Operation Houndstooth: Teaching Children to be Creatively Productive AND Responsible

I had an experience this past school year that really got me thinking about whether the curriculum I was using was adequate to teach my gifted students to grow into creative, productive and responsible adults. As part of a research project, one of my students decided to start a teacher recognition program at the school, which would involve students each month voting on their favorite teacher and providing that teacher with a goodie bag and certificate. The project sounded innocent enough, but without wisdom and responsibility, creativity can run rampant. The student decided that he didn’t care for a particular teacher, even though that teacher secured the highest number of votes, and fixed the voting results so that a different teacher won the contest. Word got out and the teacher who was slighted obviously was upset and asked that the program be terminated. There I was sitting in the assistant principal’s office, trying to explain how this project was meant to be a positive, productive experience.

Nevertheless, the experience caused me to reflect on what we should be teaching our high-potential students—and prompted me to seek answers.

What causes one child to grow up to become Adolf Hitler and another to become Mother Teresa? What is the difference in life that produces a Saddam Hussein as opposed to a Martin Luther King, Jr.? While these are obviously extreme examples, the answers to these questions, though we may never entirely know, should prompt researchers and educators to consider what roles schools may play in the development of influential leaders. The characteristics and traits that lead individuals to abuse their power and talents or use them to benefit society demand consideration, particularly in light of the gifted and talented. Operation Houndstooth Intervention Theory, created by Dr.  Joseph Renzulli at the University of Connecticut, attempts to shed light on the traits of creatively productive individuals, who contribute to what the model refers to as "social capital" or actions that positively benefit society and the well-being of others.

Operation Houndstooth Intervention Theory

Operation Houndstooth emerged from Renzulli’s three-ring conception model (Renzulli ), which expanded the definition of giftedness by attributing gifted behavior to the intersection of three elements: task commitment (motivation), creativity and above-average ability. Within the context of the Three-Ring model, Renzulli sought to understand the educational and environmental factors—or background components—that result in socially constructive giftedness. In other words, why does a student use his/her gifts and talents to help others and/or society in general? Through literature review and Delphi technique classification studies, Renzulli arrived at six co-cognitive traits.

1. Optimism
2. Courage
3. Physical/Mental Energy
4. Romance with a Discipline
5. Sensitivity to Others
6. Vision/Sense of Destiny

While Renzulli has determined six co-cognitive traits, he does not propose that one trait is more important than another, but that they work together in some combination.

While research on the model remains in its early stages, the theory provides hope that perhaps educators and schools can help young people develop the qualities that will lead to responsible, productive leadership. Though Common Core and academic curriculum hold a strong place at the educational table, and rightfully so, doesn’t it make sense to also focus upon the character development and qualities that could help to produce adults, not only talented and motivated, but inherently driven to help make the world a better place? It is for this reason that researchers should continue testing the tools and methods that might help students develop the traits espoused by Operation Houndstooth, and school administrators and teachers should be willing to experiment with various programs.

While teaching children to be optimistic, courageous, etc., may prove to be a worthwhile goal, the challenge lies in exactly how to instill these traits. Renzulli himself admits that character development programs, particularly those that rely on direct instruction, have historically proved largely unsuccessful. Renzulli also discourages forcing children into participating in service-learning projects. Rather, Renzulli advocates for a systematic approach, which relies first on students taking inventory of talents and interests, then having the opportunities and resources to pursue those interests through first-hand investigations. Through engaging in investigations and creating products for authentic audiences, students will learn these co-cognitive traits through direct experience.

During a recent workshop at Confratute, a week-long gifted education training at UCONN, researchers suggested that school administrators and teachers consider using the following methods to begin implementing Operation Houndstooth:

1. Consider the physical space/classroom. Can these traits be displayed in some manner in the learning environment?
2. Using literature to teach the traits through biographies and other text. Literature circles and class discussions can be held on literary characters and people throughout history, who demonstrate one of more of the six traits.
3. Journaling and writing tasks such as composing a thank you letter to someone.
4. Creating a romance with a discipline through exposing students through Type one activities such as guest speakers.
5. Allowing students to work on service learning projects.

Testing these methods, and others, will require schools and teachers open to the idea of developing the co-cognitive traits in their students and allowing researchers to document the impact. For Operation Houndstooth to be successful, it first requires buying into the idea that, as educators, we can and should be teaching the gifted to be socially responsible as well as creatively productive. Lacking in adequate research and specific instructional techniques, the question becomes: should teachers wait until we have all the facts—if we ever do--or should we begin to at least try to teach the co-cognitive traits of Houndstooth? Considering the cost of failing to instill values and wisdom in our future leaders and high-potential individuals, personally, I choose the latter.

Operation Houndstooth Articles:

https://gifted.uconn.edu/oht/houndst.html