Biography, Eminence, and Personal Growth in the Curriculum

Balanced research and practice

Biography has been used in the curriculum for high ability students to teach the content domains of literacy and history and to foster personal growth and engagement. High ability youth who experience an intense identification with their talent area benefit from exploring the lives of eminent artists, engineers, mathematicians, musicians, scientists, and writers. The aim of this session is to focus on innovative curricular teaching guides developed through a federal research and demonstration project which can be used with children and emerging adolescents in school and out-of-school settings. The effectiveness of the biographical curricular intervention with teachers and students, examples from a biography scope and sequence document which guides the project, and a new classroom assessment, BIOS, will be shared. Biography enriches classroom practice and inspires high ability students to explore the development of their talents through life stories of eminence across cultural contexts.