As the Act on the Promotion of Specific Education for the Gifted and Talented was enacted in January 2000, followed by the Enforcement Decree for the Act on the Promotion of Specific Education for the Gifted and Talented in April 2004, legal and syste...
As the Act on the Promotion of Specific Education for the Gifted and Talented was enacted in January 2000, followed by the Enforcement Decree for the Act on the Promotion of Specific Education for the Gifted and Talented in April 2004, legal and systematic measures were designed for the education for the gifted children. Currently, with more gifted cluster classes created within the general schools, and with a growing number of gifted education centers and private centers for gifted education under the central/ regional Offices of Education, we have more windows of opportunities for gifted education. In spite of all these quantitative expansions, the educational programs for the
gifted - including the objectives, programs, curriculums, teachers which all differs depending on its institutions - come out with different qualities. In this context, discussions on the development of gifted education not only in its size but also in its quality is critical.
The purpose of this study is to enhance the quality of gifted education programs by revising and upgrading the existing ‘Program Module of Education for Mathematically Gifted Children,' which is presently implemented by Gifted Education Center A under the Office of Education. To this end, the contents of the teaching-learning programs for mathematically gifted children in the elementary schools were examined in terms of the individual subjects provided through the courses of gifted education programs. The relevant parts of the program to be subject to this study were decided through the discussions with teachers belonging to professional gifted education, and the program was evaluated based on the revised version of the existing module.
The focus of the analysis was;
1. Does the objective of the teaching-learning programs for
mathematically gifted, conducted by the Gifted Education Center
A under the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, fit for the
objective of gifted education?
2. Does the teaching-learning programs for mathematically gifted,
conducted by the Gifted Education Center A under the Seoul
Metropolitan Office of Education, reflect the distinct features of the gifted education?
(ⅰ) Among the advanced part and the selective part of the
gifted educational program, which part was more included
in the teaching-learning programs for mathematically gifted?
(ⅱ) Were the contents properly organized and implemented?
(ⅲ) What are the differences of the teaching-learning program from grade to grade?
3. Were the module and method of the teaching-learning programs
for mathematically gifted children, implemented by the Gifted
Education Center A under the Seoul Metropolitan Office of
Education, properly utilized in terms of the subjects?
4. Is the evaluation of the teaching-learning programs for
mathematically gifted, conducted by the Gifted Education Center
A under the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, suitable for the educational objectives and for the real operation?
The results of the study are as follows;
First, the educational objectives of teaching-learning program did fit the objectives of gifted objectives, and cognitive and definitional exploration processes were distinctly presented. The educational objectives of cognitive
exploration processes were clear, whereas those of definitional objectives were partly not.
Second, among the advanced part and the selective part, which are the two parts defined in the gifted educational program, the teaching-learning program organized by the Gifted Education Center A consisted more of the advanced
parts rather than of the selective parts. Based on subjects, the contents were divided into numbers and calculation, shapes, measurement, regularity and problem solving parts, and they were mainly consisted of numbers and
calculation, shapes, regularity and problem solving. In terms of the specific areas dealt with based on grade, fourth grade classes were focusing on identifying shapes, whereas the fifth graders in numbers and calculation, and
the sixth grade students on shapes..
Third, the teachers in the teaching-learning program for the gifted were adequately instructing their students, but the programs were focusing on problem-based learning and cooperative learning. The students in this program were also playing a leading role in the learning process.
Fourth, the contents of evaluation were clearly presented. The contents and forms of evaluation were suitable for the objectives of the program, and the evaluation was conducted through performance assessment rather than through paper and pencil test.