Giftedness as a framework of inclusive education

Abstract

As societies move toward a deeper engagement with humanitarianism and egalitarianism, education systems have increasingly embodied a commitment to principles of inclusion. The field of gifted and talented education (GATE) has reflected these changes in recent discussions around equity, diversity, and inclusive practices. This article aims to re-examine the practices of gifted education and rethink the possibility of generating an egalitarianism-based, GATE-derived inclusive education discourse that can serve as a parallel to the predominant humanitarianism-drive inclusive education movement. Within a discourse of self-actualization, we propose framing “gifted” as a process-based, rather than person-based, construct that applies to all students as they are enabled to transact their gifts and talents through engaging in a “gift-ed” process through honing self-knowledge and learning gifted behaviors. We advocate the use of person-first language, (i.e., students with advanced learning needs/advanced and special learning needs (ALN/ASLN)) that will encourage specific interventions.