Focus on the Structure of the Problem in Enrichment or Acceleration Programming for the Gifted and Talented

Abstract

The problem situations that students encounter in acceleration and enrichment programs for the gifted and talented have a potentially large impact on the development of their problem-solving ability. The acceleration approach as described by Stanley and Benbow (Benbow, 1979; Stanley, 1979) requires students to concentrate on learning the algorithms and strategies necessary for solving “well-structured” problems that are presented to them by an instructor. The enrichment approach of Renzulli and Reis (Renzulli, 1977; Renzulli and Reis, 1985) encourages students to discover problem situations in their school and community and maintains a much greater expectation that students will formulate projects based on “ill-structured” problems. It is concluded that students may practise and thereby learn mutually exclusive problem-solving skills and strategies through involvement in either acceleration or enrichment programs, so an integrated approach to gifted education is advocated on theoretical grounds.

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