This article argues that research and educational practices relating to gifted students can highly benefit by linking up more closely with the mainstream of research on learning and instruction. The CLIA-model for the design of powerful learning environments that consists of four interconnected components (Competence, Learning, Intervention, and…

In an effort to understand the process of skill acquisition and decline, researchers have largely neglected a critical aspect of this development--maximizing time at the highest levels of achievement. This study examined length of career for professional athletes in basketball, football, ice hockey, and baseball and considers whether career length…

In the article "Towards a systemic theory of gifted education", A. Ziegler and S. N. Phillipson present an interesting approach to gifted education. The actiotope model explains giftedness in light of systems theory where constant interchange occurs between the gifted person, his/her actions, and the environment in which he or she evolves. The…

In their introduction to the idea of a systems approach to understanding talent and giftedness, Ziegler and Phillipson broach the larger issue of the positivistic or mechanistic mindset to knowing and understanding that pervades much of what is called educational research. This worthy tactic brings to light the need to move away from the status…

Ziegler and Phillipson make a strong case for the need to reconsider traditional models of gifted education. Although their evidence and argument are compelling, the reviewers argue that several additional steps are needed to justify the theoretical foundation of the theory in order to facilitate its evaluation by researchers. First, Ziegler and…

In their target paper, "Towards a systemic theory of gifted education," A. Ziegler and S. N. Phillipson present a long awaited call for a paradigmatic shift in thinking within the field of gifted education. The paper considers how educators and researchers within the field could bring about such a change. They challenge the prevailing…

Eight years ago, the authors carried out a study on scientific creativity. Thirty-four eminent scientists, who had gained great creative scientific achievements in five fields--mathematics, physics, chemistry, geography and life science--were chosen and interviewed. In the study, the authors tried to find out what made a person demonstrate…

In this commentary on Ziegler and Phillipson's article, "Towards a Systemic Theory of Gifted Education" (this issue), the author states her opinion that their alternate way of viewing gifted education is pedagogically sound. What Ziegler and Phillipson propose is creating a system where the interaction between action repertoires and the…

A promising future has been drawn by Ziegler and Phillipson through illustrating how gifted education works as a system to be beneficial to everyone. Gifted education is individually designed and fostered. The whole system requires continuous adaptation and adjustment of both the individual and environment including schools, teachers, parents, and…

As Ziegler and Phillipson discussed in their article "Towards a systemic theory of gifted education," various paradigms, models and theories have been described in the extensive literature on giftedness. According to Ziegler and Phillipson, there is a pressing need for new models of giftedness--they call for a paradigm shift. The actiotope model…

From past knowledge of Ziegler's and Phillipson's work, the author knew before reading the manuscript that there would be significant conceptual disagreements. Yet, he was hoping to find enough points of convergence that they could lead to enriching exchanges and, maybe, future shared efforts at bridging gaps between their respective views.…

Ziegler and Phillipson began the target article by citing the mechanistic tradition of finding meaning in the natural world and applying this to various processes of identifying giftedness (Ziegler & Stoeger, 2008)--and demonstrating its ineffectiveness in traditional gifted education. The systems theory is said to allow for a greater…

In "Towards a systemic theory of gifted education", Ziegler and Phillipson offer a useful critique of current research and the current paradigm in gifted education. They provide an interesting and useful merging of systems theory with their actiotope model, and using this paradigm they suggest many fruitful areas for future research. However, the…

Knowledge regarding giftedness and gifted education is supplied by different sources of information and different research paradigms. Particularly relevant approaches are here the psychometric paradigm, the expert-novice paradigm, and the explanatory approaches from cognitive sciences, also the quasi-experimental social and developmental studies…

Models of giftedness are aimed at creating a picture of aspects which are important for developing a special talent. Approved models of giftedness are based on influencing factors like genetic, environmental and individual orientated variables. Within the approach of these models lay a shift in the conceptions about giftedness from individual…