Gifted & Talented Learners
Every School A Good School (2009)
 The characteristics of a successful school
 Child-centred provision
 High quality teaching and learning
 Effective leadership
 A school connected to its local community
Every School A Good School (2009)
Child-centred Provision
 A school culture of achievement, improvement and
ambition exists – with clear expectations that all pupils
can and will achieve to the very best of their ability.
 Effective interventions and support are in place to meet
the additional education and other needs of pupils
and to help them overcome barriers to learning.
 A commitment exists to ensuring that all children follow
an educational pathway which is appropriate for
them in a school or through a collaborative arrangement
with another school, FE College or other provider.
Every School A Good School (2009)
High Quality Teaching & Learning
 A broad and relevant curriculum is provided for
the pupils, including through the Entitlement
Framework for pupils at Key Stage 4 and above.
 Teachers use adaptable, flexible teaching
strategies that respond to the diversity within the
classroom.
 Assessment and other data is used to effectively
inform teaching and learning across the school
and in the classroom and to promote improvement.
What does a gifted and talented
learner look like?
In small groups, agree on two sentences that
describe a gifted and talented learner.
What does a gifted and talented
learner look like?
The clichéd view is of a gifted and talented learner
who is competent, confident in his/her abilities
and who succeeds unaided.
It isn’t always like that….
In 1873 F. W. Woolworth got a job in a dry
goods store when he was 21. He would
not serve customers as he lacked
confidence.
In 1913, as a successful businessman, he
paid for the Woolworth Building to be
constructed in New York City at a cost of
$13.5 million in cash.
Temple Grandin, PhD, was diagnosed with
brain damage at age two.
She is now an associate professor at
Colorado State University and arguably the
most accomplished adult with ‘high
functioning’ autism in the world.
She is also a world renowned professional
designer of humane livestock facilities.
Maria Callas was rejected by the prestigious
Athens Conservatoire. At the audition her
voice failed to impress.
She was later gained world-wide recognition
as one of the most renowned and influential
opera singers of the 20th century. Critics
praised her bel canto technique, wideranging voice and dramatic gifts.
Guidance
 Learners, who are gifted and talented, have
additional needs and may require:
 Differentiated curriculum
 Support for making and maintaining friendships
 Support for coping with the emotional pressure of
greater expectations
 They may also have special educational needs.
 CCEA, with the support of NCCA, developed
guidance for teachers and schools on educating
gifted and talented learners. You can download
the guidance here.
Definition
In Northern Ireland we use the term Gifted and
Talented to describe those learners who are
achieving or who have the potential to achieve a
level substantially beyond the rest of their peer
group inside their particular school.
Those learners who demonstrate or have the
potential to demonstrate extremely high levels of
ability, compared to their peers across the entire
population, will be referred to by the term
Exceptionally Able.
Gifted & talented areas:
•
general intellectual ability or talent;
•
specific academic aptitude or talent;
•
visual and performing arts and sports;
•
leadership ability;
•
creative and productive thinking;
•
mechanical ingenuity; and
•
special abilities in empathy, understanding and
negotiation.
Talent spotting!
It can be difficult to spot talent so a robust
identification system is needed.
Talent spotting (cont.)
 Has your school got an identification system in
place?
 Have you considered how to support those learners
who are both gifted & talented and have a special
educational need?
 Have you considered all possible areas of talent and
ability?
 For further information the chapter on identification
starts on page 10 of the CCEA guidance.
Profiles
 Starting on page 80 of the guidance is a chapter
which outlines typical profiles of learners who
are gifted and talented.
 Use this to identify and discuss the learners described
in the pen portraits which follow.
Conor
Conor is 14. He is well liked by teachers and his classmates.
He has a neat and tidy appearance, is rarely absent from
school and never late. His ‘end of year’ test results are always
above average, (often top in his class). Conor is also an
excellent sportsman. He loves athletics and has achieved well
in competitions when running 100m and 200m events. Usain
Bolt is his hero.
When choosing GCSE subjects, Conor was unsure which to
pick. He is very able in Maths and is always in the top three of
his year group. His teachers recommended that he take
GCSE Maths in one year, followed by GCSE Additional Maths
in Year 12. Conor decided not to do this as he wasn’t keen on
extra work and was sure that GCSE Maths would be enough.
The successfuls
Conor is 14. He is well liked by teachers and his classmates. He has a neat and tidy
appearance, is rarely absent from school and never late. His ‘end of year’ test results are
always above average, (often top in his class). Conor is also an excellent sportsman. He
loves athletics and has achieved well in competitions when running 100m and 200m
events. Usain Bolt is his hero.
When choosing GCSE subjects, Conor was unsure which to pick. He is very able in Maths
and is always in the top three of his year group. His teachers recommended that he take
GCSE Maths in one year, followed by GCSE Additional Maths in Year 12. Conor decided
not to do this as he wasn’t keen on extra work and was sure that GCSE Maths would be
enough.
Identified by:
teacher nomination; diagnostic tests; summative tests; formative tests
School can support by providing:
• Accelerated and enriched
curriculum
• Time for personal interests
• Compacted learning
experiences
• Development of independent
learning skills
• Mentorships
• University & career counselling
• In-depth studies
Lauren
Lauren is 9. She comes from a large, close-knit family. She
attends a learning support unit attached to a primary school.
Her brothers and sisters attend the mainstream section of the
same school.
At the recent school sports day, Lauren won several races.
Although she didn’t always run in a straight line and knocked
into some other children because of this.
The double-labelled
Lauren is 9. She comes from a large, close-knit family. She attends a
learning support unit attached to a primary school. Her brothers and
sisters attend the mainstream section of the same school.
At the recent school sports day, Lauren won several races. She didn’t
always run in a straight line and knocked over some other children
because of this.
Identified by:
recommendation of significant others; interview; performance; teacher
recommendation; scatter of 11 points or more on Wechsler Intelligence
Scale for Children (WISC) or Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)
School can support by:
• Placement in Gifted & Talented • Providing alternative learning
programme
experiences
• Providing needed resources
• Giving time to be with peers
• Giving individual counselling
Rachel
Rachel is a bubbly 14 year old. She has two close friends
and is very conscious of trying to fit in with her peers. She
adores fashion and going out socialising with her friends.
Her written work is meticulous and well researched. She
regularly achieves good B grades in all her subjects. When
asked to answer a question in class, Rachel is hesitant and
unsure about committing herself. When working on projects
in groups, Rachel often has excellent ideas but unfailingly
defers to the suggestions of others.
To everyone’s surprise, Rachel won second place in a
national short story competition and a gold certificate in
Junior Maths Challenge. Rachel was mortified when her
success was announced in school assembly.
The undergrounds
Rachel is a bubbly 14 year old. She has two close friends and is very conscious of trying to
fit in with her peers. She adores fashion and going out socialising with her friends.
Her written work is meticulous and well researched. She regularly achieves good B grades
in all her subjects. When asked to answer a question in class, Rachel is hesitant and
unsure about committing herself. When working on projects in groups, Rachel often has
excellent ideas but unfailingly defers to the suggestions of others.
To everyone’s surprise, Rachel won second place in national short story competition and a
gold certificate in Junior Maths Challenge. Rachel was mortified when her success was
announced in school assembly.
Identified by:
teacher nomination; diagnostic tests; summative tests; formative tests
School can support by:
• recognising ability & giving
appropriate curriculum
• ensuring that ‘same age’
friendships are supported
• providing same-sex role models
• continuing to give university and
career information
Aaron
Aaron is 13. At primary school, he was a high achiever. He
was on the school council there and represented his class
passionately. In year 8, Aaron found that he had covered
many of the topics already. He didn’t always complete
homework. His standard of work in year 9 is below the year
average.
Aaron doesn’t make friends easily. Gradually, he discovered
that he could achieve ‘hero points’ by making a well-timed
quip during classes. Aaron argues back when asked to be
less disruptive. He has a strong sense of justice and during
these arguments will point out misbehaviour by classmates
that hasn’t been corrected by the teacher. Aaron is genuinely
upset by this and feels unable to let the point go.
The challengings
Aaron is 13. At primary school, he was a high achiever. He was on the school council there and
represented his class passionately. In year 8, Aaron found that he had covered many of the topics
already. He didn’t always complete homework. His standard of work in year 9 is below the year
average.
Gradually, Aaron discovered that he could achieve ‘hero points’ by making a well-timed quip during
classes. He argues back when asked to be less disruptive. He has a strong sense of justice and
during these arguments will point out misbehaviour by classmates that hasn’t been corrected by
the teacher. Aaron is genuinely upset by this and feels unable to let the point go.
Identified by: peer recommendations; parent nomination, interviews,
performance, recommendation from a significant non-related adult,
teacher advocate, diagnostic tests, summative tests
School can support by:
• Tolerance
• Placement with appropriate
teacher
• Behavioural contracting
• Direct and clear communication
with learner
•
•
•
•
Giving permission for feelings
In-depth studies
Mentorships to build self esteem
Cognitive & social skill
development
Profiles
The chapter on profiles gives a number of suggestions
of how schools can meet the needs of different types
of gifted and talented learners.
 Which of these does your school already provide?
 Which others could be implemented in the short
term?
 Which others could be implemented in the long
term?
Case studies
 From the ‘A Window On Special’ series watch:
 Autism, Art and Achievement
 Paralympic success
 Which were the strong points in provision?
 Which were the areas for improvement?
 Which ideas could be used in your school?
There are a wider range of case studies available in
the CCEA guidance starting on page 96.
Teaching strategies
Our PE colleagues are good role models to follow.
Able sportspeople are:
• Given special training programmes to follow;
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Not extra work at simpler levels…
Shown role models to follow;
Set short term challenges;
Given long term targets to reach;
Work with peers of all abilities;
Given opportunities to work or compete with
others at a higher standard.
Lesson design to ensure differentiation
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What content is to be covered, and when?
At what level of complexity?
How will the lessons be sequenced?
How quickly should you go?
Which strategies are suitable?
How can the experiences be varied?
Individual, paired, group work?
Varied stimulus…
Next steps
 How will you take this forward…
 …as a school?
 …in your classroom?
 List the actions needed.
 Assign a person to be responsible for
each action.
 Set deadlines.