Gifted Education in Lebanese Schools

Framing the education for gifted Lebanese and gifted refugees in Lebanon

“…The rhetoric of the Lebanese Ministry of Education appears to focus on the same endpoint for all students. This is achieved through provisions being made for those with disabilities, to help bring their achievement up to an acceptable level, without considering the needs of highly able students, who are already well above average ( Sarouphim, 2010 , 2015 ; El Khoury and Al-Hroub, 2018 ).…”

“…Through Gagné’s Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (DMGT), teachers would be able to recognize the true potential of their students, regardless of their achievement level, which would help them support all kinds of gifted learners to reach their full potential. The approach might help in the creation of a precise scope and direction for offering appropriate and culturally significant programming, in a country with no specific reference for gifted education in its national curriculum ( Sarouphim, 2009 , 2015 ; El Khoury and Al-Hroub, 2018 ; Antoun et al, 2020 ). Overall, the development of a framework/model is also a valuable starting point that potentially supports Lebanon’s efforts to satisfy the requirements of its most academically gifted population, which in any context would appear to be a worthwhile goal.…”

“…According to Al-Hroub (2009) , this diagnostic approach takes into account the context of the learner and his/her learning experiences providing a means for assessing disadvantaged and underserved student populations. Since general IQ tests may undervalue the great potential of students who may have a learning disability or twice exceptional (e.g., gifted refugees) who are marginalized, a method is crucial for determining the untapped potential of students with varied profiles ( Al-Hroub, 2012 ; El Khoury and Al-Hroub, 2018 ). Static psychometric tests are primarily interested in learned outputs, whereas DA approaches concentrate on learning processes and provide a more accurate and sensitive means of identifying diverse gifted children including those with learning disabilities ( Al-Hroub, 2011 ).…”

Utility of Psychometric and Dynamic Assessments for Identifying Cognitive Characteristics of Twice-Exceptional Students

“…According to Al-Hroub (2013) , the latter subgroup was to be found the most at-risk because most of them are found to receive inappropriate educational services. Despite this body of research, recent studies revealed that teachers in schools are relatively poorly equipped to identify 2Es ( Al-Hroub, 2007 ; Al-Hroub and Krayem, 2018 ; El Khoury and Al-Hroub, 2018 ).…”

“…Some theorists have argued about the lack of a universally accepted definition of mathematical talent ( Al-Hroub, 1999 ; El Khoury and Al-Hroub, 2018 ). Sowell et al (1990) argued that mathematically gifted learners are those who are precociously very able in solving mathematical problems that are typically not accomplished by students of their chronological age.…”