ABSTRACT
Problem solving is an effective way of challenging gifted and talented pupils. Their interest is often gained by posing a question that is intriguing, and sustained by the motivation to puzzle something out. It can also involve different modes of thinking. A distinction is sometimes made between ‘convergent’ and ‘divergent’ thinking, prompted respectively by closed and open-ended questions; the former lead to ‘right’ answers which are the anticipated answers, the latter to those that are unexpected but still in their own way ‘right’. There is obviously a link with the different ‘types’ of ability discussed earlier. The distinction is a useful conceptual one, though in practice convergent and divergent thinking very often go side by side.
