We all have one. Mine was called “Mrs T.” Mrs T asked interesting questions, pushed the boundaries of our thinking, listened to and valued our opinions, and trusted us. She was witty and sharp, a ‘rule-breaker’, supplying us with contraband chewing gum and a couch to lounge on while we read George Orwell’s Animal Farm (not on the curriculum in Mississippi in the late 1970s). Mrs T gave us 35mm cameras, took us to the old town cemetery for a shoot and then gave us the school’s darkroom as our lab for creativity. She even had a computer in her classroom! Because of her, three high school female freshmen became good friends, and eventually the school’s newspaper editors, honour graduates, school leaders, and so on. Many memories were made.

And Mrs T, as it happened, was my favourite teacher. She remained my inspiration as I sat my final examination to be certified as a teacher and had to write about my philosophy of teaching. It wasn’t until I began my postgraduate studies that I came to realise that the class Mrs T was running was the school’s pull-out enrichment programme for gifted and talented students. I have often wondered … is it the principles and practices of ‘gifted education’ that make these memories so strong, or was it something about Mrs T?

It seems fitting during Gifted Awareness Week to think about and reflect upon how teachers affect the lives of their students. What influence do teachers have upon the hopes and aspirations of gifted and talented students? What knowledge, skills, and qualities are needed to work with gifted and talented students? We can turn to theory and research for lists of the characteristics of ‘teachers of the gifted’ – see for example, a blog by Carol Fertig which highlights a range of personal qualities, social skills, and intellectual abilities.

I am often asked … do you need to be gifted to teacher the gifted? Research conducted by Australian colleagues, Wilma Vialle and Siobhan Quigley, found that gifted students valued the personal-social qualities of teachers more highly than intellectual qualities; however these two sets of qualities were not that easily dichotomised. As these authors conclude, “…teachers’ personal qualities are inextricably linked with the teachers’ intellectual characteristics and their teaching strategies.” Not surprisingly, Vialle and Quigley recommend changes to teacher education, but also careful selection of teachers to ensure those of gifted students have enthusiasm for both the subjects and students they teach.

There are consistent calls in New Zealand’s research (e.g., Education Review Office’s 2008 report) for pre-service teacher education and ongoing professional learning and development. Gifted Awareness Week provides an opportunity to reflect upon our teacher education programmes. Is it still the case today of the “one-off” lecture or reading on giftedness and talent? How can we support our pre-service educators to ensure our teaching graduates are prepared for working with gifted students?

What opportunities are available for ongoing professional learning and development? (We can ask the same question in terms of the “one-off” pd day or workshop!) How can we ensure all teachers have opportunities for ongoing support as they work with gifted students? What advanced study should be facilitated and offered to those with responsibility, interests, or passions for gifted and talented education? How important is ‘informal’ relationship-building, networking and support for professional growth and development?

And then I wonder … did Mrs T need any sort of specialised professional development or advanced study as a teacher of the gifted … or was she simply a gifted teacher?

Fantastic news from America!

The Awards Ceremony for the International Finals was held in La Crosse Wisconsin overnight NZ time and I'm thrilled that NZ teams will be coming home with an amazing 13 trophies this year!!

There were several new countries competing this year so the standard is ramped up every year.

The results:

Problem Solving:

Junior Division Education - Oturu School -

2nd Junior Division Individual - Hamish Hall, Kerikeri Primary School 2nd!! (Hamish was our first every Individual Community Problem Solver!)

Middle Division Education - Mission heights Junior College - 1st!!

Scenario Writing: Middle Division - Daniel coats - Christchurch -

3rd Presentation of Action Plan: Junior Division - Nelson College -

5th Junior Division - Cobham Int - 1st!!

Senior Division - Nelson College - 3rd (There were NZ teams in all 3 finals of the Presentation of Action Plan)

Global Issues Problem Solving: Alternates - Cobham Intermediate -

2nd Middle Individual - Hugo Lawrence,

Nelson College - 3rd Junior Division - Selwyn House -

8th Junior Division - Cobham Intermediate -

5th Middle Division - Tauranga Boys/Girls -

6th Middle Division - Tauranga Boys/Girls - 1st!!!!!!!

Three first places and three 2nds is AMAZING! I'm very proud of them all!

Today is the beginning of Gifted Awareness Week in NZ - seems a fitting start to the week.

Cheers Robyn

http://fpsnz2011.wikispaces.com/ for more information about the Future Problem Solving programme

How Not to Talk to Your Kids

http://nymag.com/print/?/news/features/27840/

One of my wonderful Cluster Directors sent this link to me today (thanks Tracey). The article was written in 2007 and asks us to consider whether praise actually builds confidence in gifted children or in fact diminishes it. We all know gifted children who refuse to attempt tasks if there is any risk that they might fail, even if the failure is only in their own eyes.

Many of you will be familiar with the work of Carol Dweck and her work on the effect of praise on students in New York schools. Dweck concluded that praise can have the opposite effect to that intended and that we should be praising our children for the effort they expend to achieve success, rather than attribute their success to high ability or intelligence. Dweck found that children who think that innate intelligence is the key to success begin to discount the importance of effort. "I am smart, I don’t need to put out effort." Expending effort becomes stigmatized—it’s public proof that you can’t cut it on your natural gifts.

Check out the following youTube links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTXrV0_3UjY (the experiment) and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jDVd-nCEYc&feature=relmfu (interview with Carol Dweck).

My MEd research investigated the impact of strategy instruction combined with attribution retraining on gifted children who also experienced significant difficulties with some aspects of learning. One of the findings was that students felt more positive as learners when their success was attributed to effort plus the use of the strategy rather than to simply to their 'natural ability.'

What do you think?

• … it is Gifted Awareness Week from 13 to 19 June 2011?
• … gifted and talented children are found in all cultures, socioeconomic groups, and amongst those with disabilities?
• ... gifts and talents can be demonstrated in a wide range of intellectual, academic, creative, cultural, leadership, artistic, and physical abilities and qualities?
• … some children can be gifted and talented but also have learning or behavioural disabilities such as ADHD, Aspergers, dyslexia or dyspraxia?
• … all schools in New Zealand are required to identify and provide appropriately for gifted and
talented students under the National Administration Guidelines?

BUT DID YOU KNOW THAT …

• … there are no explicit requirements for gifted and talented children in early childhood education to be identified or provided for appropriately?
• … only $1.2 million is allocated by Government for gifted and talented education this year? If 5%
of New Zealand’s school students are gifted and talented, this amounts to about $35 per child per
annum!
• … schools’ reporting for performance on National Standards to the Ministry of Education only
acknowledges those above the standard, but not well-above the standard?
• … gifted and talented students are not entitled to receive assessment and intervention services through Group Special Education?

AND DID YOU KNOW THAT ...

• … the schools identified by ERO as providing most appropriately for gifted and talented students were those that had received significant professional learning support?
• … giftEDnz advocates for the needs of over 200 professionals working with gifted and talented
children, young people, and those who support them?
• … you can join giftEDnz, a professional association aiming for equitable opportunities and outcomes for gifted and talented children and young people through advocacy, communication, networking, and support?

Did you know you can show your support for our country’s future leaders by saying YES to gifted and talented education?

You CAN make a difference!

Join giftEDnz: The Professional Association for Gifted Education

www.giftednz.org.nz

I'm an analytical thinker so when I hear catch phrases such as 'personalising learning' or 'engagement' my brain begins the process of analysing the language, considering its colloquial and professional contexts, and wondering how it will be interpreted (and misinterpreted) by those on the receiving end of the communication. Most recently I've been thinking about the term 'meaningful learning' and what it means within a learning context. I asked a few students the question 'What is meaningful learning for you?' and received varied responses:

"Learning is meaningful if I'm interested in it. Sometimes I'm interested because it's something I want to know more about for its own sake and sometimes it's because it will lead to qualifications that I'm interested in gaining."

"Learning has meaning for me if it leads me to take action. Some learning seems to have more meaning for the teachers than for me but I have to do it anyway."

"Meaningful - mmm. What does THAT mean? I guess it would have to be real - I have to be able to see a fit between what I'm learning about and how I can apply it in real life."

"This has to be different for different people. I love Art and History so learning is meaningful when I'm involved in something related to these areas because it's important to who I am. It's also meaningful when it touches me personally and respects my culture because that's who I am."

Dr Judith Boettcher addresses the question of what constitutes meaningful learning in her paper entitled 'What is Meaningful Learning? From Bits and Bytes to Knowledge and Skills in 15 Weeks…'

She suggests some of the following definitions for meaningful learning.

• Learning that changes one’s brain structure;
• Learning that supports and enables growth of more knowledge
• Learning that changes a person’s life. 

Meaningful learning, in short, is learning that makes a difference—in one’s mind and in one’s life.

It would seem that Dr Boettcher and the students share similar ideas about what makes learning meaningful - what are your thoughts?

Have a look at my 2010 Social Sciences class (year 10) website for an example of inquiry-based learning leading to social action.