Aptitude, Talent, Ability

110 Pages·2012·2.98 MB·English

David Lohman
Belin-Blank Center & Iowa Testing Programs
University of Iowa
Overview

 “Gifted” or “talented”: It matters
 Academic aptitudes
 Adapting instruction to individual differences
 Ability profiles: CogAT “ABC” classification system
 Commonality of large ability differences t the
extremes
Giftedness perspective

 Encourages qualitative distinctions between the
“gifted” and “not gifted”
 Assumes that, if well measured, giftedness is fixed
 One-time identification early in primary school &
permanent separation into special classes or schools
 Use of identification methods (IQ or other composite
scores) that exclude children with uneven ability
profiles


 Some parents covet the label and will go to great
lengths to obtain it
 Program administrators scramble to achieve better
racial & ethnic balance often using inferior tests and
ignoring important measures of readiness for greater
challenge
Talent identification &
development perspective

 Discourages categorical distinctions since all
children have talents that can be developed
 Encourages direct links between identification
practices & development activities
 Encourages ongoing identification
 Expects that children will excel in one or two
domains rather than in all domains
 Encourages going beyond national norms for
school-based talent identification
 Facilitates efforts to encourage talent
development among poor and ELL children
Aptitude: What it is

 Aptitude is
the degree of readiness to learn & perform well in a
particular situation.
 Examples of academic aptitudes
 To use previously acquired knowledge and skill
appropriately
 To make good inferences and generalizations
 To manage one’s emotions; to persist
Aptitude: What it is NOT

 Not fixed
 Not just abilities – also achievements
 Not just cognitive constructs (affective, conative)
 Not just positive attributes
 Not independent of context or circumstance
 What does the context demand, evoke, afford
Aptitude

 Is a more inclusive concept than“talent”, and a much
more inclusive concept than “ability.”
 Inherently developmental and multidimensional.
 Emphasizes symbiotic configurations of ability,
personality, and motivational traits
 That resonate with the demands and affordances of the
educational or training context.
Aptitude
Talent
Abilities
g+
“Gifted” is usually conflated with
cognitive ability

Developed, Includes
actually Achievements
Abilities
(gifted
g+
assumed
fixed)