Gifted or Just Plain Smart? is a must read for any educator who works with the gifted population! Not only will I recommend this book to my colleagues, but I also will use it as my go-to guide for the rest of my career. Dr. Quinlan fuses current research with peoples' personal experiences to deliver information in an honest manner that makes sense. The strategies and tips presented are especially helpful to practitioners because they are situated in historical and theoretical contexts. Simply stated, teachers who read this text will know what to do and why to do it! -- Constance DeMore, Norwin School District, Coordinator of Secondary Gifted Education
Dr. Audrey Quinlan has written a wonderfully comprehensive and practical book, Gifted or Just Plain Smart?: Teaching the 99th Percentile Made Easier, to better help teachers, parents and any interested persons understand and educate our gifted children. She provides necessary background information on the definition and traits of the gifted while also sharing the myths and stereotypes that still exist in this day and age! Every chapter starts with applicable quotes framing the topics and ends with Food for Thoughts for discussion, review and springboards for further discussions. Honorable educators are presented with their theories, models, positions and attitudes, while models of gifted educations are also shared and reviewed. Special populations - twice exceptional (2E) and under-served populations are not forgotten. The final two chapters Building on Experience and Resources sum up the excellence presented in this very thorough book... a superb blend of theory, practice, thought provoking ideas and experience! It is a treasure! -- Rosemary S. Callard-Szulgit, EdD,University at Buffalo; author, Perfectionism and Gifted Children
Today's teachers and future teachers are faced with this wicked question: In our effort to leave no child behind, have we left some children, those who are proficient or advanced, simply standing still? Dr. Quinlan provides a Swiss Army Knife of research based, practical strategies and resources that can be adapted to the needs of educators and parents, as they plan and implement instructional activities that will promote progress among all students, including those who are gifted or just plain smart. -- Richard King, PhD, former elementary principal and university director of student field placements and teaching
Gifted or Just Plain Smart presents the reader with an emphatic, historical, and theoretical understanding of the gifted student. For teacher educators and teachers in the classroom the book provides practical understanding and strategies for effectively meeting these learners' needs. Quinlan shares her love of teaching and the range of gifted students that will be met in the classroom with humor and wisdom. -- Mary Ann Gawelek, EdD, president, Lourdes University, Sylvania, Ohio
