ERIC Number: ED276547
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1986
Pages: 10
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
American Indian Gifted Children: Finding Them.
Hartley, Elizabeth Ann
This paper illuminates the physiological, socio-cultural, and linguistic obstacles which occur due to the interaction between American Indian cultures and the Anglo educational system and which make the identification of gifted and talented American Indian children difficult. It demonstrates the need for more culturally appropriate ways of identifying such children. The use of measures based on community definitions of giftedness and talent rather than the traditional standardized measures is recommended. An approach to developing a "generic" list of characteristics and a set of measuring instruments which can be adapted by most American Indian groups for use in identification and programming is discussed. A design called "Process Approach for Creating Instructional Materials for American Indian Children" (Baca et al., 1984) is offered as a theoretical model of curriculum development which can be adapted and used in conjunction with the generic characteristic checklist and identification measures. Responsibility for developments and changes is directed to local educational agencies and, especially, the communities that would be directly affected by them. Twenty references are cited in the bibliography. (Author/NEC)
Descriptors: Ability Identification, Access to Education, American Indian Culture, American Indian Education, Aptitude Tests, Community Characteristics, Cultural Differences, Curriculum Development, Elementary Secondary Education, Evaluation Criteria, Gifted, Social Bias, Standardized Tests, Student Characteristics, Talent Identification, Test Bias
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Researchers; Practitioners
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A