Who are the Gifted and talented students, and are they always successful?

What do we know about gifted and talented learners?

There are different profiles of gifted and talented learners

Giftedness involves more than just high IQ scores

Gifted and talented learners do not always succeed at school

Profiles of Gifted and Talented Students

1. The High Achiever

2. The Challenger (usually creative)

3. The Underground student (who tries to hide their giftedness)

4. The Dropout (the classic underachiever)

5. The Double Labelled (physical, emotional or learning difficulty)

6. The Autonomous learner

Confusions & Contradictions

Definition of giftedness When is gifted, ‘Gifted’? - Arbitrariness of

selection criteria 'Gifted' generally refers to the top 5%

of the school population in academic subjects and 'talented' to the top 5% in other subjects. (National Literacy Trust, 2009)

Confusions & Contradictions

Definition of giftedness

Multiple intelligence theory (Gardner, 1983)

Traditional IQ definition (National Literacy Trust,

2009)

Confusions & Contradictions

Impact on students Research findings overwhelmingly

suggest that homogeneous grouping DOES NOT consistently help anyone learn more or better (Massachusetts Advocacy Centre, 1990; Thousand, Villa & Nevin cited in Sapon-Shevin, 2002, p. 38)

Organising children into high, average and low ability groups actually creates differences in what children learn by exposing them to different kinds of material. (Sapon-Shevin, 2002, p. 38-39)

Cultural challenges

Different cultures perceive giftedness in diverse ways

Difficulties in identifying giftedness amongst students whose first language is not English

Underlying dominance of power groups

Education Queensland Policy

Framework for Gifted Education - 2004 (Education Queensland, 2004)

Gifted and Talented Students Action Plan 2008-2010 (Education Queensland, 2007)

Genetic influence

In an egalitarian society, where everyone has the same opportunity to develop his “native” intelligence, IQ heritability is high, that is to say, IQ is more directly influenced by genetic

factors; and in a society where some can develop their abilities while others are held back by an unfavourable environment, IQ

heritability is low and environment plays an important role.

(Meisenberg, 2003)

Some Definitions of Giftedness

Our vision for students who are gifted and talented is that they feel valued in a learning environment which both challenges and supports them to pursue excellence and develop a passion for lifelong learning (Education Queensland, 2004)

Those who have one or more abilities developed to a level significantly ahead of their year group (all with the potential to develop these abilities). (National Literacy Trust, 2009) http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/database/able.html

Lack of agreement on definitions does not justify ignoring the needs of

gifted children (Commonwealth Senate Inquiry, 2001)

 

Are gifted and talented students always successful?

‘gifted students often resist doing their assigned work because it does not provide the challenge and sense of accomplishment of meeting that challenge, that would keep them motivated to work’.

(AHISA, 2001)

Gifts are developed into talents through the interaction of high potential in students, and of providing appropriatelyfor their education and future. (Ashman & Elkins, 2008)

An education system that adopts Gagne’s model accepts responsibility for the identification of high potential students, and of providing appropriately for their education.

Differentiation Model

Instructional methods to ensure student success

Questioning Explicit modelling Feedback Cooperative learning Alternative assessments Pre-testing

Instructional strategies to ensure student success

Posing opened ended questions that require higher thinking.

Modelling thinking strategies, such as decision making and evaluation.

Accepting ideas from students and expanding them.

Facilitating original and independent problems and solutions.

Helping students identify rules, principles and relationships.

Taking time to explain your errors

Assessment Strategies

Assessment strategies to ensure student success in the classroom:

Portfolios Multi modal contracts Exhibitions Projects

“To identify students who are gifted, comprehensive and ongoing strategies are needed as abilities are multifaceted and developmental, that is, they can become apparent at different stages of life”.

(Framework for Gifted Education, 2xxx)

Graphic OrganiserConcept/Scenario: Who are the gifted and talented students, and are they always successful?

Known or agreed upon Confusions/Contradictions

•There are different profiles of gifted and talented learners

•Giftedness involves more than just high IQ scores

•Gifted and talented learners do not always succeed at school

• Who are the gifted - Arbitrariness of selection criteria

•Traditional or Multiple Intelligences definition

•Impact on students of being identified as gifted or talented

•What gifted or talented means to different cultural groups

•Genetics and intelligence

Resolution: There is diversity amongst gifted learners and we will suggest that the most effective model for their success is differentiation of the curriculum. Modifying content, allowing for student preferences, altering the pace of instruction, creating a flexible classroom environment and providing specific instructional strategies.(Johnson & Ryser, 1996)

Gifted children are those who do things a little earlier, a little faster, a little better and probably a little

differently from most other children (Education Queensland, 1993)

‘Gifted individuals of any age defy tidy classifications’.

References

Ashman, A., & Elkins, J. (Eds.). (2009). Education for inclusion and diversity. Frenchs Forest, NSW, Australian: Pearson Education.

Association of Heads of Independent Schools in Australia. (2001). Submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Education of Gifted and Talented Children. [electronic resource]. Retrieved July 31, 2009 from www.aph.gov.au/senate/Committee/eet_ctte/.../gifted/.../sub034.doc

Bevan-Brown, J. (2003). The cultural self-review: Providing culturally effective, inclusive education for Maori learners. Wellington: New Zealand Council for Educational Research.

Education Queensland. (2004). Framework for Gifted Education. [electronic resource]. Retrieved July 26, 2009 from education.qld.gov.au/publication/production/.../giftedandtalfwrk.pdf

Education Queensland. (2007). Gifted and Talented Students - Action plan 2008-2010. [electronic resource]. Retrieved July 26, 2009 from education.qld.gov.au/publication/.../giftedandtal-actionplan.pdf

Gardner, Howard. (1983). Multiple intelligences. [electronic resource]. Retrieved July 31, 2009 from www.howardgardner.com/

References Johnsen, S.K., & Ryser, G.R. (1996). An overview of effective practices with gifted students in

general-education settings. Journal of Education for the Gifted, 19(4), 379-404.

Meisenberg, G. (2003) IQ Population Genetics: It’s not as simple as you think. [electronic resource] Retrieved August 2, 2009 from http://www.mankindquarterly.org/winter2003_meisenberg.pdf

National Literacy Trust Website. (2009). http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/database/able.html

Parliament of Australia: Senate: Committee: Report on the Education of Gifted and Talented Children. [electronic resource]. Retrieved July 31, 2009 from www.aph.gov.au/Senate/Committee/EET.../contents.htm

Sapon-Shevin, M. (1999.) Because we can change the world: a practical guide to building cooperative, inclusive classroom communities. Boston: Allyn & Bacon

Vasilevska, (2005). Optimising the learning of gifted Aboriginal students. Cited in Garvis, S. International Journal of Pedagogies & Learning 2:3

Cast of characters:

Daisy Daisy WeineClassroom teacher Lisa WeineParent helper Belinda

Captured on film by Twyla Weine.

Interviewer: Sharon RoiProfessor: Lisa WeineTeacher: Amanda FrostParent: Sarah Harney

Thank you to the above students for showcasing their acting talents. Particular thanks to Lisa Weine, her daughters Twyla and Daisy and good friend Belinda for their fantastic efforts in creating the film.