Select Entry Accelerated Learning Program
Students, inclusiveness and issues
Gifted and high potential students are often not identified using conventional identification tools in the following areas:
- in low socio-economic areas
- in areas with high numbers of students from backgrounds other than English
- among the Koorie student population
- in a number of rural and regional areas.
Research shows that high potential crosses cultural, language, location, gender, and socio-economic boundaries. The SEAL population of the school should reflect the general school population.
Cultural diversity
Different cultures value different strengths. This will impact on characteristics observed in the student. Many cultural groups place the needs of their community before those of the individual.
Many conventional identification tools may be biased toward mainstream culture. Alternative procedures, particularly the use of non verbal ability tests, may help teachers identify students from a wide range of backgrounds and help in planning appropriately for these students.
In the identification process it is important to:
- establish knowledge of culturally valued talents (cultural indicators of high intellectual potential unique to a group may not be a central part of the dominant view of high intellectual potential)
- define gifted and high potential in the cultural context of each sub group in the community
- seek nominations from parents, community members, teachers
- administer tests in the student’s first language maximising opportunity for oral responses (see School Education Psychologist for appropriate tools)
- use multiple assessment procedures including objective and subjective data from a variety of sources (such as testing, inventories, checklists)
- consider motivation, interests, communication, problem solving, memory, inquiry, insight, reasoning, imagination or creativity and humour
- involve staff and students who belong to the cultural group in the identification process.
The composition of the particular cohort will impact on provision. Differences in cultural experiences, values, and beliefs have important implications for designing appropriate assessment and instructional programs. Factors to consider include:
- Different cultures may value different learning styles, modes of perception, and cognitive behaviours. Curriculum should be sensitive to these cultural differences.
- Curriculum should acknowledge the cultural context in which students and their families live, work and learn. Be aware of in-group differences and be wary of group generalisations when focusing on an individual.
- Support should be provided where there are gaps in basic skills and other abilities such as research.
- The cultural background of mentors or role models should be considered when matching students to mentors.
- Culturally-inclusive classrooms should be established and maintained, including ensuring that texts used by teachers and students are culturally diverse.
- Cultural competence, sensitivity to ethnic, social, racial or language differences in people are essential elements of a successful program.
- Trust and cooperation between parents and school staff are essential.
- All students and their families need access to seminars regarding post-secondary choices, how to obtain scholarships, academic planning etc. This may require provision of an interpreter.
- Cooperative learning where team work and group achievement is valued, as well as learning that promotes individual responsibility and achievement needs to be facilitated (adapted from Frasier 1997; Van TasselBaska 1998).
Gender issues
Schools should be aware of a possible imbalance in the ratio of girls to boys in SEAL programs. Research on gender issues shows that teachers need to be mindful of prevailing attitudes within their school community. Attitudes held by teachers and students may impact negatively on gifted and high potential boys and on gifted and high potential girls in different ways. For example research indicates that:
- a boy can get away with doing well academically if he is also good at sport or if he can convince others around him that school results are unimportant and that he doesn’t do much work. (Landvogt, Leader and Forgasz 1998)
- a girl is more likely to be perceived as hard working and producing higher quality work than boys yet teachers are still more likely to give the higher VELS scores and ratings to boys
- girls’ achievements are perceived by themselves and teachers to be a result of effort rather than intelligence – the reverse is true for boys
- girls then see themselves as ‘less able’ (Kerr 2000).
Transition issues
Workload
Learning expectations in a SEAL program will inevitably be greater than in mainstream classes. SEAL students are therefore expected to make a genuine commitment to the program. There will be an adjustment period for many students especially when it also marks the transition from primary to secondary school.
Self-image
This may be the first time students have truly been challenged or have interacted with other students who are similarly able. Some students might experience an initial lowering of self esteem. This may be appropriate, enabling the student to eventually replace an ‘over-inflated’ self-image with a more realistic self esteem. Schools need to be sensitive to this as students will need to be supported through this period of readjustment.
Parents of selected students will need to be advised about issues which may affect some children, and have the opportunity to discuss how the school and the home can work in partnership to support students.
Social relationships
For some groups of students inclusion in a SEAL program may contribute to an unacceptable level of isolation from their peer group. Care must be taken to consider each student individually. It may be more appropriate, for example, for a school to offer an alternate challenging program for some gifted and high potential students. For other students entry to a SEAL program will provide an opportunity for their first real taste of friendship with like minded peers.
Social and emotional development of students
Gifted and high potential students often deal with social, emotional and psychological issues connected with their cognitive difference (compared with their age peers). Social and emotional development tends to be more closely aligned with intellectual development than chronological age. This out-of-sync development impacts on dilemmas facing gifted and high potential students.
Gifted and high potential students are concerned much earlier with moral and ethical issues. Research (Silverman 1993) has suggested that as cognitive complexity increases so does emotional intensity.
Hoekman (1998) has found that gifted and high potential students who have never been challenged have much higher levels of anxiety, nervousness, and negative self esteem. When these students successfully took on a challenge that they did not think they could achieve, this resulted in heightened positive self-concept, motivation to learn, and readiness for new cognitive challenges.
Provision of a SEAL program goes well beyond curriculum differentiation. The program needs to take on board and address the social and emotional needs of these students. A staff member should be given responsibility for the pastoral care of this group of students.