets? (office or home)
J. E-mail address (office):
E-mail address (home):
Please indicate which e-mail address you prefer to be used (office or home):
69
K. Telephone (Office) (please include country & city codes):
Telephone (Home):
L. Fax Number (please include country & city codes):
NOTE: ANY changes in items A – L between now and the completion of the Templeton International Fellowship
MUST be sent to the Belin-Blank Center
2. Attach your photograph to your return email message. If you are unable to send your photograph electronically, do
not fax it; please mail your photograph to:
Ms. Jerilyn Fisher
Belin-Blank Center
600 Blank Honors Center
Iowa City, IA 52242-0454
USA
3. This Contract must be emailed to the Belin-Blank Center by November 15, 2007, or the Fellowship is forfeited.
If there are any terms that you cannot agree to, contact us and we will attempt to resolve the issues.
Note: We received 180 applications from 60 countries (6 continents) for the Fellowships. Unfortunately, the large majority
of applicants will not receive a Fellowship. If a situation arises that makes it impossible for you to accept the Templeton
Fellowship (e.g. family emergency, medical emergency, cannot obtain a visa), please contact Jerilyn Fisher immediately so that
we may offer your Fellowship to another candidate. Contact: [email protected]
70
appendix C
71
72
73
The Belin-Blank International Center for
Gifted Education and Talent Development
empowers and serves the gifted community
through exemplary leadership in programs,
research, and advocacy.
The Connie Belin & Jacqueline N. Blank
International Center for Gifted Education
and Talent Development
600 Blank Honors Center
Iowa City, Iowa 52242-0454
800-336-6463
319-335-6148
[email protected]
The University of Iowa prohibits
discrimination in employment, educational
programs, and activities on the basis
of race, national origin, color, creed,
religion, sex, age, disability, veteran status,
sexual orientation, gender identity, or
associational preference.The University
also affirms its commitment to providing
equal opportunities and equal access
to University facilities. For additional
information contact the Office of Equal
Opportunity and Diversity, 319-335-0705.

2008 Templeton Fellows Final Report

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