This book describes the overexcitabilities often associated with gifted children and adults, as well as strategies for dealing with children and adults who experience them. It also provides essential information on Dabrowski's Theory of Positive Disintegration. Learn practical methods for nurturing sensitivity, intensity, perfectionism.

This book summarizes the research and application of the Theory of Positive Disintegration, one of the most influential theories in gifted education, and compares it to other theories of personality and psychological development.

A Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award For fans of Aleksandar Hemon's fiction, The Book of My Lives is simply indispensable; for the uninitiated, it is the perfect introduction to one of the great writers of our time. Aleksandar Hemon's lives begin in Sarajevo, a small, blissful city where a young boy's life is consumed with street soccer with the neighborhood kids, resentment of his younger sister, and trips abroad with his engineer-cum-beekeeper father. Here, a young man's life is about poking at the pretensions of the city's elders with American music, bad poetry, and slightly better journalism. And then, his life in Chicago: watching from afar as war breaks out in Sarajevo and the city comes under siege, no way to return home; his parents and sister fleeing Sarajevo with the family dog, leaving behind all else they had ever known; and Hemon himself starting a new life, his own family, in this new city. And yet this is not really a memoir. The Bookof My Lives, Hemon's first book of nonfiction, defies convention and expectation. It is a love song to two different cities; it is a heartbreaking paean to the bonds of family; it is a stirring exhortation to go out and play soccer—and not for the exercise. It is a book driven by passions but built on fierce intelligence, devastating experience, and sharp insight. And like the best narratives, it is a book that will leave you a different reader—a different person, with a new way of looking at the world—when you've finished. A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of 2013

Empower gifted learners to take charge of their education. Gifted learners are full of potential, but sometimes they’re also frus­trated, bored, and even disruptive in class. Many bright students struggle because they have never been taught how to ask for what they really need to improve their school experience. This research-based guide shows educators how to teach self-advocacy skills to gifted students in four essential steps. Gifted students will: Understand their rights and responsibilities Develop their learner profiles Investigate available options and opportunities Connect with advocates These simple yet comprehensive strategies are brought to life in triumphant true student stories. Also included are complete instructions for conducting a day-long self-advocacy workshop with gifted students. Digital content includes a workshop facilita­tor’s guide, a PDF presentation for use in workshops, pre- and post-workshop student surveys, and customizable forms.

The first edition of the successful Encyclopedia of Creativity served to establish the study of creativity is a field in itself. Now completely updated and revised in its second edition, coverage encompasses the definition of creativity, the development and expression of creativity across the lifespan, the environmental conditions that encourage or discourage creativity, creativity within specific disciplines like music, dance, film, art, literature, etc., the relationship of creativity and mental health, intelligence, and learning styles, and the process of being creative. This reference also appeals to a lay audience with articles specifically on the application of creativity to business settings. Available online via ScienceDirect and in limited print release. Named a 2012 Outstanding Academic Title by the American Library Association's Choice publication Serves as a compendium of reviews of a number of domain-specific areas, such as acting, dance, expressive arts, film, food, music, religion, science, sports, theater, and writing. Creativity and education are examined in articles about thought processes, such as developmental trends in creative abilities and potentials, the enhancement of creativity, intelligence, knowledge, play, prodigies, programs and courses, talent and teaching creativity. Cognitive aspects of creativity can be investigated in articles about altered and transitional states, analogies, attention, cognitive style, divergent thinking, flow and optimal experience, metacognition, metaphors, problem-finding, problem-solving, and remote associates. Covers business and organizational creativity in articles about advertising with art, creative visuals, business/management, creativity coaching, creativity exercises, entrepreneurship, group dynamics, innovation, leadership, organizational culture, organizational development, teams, and training, among others. Explicitly examines the complex interrelationship between society and creativity in articles about awards, conformity and conventionality, the creative sector and class of society, cultural diversity, the dark side of creativity, East vs. West, networking, social psychology, war, zeitgeist, and others. Personal and interpersonal creativity is discussed in articles relating to collaboration, family, life stages, mentors, networking, personal creativity and self-actualization. Focuses on scientific information about creativity, there are also articles that discuss brain and neuropsychology, concepts of creativity, definitions of creativity, expertise, longitudinal studies, researching art, artists and art audiences, research methods, phenomenology research and qualitative research. Online version contains an additional 26 biographies of famously creative people

The Encyclopedia of Adolescence breaks new ground as an important central resource for the study of adolescence. Comprehensive in breath and textbook in depth, the Encyclopedia of Adolescence – with entries presented in easy-to-access A to Z format – serves as a reference repository of knowledge in the field as well as a frequently updated conduit of new knowledge long before such information trickles down from research to standard textbooks. By making full use of Springer’s print and online flexibility, the Encyclopedia is at the forefront of efforts to advance the field by pushing and creating new boundaries and areas of study that further our understanding of adolescents and their place in society. Substantively, the Encyclopedia draws from four major areas of research relating to adolescence. The first broad area includes research relating to "Self, Identity and Development in Adolescence". This area covers research relating to identity, from early adolescence through emerging adulthood; basic aspects of development (e.g., biological, cognitive, social); and foundational developmental theories. In addition, this area focuses on various types of identity: gender, sexual, civic, moral, political, racial, spiritual, religious, and so forth. The second broad area centers on "Adolescents’ Social and Personal Relationships". This area of research examines the nature and influence of a variety of important relationships, including family, peer, friends, sexual and romantic as well as significant nonparental adults. The third area examines "Adolescents in Social Institutions". This area of research centers on the influence and nature of important institutions that serve as the socializing contexts for adolescents. These major institutions include schools, religious groups, justice systems, medical fields, cultural contexts, media, legal systems, economic structures, and youth organizations. "Adolescent Mental Health" constitutes the last major area of research. This broad area of research focuses on the wide variety of human thoughts, actions, and behaviors relating to mental health, from psychopathology to thriving. Major topic examples include deviance, violence, crime, pathology (DSM), normalcy, risk, victimization, disabilities, flow, and positive youth development.

"Dorothy Sisk is a venerable giant in the field of gifted education. Teachers will find this volume a gold mine of effective classroom strategies to develop the affective domain. Anyone interested in the emotional development of the gifted will be delighted by this book."--From the Foreword by Linda Silverman "Seamlessly weaves together research studies with personal narrative to illuminate the complex inner world of gifted students. The book explores not only the unique sensitivities and social-emotional challenges of the gifted, but also their deep empathy, intuitiveness, and keen awareness of the moral and spiritual realm."--Joan Franklin Smutny, DirectorThe Center for Gifted, National-Louis University Empower gifted students by helping them understand and value their gifts! Gifted students often develop faster intellectually than socially and emotionally, resulting in feelings of isolation or inadequacy. This book provides educators with a window into the world of the gifted child, discusses how to develop the talents of gifted children with consideration for their unique needs, and suggests ways to help great kids become greater. Written by gifted education expert Dorothy A. Sisk, this practical resource offers techniques, strategies, and lessons to help gifted students bridge the gap between their cognitive and social-emotional development. Showing how to support learners who may experience difficulties associated with excitabilities identified by psychologist Kazimierz Dabrowski, this resource: Presents real stories of gifted students Includes teacher voices and vignettes Integrates research into each chapter to build a foundation for the suggested activities and strategies Provides recommended reading lists and Web sites for further exploration Making Great Kids Greater helps parents, teachers, and counselors of gifted children ensure students′ emotional well-being and enable them to reach their full potential.

Educating Gifted Students in Middle School: A Practical Guide (3rd ed.) helps educators with the challenging task of understanding and meeting the needs of gifted students in middle school. This revised and updated third edition: Provides a rationale and framework that middle schools can use to fill the service gap for gifted and advanced learners. Addresses the needs of learners from diverse backgrounds. Shows how to implement effective program models. Identifies best practices for the classroom. Shares research-based curriculum models. Topics addressed include school organization, instructional strategies in the basic subject areas, cocurricular and summer programs, the missing link of executive function skills, and counseling at-risk gifted learners. Educating Gifted Students in Middle School focuses on creative, practical, and realistic school solutions that create a vital and responsive community for all students.