Report of Summer 2001 Activities and Outcomes
C. June Maker, Ph. D, Professor, Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, and School Psychology
Mainland China
Shanghai
In the beautiful city of Shanghai, I had a very
warm welcome from my wonderful friend, Ms. Chi,
from the Beijing Institute of Education and
faculty from East China Normal University.
The 
coordinator
of the Shanghai region’s DISCOVER in China project,
Professor Wu Zhihong, Dean of the Department
of Educational Administration, had organized
an excellent program for all of us.
Along with faculty from the Institute of Educational
Administration and teachers from other schools
in the region, I observed demonstration lessons
in math, art, English, and music. Very
brave teachers presented excellent lessons in
which multiple intelligences theory was used
to increase interest and learning. After
the lessons were presented in each school, those
who had observed the lessons met with the teacher
to discuss the lessons and make suggestions
for improvement. Questions and
comments were thoughtful and perceptive.
I was pleased with the teachers’ ability to
incorporate the different intelligences into
their lessons, and appreciated the opportunity
to observe children and teachers. This
way of learning combines reflection, theory,
and practice in a manner that can help observers,
as well as those being observed.
On the last afternoon, I presented a seminar
to the teachers and leaders involved in the
Shanghai region DISCOVER in China Project.
The topic was development of problem solving,
and the relationship of the problem solving
types (Maker-Schiever Problem Continuum) to
academic skill development and creativity enhancement.
Thanks to Ms. Chi and a wonderful host from
Shanghai, I was able to fit in some shopping
and sightseeing after we finished! 
Zhucheng, Shandong Province
Ms.Chi and I then flew to Quingdao, where Mr.
Ding Baszhi, Senior Teacher and Director of
the Educational Inspection Office of Shandong
Province welcomed us. We drove to the
very beautiful city of Zhucheng, where we received
a very warm welcome at the hotel where we would
spend the next several days. Mr. Li Shilai,
Vice Mayor of Zhucheng, was our host for breakfast,
lunch, and dinner, and he made all of us feel
this was our second home! Professor Mei
RuLi, Professor Wang 
Chang
Pei, and other distinguished educators from
the Beijing Institute of Education and the Zhucheng
People’s Government cooperated to organize a
4-day conference on DISCOVER in China.
After visiting cultural and historic sites around the city, we began the conference. Many leaders and teachers from Shanghai, Beijing, and Shandong Province, the three regions where DISCOVER in China is being implemented, attended and presented at the conference. We heard an inspiring speech by Professor Mei, and an exciting speech by Mr. Tao Xiping, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of Beijing People’s Congress and President of the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in China. We also appreciated the many excellent presentations by innovative principals and teachers. They shared their experiences and ideas for using multiple intelligences in their teaching, and gave examples of the children’s excitement and creativity.
I presented a keynote speech “Problem Solving,
Diversity, and Multiple Intelligences—The DISCOVER
Experience.” A great honor for me was
to have Professor Wang Chang Pei as my translator.
He was extraordinary, spending much time with
me prior to the speech to make sure he understood
the concepts and underlying ideas. During
the speech, he translated and explained concepts
rather than simply translating words.
We all had an interesting discussion after the
speech, and Professor Wang and I decided to
cooperate on some research since we have very
strong similar interests in problem solving.
The following day, we visited schools in and
around Zhucheng. Escorted by the Vice
Mayor and important officials, we were introduced
to the exciting programs developed in the schools
of Shandong Province. The very best part
for me was seeing and talking with the children.
How beautiful and intelligent they were, and
how interested they were in their foreign visitor.
Many of them had never seen a foreigner before,
and were anxious to say a few words in English
to a native
speaker! I loved talking with them, and
we took many, many pictures. A common
question was “Do you think the Olympics should
be held in Beijing?” I received gifts
of traditional watercolor paintings, clay figures,
and kites, including a very special book of
Chinese paper cuts with pictures of the children
who made them. Two girls made a special
trip to the hotel to bring them to me.
All the children touched my heart!
I think I saw the most beautiful school in the
world! We
visited a school in the countryside that was
like no other school I have ever seen.
It had winding paths through beautiful trees,
vines, flowers, traditional Chinese gardens,
and a Pagoda where students could come and have
conversations in English as they looked over
the campus. As we entered the school grounds,
we saw students drawing different scenes around
the garden. Beautiful voices were singing
in the background, and we finally located the
children who serenaded us as we toured the campus.
We visited dance classes and saw students collecting
biological specimens from the 
many
varieties of plants and trees. What I
find to be most amazing about this school, other
than its serenity and exceptional feeling, is
that the students, parents, and teachers built
it. They carried dirt many miles from
the lowlands, planted thousands of varieties
of trees and vines, and built and painted the
many separate buildings on the campus.
I want to have a summer residential program
for Chinese and American students at this school
someday!
Reluctantly, I had to leave this beautiful province and the warm welcome from officials dedicated to improving the education of their children.
Taiwan
I could not be sad for long, though, because
when I arrived at my next destination, Taipei,
my charming and enthusiastic host, Dr. Jen-Jen
Chen, and Professor Tshi from Kang Ning Junior
College of Nursing, met me at the airport carrying
a huge bouquet of roses. I felt at home
right away! How wonderful to have my favorite
flowers to put in 
my
room at the hotel. We talked about the
cooperation between Kang Ning College and the
University of Arizona, and started to make plans
for another visit next summer.
My biggest responsibility was to present a keynote speech at the Kang Ning College Conference “International Cooperation: Models and Examples”.
After the morning speech, Professor and Dean
of Education at Taiwan Normal University, and
former president of the World Council on Gifted
and Talented Students, Dr. Wu-Tien Wu, and faculty
and students from the Department of Special
Education treated me to lunch. We enjoyed
discussions about our mutual interest in education
of gifted students, and then I presented a seminar
on the framework and research of the DISCOVER
Project. We made plans for cooperating
in the future, including a workshop next summer
combined with the class for Kang Ning College.
Jen-Jen and I visited some cultural and historical sites in the morning of the next day, and then we prepared for a seminar with the Early Childhood faculty and students of Kang Ning College.
I presented more information about the DISCOVER
Project, both practical and theoretical.
We had some great discussions and shared experiences
related to our work with teachers and day care
providers. We talked more about the class
next summer, and made plans for a practical,
hands-on workshop for faculty and students from
Kang Ning. Interested early childhood
educators and day care providers will be invited
to the class also. We celebrated at a
California-style restaurant after the seminar!
The President and Board Members of Kang Ning College held a luncheon for Dr. Tony Vuturo, Special Assistant to the Vice President for Health Sciences for International Health Programs, Dr. James Dalen, Vice President for Health Sciences, and me. We had interesting discussions about health care in the two countries, and learned about the innovative programs in medical schools in Taiwan.
Dr. Jen-Jen Chen treated Dr. Vuturo, Mrs. Vuturo, and me to a traditional tea ceremony at a beautiful restaurant, and we were able to see a garden of Lotus Flowers! I wasn’t ready to leave here, either, but I had the comfort of knowing I would be back next year.
Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region
When I arrived in Hong Kong, one of my favorite
cities, I went straight to the International
House at Hong Kong Baptist University, where
I was welcomed by Professor Lau Sing, Director
of the Child Development Center, and Ms. Toby
Tong. I felt I knew both of them because
we had corresponded so much before I arrived.
Since I was a bit early for the conference,
I took this opportunity to see my friend and
colleague, Dr. Helen Ku-Yu, Assistant Professor
in the Department of Applied Social
Sciences at Hong Kong Polytechnic University
and Secretary of the Asia-Pacific Federation
of the World Council for Gifted and Talented
Students. Helen and her talented son Timothy
took me to the Lotus Festival, and then we joined
Michael Shang Sze
Yung and another gifted student for lunch at
the top of a skyscraper on Hong Kong Island.
How wonderful to have the opportunity to meet
with friends of all ages, and to gain the perspective
of gifted young people from Hong Kong.
When the other keynote
speakers arrived, we started to get to know
each other personally and professionally.
We were given many opportunities to discuss
our mutual interests in creativity, and to visit
both typical streets and interesting tourist
sites in the city. One of the highlights
of our social events was a Harbor Cruise and
Dinner hosted by Mr. Po Chung of DHL Worldwide
Express and Mr. Thomas Osgood, Director of the
Creative Initiative Foundation. We also watched
the exciting finale of the Dragon Boat Festival.
Keynote speakers
at The Second International Symposium
on Child Development, Creativity—A Moment of
Aha! were from all
around the world. I felt honored to be
in their company: Dr. Soh Kay Cheng from
Singapore, Professor Wu Jing Jyi from
Taiwan,
Dr. Todd Lubart from France, and Drs. Gerard
Puccio and Beth Hennessey from the USA.
On the second day of the conference,
I presented my keynote speech, “DISCOVERing
Creativity, Multiple Intelligences, and Problem
Solving.” I think maybe the part everyone
liked most was the pictures of me as a little
impish girl, as I explained how much I appreciate
the motto of the center: “We were once
a child.
All of us enjoyed the conference tremendously, and tried to convince our reluctant hosts to sponsor a conference every year instead of every other year, and to invite all of us back every year!
We then presented half-day workshops for the
Fung Hon Chu Gifted Education Center, Education
Department of the HKSAR. My topic was
“How to Cultivate Students’ Leadership:
The Experience of the DISCOVER Project.”
Before leaving this beautiful city, I had lunch with my friend and colleague, Ms. Rosemary Barrett, who had recently resigned from the Hong Kong International School and taken a position with an educational foundation. We talked about our new opportunities for cooperation, and planned to get together at her home in England during the European phase of my summer travels. Then, I was fortunate to be able to meet with Dr. Tony Vuturo again, and to discuss the Kang Ning project as well as his visit to the Hong Kong International School. With confidence that I will be back to this vibrant city again, I reluctantly left.
England
Bob Lane and I arrived at Heathrow expecting
to be in a cool climate, and found
sunshine and warm weather—for a few days!
We traveled to the hamlet of Thorpe, where we
stayed with my dear friend and long-time colleague,
Belle Wallace. Belle and her husband Harvey
have recently returned to the UK from 13 years
of incredible work with the Zulu people in Natal,
South Africa, so we started the business of
catching up on the many years we had been unable
to communicate. We found we continue to
be working on a similar vision for education,
especially education of gifted students.
Belle, Bob, and I traveled by train to the amazing
city of Chester on the Northwest border of England,
just across from Wales, to the National Association
for Able Children in Education conference.
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to listen
to other keynote speakers and discuss educational
issues with many fine professionals I have known
and respected for many years: Johanna Raffan,
delegate to the World Council for Gifted and
Talented Students, Deborah Eyre, researcher
par excellence and head of the
Research Centre for Able Pupils at Oxford Brookes
University, Professor John Geake who recently
moved from Australia to Oxford, and Hillary
Lowe, also at Oxford Brookes. Getting
to know Professor Javier Touron, President of
the European Council for High Ability, and having
an opportunity to debate the merits of enrichment,
acceleration, and combinations of the two, was
a distinct pleasure.
On the final day of the conference, I presented a two-hour keynote speech, “DISCOVER Projects: Problem Solving with a Global Perspective.” Lunch and more discussions followed in the unforgettable style of the British
We then traveled north to the small town of
Warkworth, close to the Scottish border and
on the east coast of England, to spend personal
and professional time with Jim and Rosie Barrett.
In Warkworth, surrounding towns, and later back
in Thorpe with Belle and Harvey, we enjoyed
sightseeing, relaxing, and lively professional
discussions about education all over the world.
The next part of the journey was south through France, mostly by train, to Barcelona, our next stop.
Spain 
The purpose of our trip to Spain was to attend and present at the 14th Annual World Conference of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children. There, I began by presenting a half-day Preconference workshop, “DISCOVER Projects: Problem Solving with a Global Perspective.” Delegates from Indonesia, Australia, Jamaica, India, Argentina, and the United States attended the seminar.
Since I have missed only two conferences since the World Council was started in 1973, I have many friends from around the world. We get together every two years, exchange ideas and research results, and plan cooperative activities. A highlight of this conference was spending time with Dr. Ketty Sarouphim, a former student and research assistant, who is an assistant professor at the Lebanese American University in Beirut. We discussed recent changes in DISCOVER as well as Ketty’s continuing research on the validity of the instrument. I also had the great pleasure of working with my special friend and colleague, Dr. Todd Siler—author, inventor, artist, and educator—a keynote speaker at the conference. We started discussions about how we will collaborate on a National Science Foundation project, and planned a visit in August.
Dr. Sarouphim, Dr. Quitluahac Gonzales from Juarez, Mexico, and I presented a seminar entitled “Assessing Problem Solving: The DISCOVER Model” in which we reviewed the research and practice using the DISCOVER assessment in the United States, China, Bahrain, and Mexico. Over 200 delegates from Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Hong Kong, Thailand, England, Australia, Indonesia, Spain, Mainland China, Korea, Taipei, the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, the US, and other countries attended our featured seminar.
Another important meeting I had was with Mr. Ali N. D. AL-Wazrah The Director General, General Directorate For The Gifted in the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia. We discussed the implementation of DISCOVER in Saudi Arabian schools, and the development of an Arabic/Saudi Arabian version of the Assessment and Curriculum models. He requested that I develop a proposal for these model projects and submit it to them by the end of August.
I met many new friends and colleagues, including Dr. Maha Orkubi from King Abdul Aziz University and Dr. Basma R. Khader from the United Arab Emirates University, and we talked about ways we can cooperate. I reconnected with my long-time friend and colleague Dr. Gillian Eriksson-Sluti, and we made plans for me to speak at the University of Central Florida’s Diversity Week at the end of October. Dr. Helen Ku-Yu and I met also, and decided I should submit a proposal for a project in 2 or 3 Hong Kong schools as soon as I return to the US.
Bob and I had a delightful evening, and almost
a day-long meeting with our three wonderful
colleagues from Thailand: Dr. Usanee Anuruthwong,
Assistant Professor of Education at Srinakharinwirot
University and incoming president of the Asian-Pacific
Federation of the World Council on Gifted and
Talented Students, and her colleagues Pichak
Siripoonsap and Sakda Boonto of the Thinking
Skills Development Institute. We are working
closely together to create a melding of the
DISCOVER Projects and the Exploring Centers,
Exploring Gardens, and Exploring Center on Tour—a
Project of the Thinking Skills Development Institute.
We started planning for future cooperation by
writing a draft of Usanee’s application for
a Fulbright scholarship (for fall, 2002), and
discussing our invitation to Thailand in August
2002.
Dr. Anuruthwong has invited me to present a keynote speech and a pre-conference seminar at the next conference of the Asia-Pacific Federation of the World Council for Gifted Children to be held in Bangkok in the summer of 2002. After the conference, the Institute will sponsor a series of workshops along with visits to local schools so I can learn more about the research and development efforts involving the Exploring Centers and Gardens in several regions in Thailand. My teaching models book has been translated into Thai, and may be available in time to be distributed at these workshops. This exciting planning session ended the conference on a joyful note.
All in all, the conference was productive, stimulating, and fun. The city of Barcelona is beautiful, too!
France
On our way back to London for the return home,
we stopped in Paris for a few days. Since
I was so close, Dr. Todd Lubart, one of the
other keynote speakers at the Creativity conference
at Hong Kong Baptist University, and I decided
to meet so we could plan some cooperative research.
Todd is a Professor at the Institut de Psychologie,
Laboratoire cognition et Developpement, Universite
Rene Descartes, Paris 5. We spent my birthday
eating (coffee, lunch, and after-lunch crepes)
and discussing the performance-based instruments
we both have been developing to assess creativity.
Todd also talked about the project his institute
is working on for the French government, and
we discussed how our experiences with DISCOVER
could be helpful in this project. A possible
outcome of this discussion would be for me to
present a seminar on DISCOVER to the faculty
of the institute. I recently received
this invitation, and am preparing to go for
two weeks at the end of November and beginning
of December.
Perhaps the most exciting part about this collaboration
is that the Laboratoire cognition et Developpement
is the place where Binet and Simon started their
research resulting in the development of the
first intelligence tests, the ones that later
were modified to become the Stanford-Binet.
This test was popularized by Lewis Terman in
his groundbreaking research on giftedness, and
spawned a century of ability testing using the
concept of IQ. My work, as well as Dr.
Lubart’s, who was a student of and is a co-author
with Robert Sternberg at Yale University, is
designed to replace these ability tests with
more modern approaches based on new theories
of intelligence! Our collaborative efforts
could result in refinement and improvement of
the DISCOVER Assessment as well as re-scoring
creativity tests we have administered in our
research using the more streamlined and valid
procedure developed through Dr. Lubart’s work.
We flew to London and back to Tucson, happy to be home and pleased with the results of the trip!
