Gifted Education

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Learning and Teaching

Gifted and high potential students require a specialised approach when it comes to learning and teaching to ensure that every student has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

This section includes information on the following topics:

Recognising and responding to diverse student needs

Differentiating the curriculum for all students, including gifted and high potential students, should be an integral part of a school's curriculum strategy. All students should be given the opportunity to develop their full potential. For most students the regular classroom program will provide appropriate challenge. For gifted and high potential learners special provision must be made in the regular classroom if they are to have the same exciting and challenging learning experiences as their peers. Gifted and high potential students need the opportunity to learn at a faster pace and need less time on curriculum basics and revision.

Underlying issues

The student's personality and environment can help or hinder the translation of potential into performance (Gross 1999).

Underachieving gifted students may score poorly on achievement tests. Differences in cultural experiences, values and beliefs have important implications for designing appropriate assessment and instructional programs. Different cultures may value different learning styles, modes of perception, and cognitive behaviours. Curriculum should be sensitive to these cultural differences. (Frasier 1997; Van Tassel Baska 1998).

Some groups of girls are more likely to mask their ability particularly as they approach adolescence and are more likely to reject participation in gifted programs. (Willy, Grager-Loidl and Supplee 2000) (Lee 2000; Kerr 2000).

Some groups of boys may resist identification due to their perception of what is acceptable male behaviour. Often learning is understood to be a feminine construct. Connell (2000) argues that it is common for boys in Australian schools to protest against curriculum, teaching and school organisation.

Pacing and depth

Gifted students require:

  • Minimal repetition: Research indicates that gifted and high potential students are more likely to retain science and maths content accurately when taught two to three times faster than normal class pace. They are more likely to forget or incorrectly learn with more than two to three revision hits. (Rogers1991) Excessive repetition should be avoided.
  • High expectations with no upper limit: High level, open-ended tasks support this. There should be no upper limit on expectation.
  • More extended and involved, advanced level tasks: Research or extended projects requiring high level thinking, evaluating, synthesising and creating.