Dr. Reva C. Friedman
- Associate Professor Emeritus
Contact Info
Biography —
Reva C. Friedman, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor Emeritus of Curriculum and Teaching at the University of Kansas, where she was responsible for degree and graduate certificate programs in gifted/talented/creative child education for 35 years. A former high school teacher and teacher of gifted students (elementary and secondary), she continues to educate general education and gifted education teachers about the learning and personal needs of gifted and talented students, to counsel bright youngsters and their families, and to collaborate with teachers K-12. Her writings focus on the psychological factors that impact the development of gifted young people and on using models that develop students' talents and strengths. She has served on the boards of the National Association for Gifted Children and The Association for the Gifted. Currently she serves on NAGC's Professional Standards Committee. On the state level, she is a board member of the Kansas Association for the Gifted, Talented, and Creative.
Research —
For the majority of my career, I have focused on two key aspects of high potential: intrapersonal, and contextual. Relative to intrapersonal, which is generally referred to as "non-intellective" aspects of giftedness, I have explored self-perceptions, perfectionism, and motivation (attribution). Regarding contextual, I have investigated questions related to teacher perceptions, instructional skills, and values related to high potential. Over the last seven years, my work included exploring teachers' orientations to curriculum, images of the ideal child, beliefs about high potential among ELL students, and teaching for creative thinking. More recently, I have begun to investigate threshold concepts and their relevance to learning.
Research interests:
- learners with high potential
- non-cognitive factors
- teacher perceptions
- creative thinking
- critical reasoning
Teaching —
During the last seven years, my teaching has been centered in the department's graduate programs. My primary goals have been to introduce students to content and concepts in ways that are engaging and enticing, and to nurture high level, authentic learning. Therefore, wherever possible I incorporated team-based problem solving activities that resemble challenges faced by practicing professionals. Starting in June, 2015, I was invited to collaborate with my department chair and the School of Education's new Associate Dean for Teaching Education on revising C&T 100, Introduction to the Education Profession (In May 2016 the course was approved to meet KU's Core Goal 1A). Over the past four semesters, I have redesigned the course to incorporate team based problem solving. I plan to continue this process.
Teaching interests:
- talent identification and development
- creative and critical thinking
- differentiating curriculum and instruction
- solution focused problem solving
Service —
Over the span of my career, my service has focused nationally and locally. Nationally, I have served on the boards or held elected office in the two major organizations in gifted child education: the National Association for the Gifted (NAGC) and The Association for the Gifted (TAG), a division of the Council for Exceptional Children. During the last seven years, I have concentrated on NAGC through its committee structure. As a member of its Professional Standards Committee, I was prepared as an NCATE reviewer and had the opportunity to review SPA reports (with a team of other NAGC-prepared professionals). This activity informed my work with the gifted child education endorsement at KU. As a member of NAGC's Professional Education Committee, I participated in developing modules for professional development. My scholarly service has also focused nationally. I am a regular reviewer for key research journals in my field (as indicated on my cv). Locally, I have served on department and SOE committees (see cv for specifics). In addition, I continue to serve at the department ambassador to the Center for Teaching Excellence. More recently, I have gotten involved in our undergraduate program through service on the SOE Scholarship Committee and the SOE Admissions Committee. These last two activities complement working on C&T 100 as the SOE re-sculpts the undergraduate program.