Developing Mentorship Programs for Gifted Students

Mentorship programs can provide motivated gifted and talented students with an opportunity to apply inductive thinking and problem-solving skills to advanced content that is often associated with real-life situations. They need to investigate the complexities and interrelationships among disciplines that can only be discovered with assistance from highly knowledgeable experts.

As gifted students develop their interests and talents in a chosen area of study, it is often necessary to structure learning experiences with out-of-school mentors. This guide offers practical strategies for starting and developing a mentoring program. From structuring a program, to selecting a mentor and monitoring progress, to ensuring success, this book provides an excellent introduction to the topic.

This is one of the books in Prufrock Press' popular Practical Strategies Series in Gifted Education. This series offers a unique collection of tightly focused books that provide a concise, practical introduction to important topics concerning the education of gifted children. The guides offer a perfect beginner's introduction to key information about gifted and talented education.

Del Siegle, Ph.D., is an associate professor and teaching fellow in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut, where he teaches graduate courses in gifted education, creativity, and research design. He is president of the National Association of Gifted Children and also serves on the board of directors of The Association for the Gifted (CEC-TAG). He authors a technology column for Gifted Child Today. Siegle's research interests include Web-based instruction, student motivation, and teacher bias in the identification of students for gifted programs. He currently serves as the coeditor of the Journal of Advanced Academics.

Frances A. Karnes is professor of curriculum, instruction, and special education at The University of Southern Mississippi. She is widely known for her teaching, research, publications, innovative program developments, and service activities in gifted education and leadership training.