A More Beautiful Question: Elevating Thinking Among Gifted Learners

A More Beautiful Question: Elevating Thinking Among Gifted Learners

Always the beautiful answerwho asks a more beautiful question. – E. E. Cummings While higher-order thinking processes are effective for all learners, research in the education of gifted students shows that the power of inquiry is crucial for promoting their learning (VanTassel-Baska & Brown,  2007). Effective questioning as a deliberate strategy enhances gifted learners’ thinking, provides the means for exploring novel possibilities and meaning making, and challenges them to learn about their world in more rich and complex ways (VanTassel-Baska, 2014). The abilities and attributes of gifted learners, outlined below, indicate that they understand the potent appeal of questioning that challenges their thinking: Highly inquisitive and curious (Clark, 2013; Renzulli et al., 2002; Rotigel, 2003)  Abstract and conceptual thinkers (Feldhusen, 1986; VanTassel-Baska, 1989) Outstanding ability to solve problems in diverse ways (Clark, 2013; Kanevsky et al., 1994) An unusual capacity to integrate and synthesise information or skills (Kanevsky et al., 1994) Greater metacognitive ability (Barfurth et al., 2009; Davis et al., 2011). Thus, asking thoughtful, rigorous questions is critical to engage gifted learners and elevate their thinking. There are many useful questioning models such as Guilford’s Model (1967), Maker Model (1982), Williams Model (1986) and Paul’s Reasoning Model (1992). I shall discuss three questioning frameworks below that range from hierarchical to more divergent approaches for engaging gifted learners: revised Bloom’s Taxonomy, three levels of feedback (Hattie, 2012), and “Describe/Disrupt the Territory” framework (Dyer et al., 2011). The revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (Anderson et al., 2000) uses a hierarchical approach and is commonly used for framing questions from lower to higher-order levels. Gifted learners should be challenged with higher-order questions and learning tasks. Refer to Table 1 which contains a few suggested action...