Using Diverse Picturebooks as Counter-Narratives to Dismantle Systemic Racism among the Diverse Gifted

Practice based

In our commentary (Garces-Bacsal & Elhoweris, 2022) on Peters’ (2021) article on achieving equity among disadvantaged gifted, we argued that gifted educators need to reflect on how the continued ‘otherness’ of the culturally and linguistically diverse gifted is reflected in the curriculum. Increasingly there is an urgent need for educators to be more deliberate in introducing diverse narratives that “disrupt a common situation or understanding,” allowing students to “take action and promote social justice” (Norris et al., 2012, p. 59).This presentation leverages on a research project that includes the development of a diverse and international catalogue of picturebook titles that tackle themes on exceptionalities and social justice issues. Participants will be introduced to text-sets from around the world that engage in ‘restorying’ (Thomas, 2022) or counter-storytelling that serve to reclaim dignity, grace, and joy among marginalized gifted communities, dual exceptional individuals, and gifted people of color.