Beverley Sawyer
Published: 1982
Total Pages: 0
Get eBook
This study presents a rationale and proposal for enrichment in high school English. The lack of such programming is discussed, along with arguments commonly used both for and against it. But concern does seem to be growing, as indicated by recent conferences and the establishment of a government task force to study the matter. Within this context, the writer considers the implications of Guilford's understanding of the intellect and of Renzulli, Reis and Smith's procedures for programming for the gifted (Structure of Intellect and Revolving Door Identification models, respectively). On the basis of these two models, a proposal is made by which enriched English courses could be offered to selected students. The emphasis in recent literature on the nature of intelligence has been on the variety of its aspects. The best known of the various factor theories is Guilford's Structure of Intellect model, which regards intellectual functions as falling into three categories (operations, products and content). Each category is further subdivided, so that a total of 120 factors are possible (5 operations x 6 products x 4 contents). Every intellectual activity can then be identified in terms of its factor. Application of this model to the Alberta English 10-20-30 Statement of Content produces interesting implications. First, the emphasis is clearly on expression of various kinds, rather than on the intake and storage functions. Secondly, the kinds of expression encouraged are those requiring fluency and flexibility, rather than "right answers" (divergent production and evaluation rather than convergent production). The dominant product factor is systems, suggesting an analytical focus, an awareness of the way in which interdependent parts are organized within a composition or a work of literature. English students, then, are required to work with complex structures in a variety of ways. To enhance their intellectual abilities, Guilford suggests that students' education should emphasize reception, production and evaluation of information, with attention being paid to as wide a range of products and operations as possible within each course. Such a strategy is compatible with that proposed by Renzulli in the Revolving Door Identification model for enriched education of gifted students. His definition of giftedness is based on recent research which emphasizes a broad spectrum of abilities rather than reliance merely on IQ. Above-average ability, creativity, and task commitment are equally important components. Once students who meet these criteria have been identified, they are placed in a Talent Pool, where they engage in a variety of information-receiving, research and critical thinking activities. When individual members of the Talent Pool are ready for creative/productive involvement in a particular task, they are revolved into the Resource Room, and then revolved back out when the project is completed. The two models analyzed provide the framework for a proposal to offer enriched English 10, 20 and 30 courses to talented high school English students. Guilford provides the theoretical rationale to justify the assumption that students may have particular ability in one subject, and Renzulli suggests a means by which arrangements can be made. A variety of procedures should be used to identify the top 10 percent of a school's English students, who would be encouraged to register in a special section of their English course. This class could then be offered a qualitatively different curriculum, within the framework of the provincial English requirements, but allowing for the kind of treatment suggested by both Guilford and Renzulli, at minimal cost. Such arrangements would be a significant step forward in meeting the needs of gifted students.
