Joseph Renzulli

Joseph Renzulli (born July 7, 1936) is a American educational psychologist. Renzulli is known for his contributions to understanding giftedness.

MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS
Three-ring model of giftedness promoted a broadened conception of giftedness. Schoolwide Enrichment Model has become one of the most popular programs for developing children's talents.


Within the above average abilities Renzulli makes a difference between general abilities (like processing information, integrating experiences, and abstract thinking) and specific abilities (like the capacity to acquire knowledge, perform in an activity).

By creativity Renzulli understands the fluency, flexibility, and originality of thought, an openness to experience, sensitivity to stimulations, and a willingness to take risks.

Under task commitment he understands motivation turned into action (like perseverance, endurance, hard work, but also self-confidence, perceptiveness and a special fascination with a special subject). Renzulli argues that without task commitment high achievement is simply not possible.

Only if characteristics from all three rings work together can high achievement or gifted behaviour be witnessed.

Recently Renzulli shifted his emphasis toward the background factors in his models, the personality and environmental factors influencing gifted behaviour.