Fostering Authentic Problem Seeking: A Step Toward Social Justice Engagement

Abstract

Because of these learners’ potential as future leaders, it is imperative that educators develop gifted students’ ability to identify and solve complex social justice problems. Nourishing students’ affective traits, including empathy for others, understanding of themselves, and the ability to connect to others in local and global society, will help students to recognize and seek out authentic problems. This article examines the nuances around the creative problem-solving process and how educators can infuse the curriculum with opportunities to develop and strengthen the skills students need to become engaged, real-world problem seekers, as we call it, and problem solvers. Through the combination of social justice issues and creative problem seeking, students can be motivated to engage with the community and promote positive change in the world.

Keywords:

• creative problem solving
• creativity
• gifted
• problem finding
• social justice

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea grant funded by the Korean Government (NRF-2016S1A2A2912130). This article represents a further development of our scholarship originating in the chapter submission, “Fostering Problem Seeking and Student Engagement for Social Justice.”

Notes on contributors

Micah N. Bruce-Davis

Dr. Micah N. Bruce-Davis is an assistant professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Her research interests include specialized schools, motivation, and the affective development of gifted students. E-mail: [email protected]

Cindy M. Gilson

Dr. Cindy M. Gilson is an assistant professor in the Special Education and Child Development Department at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her research interests include classroom discourse and differentiation of curriculum and instruction. E-mail: [email protected]

Michael S. Matthews

Dr. Michael S. Matthews is Associate Professor and Director of the Academically and Intellectually Gifted graduate programs at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He served as co-editor of the Journal of Advanced Academics and now is the editor of the Gifted Child Quarterly. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association for Gifted Children. Dr. Matthews also is Chair of the Special Interest Group Research on Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent of the American Educational Research Association. His interests include science learning, motivation and underachievement, parenting, research methods, policy, and issues in the education of gifted and advanced learners from diverse backgrounds. Dr. Matthews is the author or editor of five books, over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles, and numerous book chapters and newsletter articles on gifted education topics. His work has been recognized with the 2010 Early Scholar Award from the National Association for Gifted Children and the 2012 Michael Pyryt Collaboration Award from the American Educational Research Association. Dr. Matthews is also the proud father of three gifted children. E-mail: [email protected]