Mission
To empower every person to become a responsible, self-directed, lifelong learner through a positive partnership of families, teachers, scholars in gifted education, authorities of education and community. The ICIE will be committed to the development of all students and teachers as productive citizens.
Vision Statement:
We believe that: everyone can learn; education is learner-centered; education prepares learners for solving real life problems; continual personal and professional growth is vital; technology is essential to education; education can actively link the community; assessment and evaluation are critical steps in the cognitive process.
Aims and Objectives:
The ICIE could establish a link between local, national, regional, and international programmes designed to serve the gifted, creative, and talented children. ICIE is committed to the following aims and objectives:
Screen and identify the gifted and talented as early as possible;
Enhance the general public awareness and create a climate of acceptance and recognition that gifted, creative, and talented children are valuable global asset whether disabled or able bodied, from advantaged or disadvantaged backgrounds, or from developing or developed countries;
Initiate, conduct, and support research into the nature of giftedness, talent, and creativity, and the education and development of gifted, creative, and talented children;
Disseminate the findings of research and provide a database for researchers;
Establish means for a continuing worldwide exchange of ideas, experiences, and teaching and teacher-training techniques relevant to gifted, creative, and talented children;
Persuade educational authorities to recognize gifted children as a category for special attention in normal educational programmes, and to cooperate with national and other organizations for gifted and talented children who share these purposes (e.g., The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT), and The International Association of Educators for World Peace);
Design, develop and organize activities, forums and programmes that bring together gifted, creative and talented children worldwide;
Assist educational system in capacity building and qualify teachers to work with the gifted and talented children; and
Provide guidance, counseling, and consultation.
Our Values and Beliefs:
Value Education: We value lifelong learning opportunities that respond to the needs of gifted, creative and talented students and their parents and teachers and are accessible, affordable, and of the highest quality;
Value Students: We value students as the primary reason we exist. We respect their diverse life experiences, value their achievements, and appreciate their contributions to our learning community;
Value Excellence: We invite innovation, support creative problem-solving, and encourage risk-taking;
Value Cooperation: We value teamwork, cooperation, and collaboration as a part of our continuous improvement efforts;
Value Honesty and Integrity: We believe academic and personal honesty and integrity are essential elements in our educational environment;
Value Freedom: To foster our virtual educational environment, we respect individual rights and the privacy of our customers, and encourage dialogue and the free exchange of views;
Value Fairness: We advocate fairness and just treatment for all customers;
Value Responsibility: We are all responsible for making our learning experiences significant and meaningful. We are accountable to our customers for the efficient and effective use of resources; and
Value Public Trust: We honor the trust placed in us by you to prepare our children for their role as productive citizens.
ICIE Fields of Work
The ICIE works in the following fields:
(1) All types of educational consultation pertinent to: Gifted Education, Innovation in Education, and Excellence in Education;
(2) Publications: Refereed journals (e.g., Gifted and Talented International, The International Journal for Creativity and Talent Development), newsletter (e.g., Excellence), website, listservs, …;
(3) Staff Development and Capacity Building (e.g., training programmes for school principals, training programmes for teachers, public awareness programmes for parents);
(4) Developing Curricula and Instructional Materials;
(5) Developing e-Learning courses (in cooperation with American and European universities);
(6) Developing e-learning systems for Schools;
(7) Conducting evaluation studies and research projects;
(8) Introducing Renzulli Learning System into the Educational System;
(9) Publishing books, handbooks, and other materials (e.g., Psychology of Creativity, Enhancing the Gift of Leadership, …);
(10) Developing programmes for the gifted and talented children;
(11) Organizing international conferences since 2008 and semi-conferences;
(12) Developing enrichment activities for productive thinking (k-12th grade);
(13) Establishing a national resource centre; and
(14) Developing the (English, Arabic, German, and Turkish) versions of a new creativity test entitled: “Evaluation of Potential Creativity (EPoC)”.
Conference sites:
Since the year 2005, the ICIE conference took place in different parts of the world.
Keynote Speakers:
ICIE Conferences’ Feedback
“Thank you very much for inviting me to the Congress and for the warm hospitality extended to me during my stay in Paris, Amman, and Dubai. You have done a magnificent job of organizing this event and promoting awareness about creativity and giftedness to the European community as well as others that were there from other parts of the world. I am proud to have been a part of the first, third, and 6th ICIE conferences and hope to continue to work with you in the future.” Joseph S. Renzulli
“"It was a pleasure to attend the ICIE Regional Conference in Dubai in January, 2012. The Pre-Conference Workshops – featuring hands-on strategies and applications – were well-attended, interesting, and meaningful. And the Keynote Addresses were all very strong. Clearly, participants were impressed with the quality of the speakers. It truly was a joy to interact with and learn from renowned scholars in gifted and talented education, the "at-risk" domain, and other areas. The ICIE family is growing, and the Regional and International Conferences are having a pronounced impact worldwide. It is fair to say that the ICIE has set a high standard. Overall the ICIE Conferences were very successful.” Ken McCluskey
“These well-organized conferences fostered the advancement of research and educational applications on human potential. The ICIE Conferences covered a rich array of topics and much food for thought.” Todd Lubart
“The ICIE conference July 2010 in Istanbul was a first-class event. The speakers were interesting, Istanbul University provided excellent conference accommodation and the social life was fun. Eating delicious food in a rooftop restaurant with lively-minded people, with views of the two great mosques and the lights twinkling on the Bosporus was unforgettable. Although it was hot, it didn't seem to matter, and I had a real sense of taking part in the life of the buzzing city. Excellent job Taisir and all who helped you. I really enjoyed the ICIE conferences and was very glad to see so many people I knew. Well done!” Joan Freeman
“The ICIE conference on Excellence in Education was an incredible experience. Held at the University of Istanbul, right near the center of one of the world's great cities, the conference featured experts from all over the world, experts who provided the most up-to-date research findings, both pure and applied. Both the conference and the environs provide me with memories that I will never forget!” Dean Keith Simonton
“To spend a few days with learned colleagues, in a historical setting such as Istanbul were East very tangibly has met West since Antiquity, was a conference experience quite out of the ordinary. Adding to the positive experience was also the fact that ICIE conference speakers represented a width of pertinent research from a variety of cultural backgrounds that is rarely seen in conferences focusing on the many aspects of talent, giftedness and education. It was absolutely a conference to remember.” Roland S. Persson
“The ICIE International Conference in Istanbul was another major success and milestone in the journey to provide better educational opportunities for creative and gifted students worldwide. I am always enriched by the speakers and critical discourse that happens in formal and informal settings. Kudos to Prof. Yamin for his efforts in making this conference such a huge success.” Fred A. Bonner, II
"I appreciated once again the opportunity that this conference gives to meet researchers and professionals coming from many different countries. It was especially stimulating meeting people belonging to institutions which is not easy to know by attending other kinds of conferences. It is also worth noting that the programme included both speakers and participants who took part to previous editions of the ICIE conference (so to constitute an element of continuity and tradition) and new lecturers and presenters (so extending both the set of topics addressed and the competences shared across the meeting)." Alessandro Antonietti
“The ICIE conference in Istanbul I have attended and, as usual, it was of a very high standard. I was made to feel welcome at the university and the event was managed professionally and with care. The keynote speakers were leaders in their fields, providing thought provoking lectures and there were some excellent papers presented in the many additional tracks that ran through the conference. As a creativity researcher I find this conference to be an unmissable and important annual event. I extend my sincere thanks to the excellent ICIE organisers.” Lee Martin
“I experienced the ICIE conference as very stimulating, and liked the motivated participants in my workshops. This was motivating for me as well, and intensified my ideas for further developing the workshops on PBL. The keynote seemingly resulted in several important questions that have been posed in the following discussion. Certainly, more time would have been required for further elaborating the answers to these questions. May be, there could be a short interactive phase after each presentation/ keynote at the next conference. For, it was the most inspiring and interesting ICIE conference so far. Thank you for the great organization.” Heinz Neber
“The ICIE international conference in Istanbul was a great opportunity for me to meet many friends I otherwise have hardly chance to meet. It was also quite amazing to see that many Turkish scholars, mainly graduate students, had participated, in spite of the late hour. The conference was well organized, and its location was indeed excellent. In spite of the heavy lecture-load the participants had time for sight-seeing, and enjoyed the pleasures of the great city – Istanbul. Thanks for this excellent conference.” Hanna David
“It was very interesting the congress you have organized. Great names in the field of giftedness and creativity!! Congratulations!” Sara Ibérico Nogueira and Leonor Almeida
“Congratulations for a very well-planned, informative, and stimulating conference. I'll give it a rating of 10 on a ten-point scale; one of the best international conferences I have attended.” Flor Reyes
“The conference was really very useful, interesting and valuable. I will share the new ideas with my university colleagues.” Daiva Karkockiene
“... what a powerful job you all did in Paris, Ulm, Athens, Amman, Dubai, and Istanbul ... I can't tell you how much I appreciate being part of the move and I hope I may contribute to its energy! Congratulations to you and everyone involved .... Thank you so much for involving me ... I deeply appreciate the honor and opportunity ... it was great ... not soon forgotten .... Trevor J. Tebbs
“Thank you very much for the wonderful conference.” Vladislav Rajkovic
“Thank you for the wonderful ICIE conference. It was a pleasure to meet fellow colleagues from around the globe. Especially those who are working with or for the gifted pupils.” Ruta Gouriou
“I really enjoyed the conference, which I thought was well-organized, interesting and informative.” Ioannis (John) Kougias
“You offered all of us a precious opportunity to meet with this wonderful tapestry of academicians. Our days in Paris were wonderful and I believe that every one of us has won new friends. Your organization was excellent and I wish you more success in the forth coming conferences. Elnour Hamad
“Big name speakers. Inspirational presentations and talks. The opportunity to talk to people from other countries about their work. The time and opportunity we had to discuss amongst ourselves what we'd seen and heard and to formulate plans for the future of our work.” Jane Maguire
“Thanks very much for organising such an excellent conference.” Patrick Costello
“I extend my thanks and gratitude for your organisation of ICIE Conference. It was enlightening to listen to some of the keynote speeches and the presentations which were applicable to my own interests and areas of research. Audrey Beaumont
“Thanks for making the conference interesting and enjoyable.” Lynn D. Newton
“I appreciated your extreme geniality and inspiring professionalism which were instrumental to the success of the Conference.” Miloud Barkaoui
"For an interdisciplinary scholar like me the January, 2012 ICIE conference in Dubai was very exciting and encouraging. One thing that stood out was the deep thoughtfulness and intelligence of the delegates from the various nations. As an interdisciplinary scholar of creative intelligence I'm always appreciative of insightful thinking about the multidimensional realities of educational improvement. During question-and-answer periods after presentations and casual discussions between sessions it quickly became evident to me that the attendees at this conference were thinking on a higher plane. My impression is that their nations will be well served by their efforts to refine education in the future. Another highlight for me was the self-effacing altruism of the other keynote speakers. Unlike some forums, which are dominated by egocentric grandstanding, this conference was led by people who only have the best interests of young people at heart. Overall, the ICIE conferences stand out as today's most visionary, promising initiatives for educational improvement. I've found the ICIE to be one of the most visionary professional groups in existence. It's exactly what we need to grapple with the challenges of a complex, globalized environment. Kudos to the organizers!” Don Ambrose
“It is always a pleasure to come and join the ICIE conferences. The conference also gives an opportunity to meet old friends and discuss matter. Often meetings and discussions are as important as joining seminars and listen to talks. The composition of parts of the conference could hardly have been better.We paid a visit to a new school. The concept for teaching was new and interesting. The school had rooms for arts, experiments, sports, music, theatre and a cinema prepared for 3D movies. If I were a child in Istanbul I would love to go to the Okyanusu Kolejleri school in Istanbul.Students from the University were much helpful and gave me a great insight in what it is to be a student in Istanbul. I think the ICIE conferences went very good. You did a marvelous work and got it right. Congratulations!!” Christer Johannesson
Dr. Sandra K. Linke,
Director, ICIE,
e-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; sandra.linke@icieworld.net