Decolonizing Gifted Education Practices

Session Type: Pre-Conference Mentoring Session

Abstract

As a field, we continue to grapple with bridging research to practice, in addition to finding common ground on salient issues related to identification, equity, measurement, and methods. AERA’s 2024 theme calls for the dismantling of racial injustice to construct educational possibilities in our policy and research practices. Gifted education has long grappled with issues of racial injustices and inequities, and our call to action must be interrogated through a lens of decolonity. To imagine a space free from racial injustice through decolonizing methods and codified language, we must take a look back, but collectively author new pathways to boldly move forward. To do this we question: “What must the field decolonize to create just and innovative educational spaces?” Utilizing community problem-solving practices, participants in this Unconference session will engage in discourse around problem-sensing/problem-finding to identify present colonizing practices and approaches, othering and sense of belonging, codified/racialized language and policies, imagine sustainable and inclusive practices and methodologies, and co-develop transformative collaborations to light an innovative and decolonized future for our youth. This session is open to researchers, practitioners, and graduate students from the following two SIGs: Research on Giftedness, Creativity and Talent, and Tracking/Detracking.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Research on Giftedness, Creativity and Talent

Chairs

• Donna Y. Ford, The Ohio State University

• Brittany Nicole Anderson, University of North Carolina - Charlotte

Presenters

• Donna Y. Ford, The Ohio State University

• Brittany Nicole Anderson, University of North Carolina - Charlotte