WELCOME
Welcome to "Supporting the Very Able Child". This course will enable you to consider ways of identifying such students and help you to define effective strategies that can be used with them.
This course is divided into four modules:
- Definitions and identification - who are the very able?
- A whole-school approach to very able students
- Strategies for supporting very able students in the classroom
- Wider issues concerning very able students
As you work through the course, you will:
- consider your own and other definitions of gifted, talented and able students
- reflect on these definitions
- study various ways by which these students can be identified
- look at approaches to improve school provision for very able students
- research, discuss and trial classroom strategies for supporting them
- analyze some of the wider issues about very able students
PREPARATION
Some of the tasks in this course involve observing students who show very able behavior. You'll focus on these pupils and make specific observations about their development and behavior. Choose children who could be outstanding in one or more of the following areas:
- physical talent
- mechanical ingenuity
- visual and performing abilities
- outstanding leadership and social awareness
- creativity
- high intelligence
If you've chosen your students and begun to observe them before commencing this course, you'll find the content of the modules more relevant and interesting.
It is also helpful to read your school's gifted and able policy. If your school does not have an explicit policy, talk to senior colleagues about your school's approach to gifted and able children. This course will help you to create, refine and extend a new or existing policy.
Note: You should gather data about students or colleagues on the basis of informal consent. This means that all involved (e.g., students, parents, colleagues and School Board members) know you are carrying out research to aid you in your own learning. You should make clear what you're researching, how it'll be carried out, how the data will be recorded and what use will be made of it.
COURSE STRUCTURE
This is an independent study program which means your individual starting date and due date are based on your date of registration. Your instructor will advise you of this due date.
This is an interactive on-line course. Although you will be able to complete some of it just by sitting in front of your screen working through the on-line material, we will regularly ask you to reflect on what you have learned, and put ideas into practice.
- Activities - exercises or reflections for you to carry out in front of your computer screen. Unlike a Task, there is no specific end product, and you'll always be able to complete them on your own.
- Tasks - similar to Activities, but requiring you to put your learning into practice in a specific situation in school.
- Forms - use to collect the information learned.
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Resources -
a) RESOURCE FORMS: Has PDF forms to help you answer questions in the Student Books
b) RESOURCE FURTHER READING: Includes clarifications about the module.
c) REFERENCE LINKS: Has links to websites referred to in the module.
d) DEFINITIONS: Has definitions of terms used in the module.
e) BIBLIOGRAPHY: The bibliography is located at the bottom of this page that includes books you may check out at your local library.
- Student Book- for you to record your reflections and send to your instructor.
At any time you may email your instructor with questions or problems you may be having with the material or the web site.
How do I get the Student Book to my instructor?
You will need to email it to your instructor. Download and save the document as described below and then you can enter your own text into the Student Book word document. Your instructor will expect a version of your Student Book as you complete each module. These can be saved by you in your files as well as being sent to your course instructor via email as an email attachment.
How do I save and name the Student Book?
You cannot type your answers on this web site. You must download your Student Book template which is a word document, by clicking on the download link below.
For your Student Book, please use a text document or a Microsoft Word document and type your text there. Title the document like this:
- NAME OF CLASS
- NAME OF TEACHER
- YOUR NAME
- DATE
- MODULE1
[NAMEOFCLASS_TEACHERSNAME_YOURNAME_MODULENUMBER.doc ]
like this
6208_DRCLARK_JOHNDOE_MODULE1.docSave the Student Book on your computer and complete the assignments on the document and then email it to your teacher.
INDEX
STUDENTBOOKS
Click here to download all student booksRESOURCES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
REFERENCE LINKS
Module 1: Definitions and identification – who are the very able?
MODULE1A Intended learning outcomes for Module 1
MODULE1B Activity 1: Definitions of the very able
MODULE1C Activity 2: Recognizing the gifted, the talented, and the able
MODULE1D Task 1: Under-achievement
MODULE1E Activity 3: What to do about under-achievement
MODULE1F Activity 4: Gifted not just bright
MODULE1G Activity 5: Research-based methods
MODULE1H What’s your attitude to the very able?
MODULE1I What have you learned? Evaluation of your learning from Module 1
MODULE1J Congratulations
MODULE2: A whole-school approach to very able students
MODULE2A Intended learning outcomes for Module 2
MODULE2BActivity 6: A key question
MODULE2C Activity 7: Choosing a strategy for supporting the very able
MODULE2D Task 2: An audit of the provision for very able students in your school
MODULE2E Activity 8: What steps can you take?
MODULE2F Activity 9: Get SMART
MODULE2G Activity 10: Implications for managers
MODULE2H What have you learned? Evaluation of your learning from Module 2.
MODULE2I Congratulations
MODULE3: Strategies for supporting very able students in the classroomMODULE3A Intended learning outcomes for Module 3
MODULE3B Which strategies work best?
MODULE3C Activity 11: Cognitive levels
MODULE3D Task 3: Learning preferences of the very able
MODULE3E Activity 12: Differentiation
MODULE3F Activity 13: Teaching a lesson
MODULE3G What have you learned? Evaluation of your learning from Module 3
MODULE3H Congratulations
MODULE4: Wider issues concerning very able students
MODULE4A Intended learning outcomes for Module 4
MODULE4B What are the wider issues concerning very able students?
MODULE4C Activity 14: Conflicting views
MODULE4D Activity 15: A mixed blessing
MODULE4E Involving parents and guardians
MODULE4F Activity 16: Does acceleration for very able students work?
MODULE4G Task 4: Making a case for acceleration
MODULE4H Are very able girls and boys different from each other?
MODULE4I Task 5: An observation of very able students
MODULE4J Activity 17: Some observations of very able students
MODULE4H Activity 18: Are very able minority students unrecognized?
MODULE4I Activity 19: New ways to identify very able students from cultural and ethnic minorities
MODULE4J Task 6: Identifying very able students who are non-native speakers of English
MODULE4K What have you learned? Evaluation of your learning from Module 4
MODULE4L Congratulations
Module 1: Definitions and identification – who are the very able?
MODULE1A Intended learning outcomes for Module 1
By the end of this module you should:
- have considered your own and other's definitions of gifted, talented and able
- discussed with colleagues, reflected and clarified initial definitions of very able
- considered how to deal with under-achievement
- recognized and have the skills to identify very able students in your own school
MODULE1B Activity 1: Definitions of the very able
One of the main difficulties faced by education professionals and by parents is defining and identifying what makes a child gifted, talented or able. This debate has gone on for years and shows little sign of being resolved. Although there are many definitions there is general agreement that a very able person is someone who shows, or at least has the potential for showing, an outstanding level of ability in one or more arena.
For the purposes of this course, we'll use the term "very able" as a cover-all title to refer to children who can be regarded as gifted, talented or able.
To get you thinking about which of your students might fit into this category, read Resource 1: Characteristics of the very able.
Now think about the most able students you have met in school. How many of the traits or characteristics of the very able can you recognize in them? Read Resource 2: Definitions of the very able and consider which definition best describes each of the children you have in mind.
Record your thoughts and observations on both Resources in your Student book (1). Do any of your students fit into the "very able" category? If they do, which definition (from Resource 2) best describes each child?
MODULE1C Activity 2: Recognizing the gifted, the talented, and the able
One of the major challenges we face as teachers or teaching assistants is to meet the needs of all the children we teach. The vast majority of us are clear on what must be done to help those children who are the least able. But we often struggle to provide an education that will stimulate and stretch the most able, or even identify who they are.
It's important to realize that very able children are not a uniform group. They do not all show the same traits or characteristics, but rather a wide range of individual differences. These children often display more advanced abilities and application, but not always in a social way or within the school curriculum. In your Student book (2), make brief notes on any child you teach or have taught that you think might fit the definitions listed in Resource 2, explaining in what areas they excel and why.
Spend some time thinking about these children, as you'll return to this information later in the module to illustrate some other points about the very able.
MODULE1D Task 1: Under-achievement
We've looked at definitions of gifted, talented and able children to help us in identifying them. Yet many children who have great potential are underachievers and do not score well on tests or shine academically. Some very able pupils hide their ability because of peer or cultural pressures, becoming quiet in class and hard to involve. We must recognize the characteristics and behavior of underachievers if we are to help them reach their full potential. Studies of gifted underachievers have identified five levels of characteristics that are typical of such children:
- low self-esteem
- academic avoidance behavior
- poor study skills
- poor peer acceptance
- lack of concentration
MODULE1E Activity 3: What to do about under-achievement
Look at the profiles you've made of potentially very able underachievers. Consider what can be done to help them break the cycle of under-achievement. In your Student book (3), note your initial thoughts about some positive things you can do. Here are some ideas for a cure for under-achievement to get you thinking:
- careful assessment, by all educational professionals involved with the child
- improved communication between student, teachers and parents
- higher expectations from teaching staff and parents
- role model identification
- correction of deficiencies
- positive reinforcement
- patience, dedication and warm and encouraging support from school staff and parents
MODULE1F Activity 4: Gifted not just bright
Very able pupils are capable of an exceptionally high level of performance, whether across a range of activities or in a limited field.
Identifying talented children is still not easy. It's largely dependent on the type of testing used as well as the child's particular strong point. A high IQ score is a limited measure. It is good at picking up children who should do well at school, but it's unhelpful, for example, in identifying sporting excellence.
You need to take into account a wide range of factors to create a more accurate profile of a child's ability. The first thing to do is to differentiate between bright children and those who are very able. To help you to be clear about the differences read Resource 4: More than bright and study the comparison chart.
Now go to your Student book (4) where you will find the children you originally identified as very able and re-evaluate your assessments.
MODULE1G Activity 5: Research-based methods
Without official guidance, you have to rely on your own assessment to identify exceptionally able children. It's all too easy to have a fixed idea of what a very able child should be like and then overlook any student who does not fit this mental image.
You can marry your day-to-day knowledge of the children you've been observing with research-based methods to help you recognize very able students. Resource 5 gives suggestions for methods that can be used.
Go to your Student book (5) and make some notes on how you could use these methods in your school.
MODULE1H What’s your attitude to the very able?
You should now have an idea of what is meant by the term "very able" and how to identify very able children. An equally important factor to understand is your own attitude to these pupils.
Some teachers see them as a threat or as disruptive influences. In order to be successful with able children, a teacher needs to be "interested and keen to learn along with the student". (Freeman, J). Your awareness of how to bring out the best in these pupils will go a long way to deciding whether or not they develop the self-motivation, curiosity and desire to learn that will make them truly outstanding students.
Document your thoughts on this subject in
STUDENTBOOK (6).
BACK TO INDEX
MODULE1I What have you learned? Evaluation of your learning from Module 1
When you have worked through the activities and task in this module, please look again at the intended learning outcomes for Module 1.
By the end of this module you should have:
- considered your own and other definitions of gifted, talented and able
- discussed with colleagues, reflected and clarified initial definitions of very able
- considered how to deal with under-achievement
- understood what is meant by potential
- recognized, and have the skills to identify very able students in your own school
How much has this course helped you to achieve these outcomes? Make a note in your Student book (7) and e-mail your comments to your instructor.
Module 2: A whole-school approach to very able students
MODULE2A Intended learning outcomes for Module 2
By the end of this module you should have:
- identified what your school does to help very able pupil
- conducted an audit of your school's provision for the very able
- considered the most appropriate policy approach for your school
- an understanding and skills to write SMART goals or targets (Specific, Measurable, Achievable/Attainable, Relevant/Realistic and Timely/Time-framed)
BACK TO INDEX
MODULE2B Activity 6: A key question
Your work in Module 1 will have helped you to understand what is meant by the term very able and how to identify students who are very able in your school.
Now you need to think about what your school is actually doing for these children. Tempest and Freeman have shown that nearly all able children can develop successfully provided there's a stimulating educational environment and the teaching methods used are challenging. How successful you will be in helping these children reach their full potential depends very much on what steps you and your school are taking to meet their needs.
Reflect for a moment on your school's attitude to very able children. List in your Student book (8) three things you do as a staff to help them achieve at the highest level.
MODULE2C Activity 7: Choosing a strategy for supporting the very able
While there is no single correct way of supporting very able children, you need to ask yourself some key questions about the strategies you've identified.
Read Resource 6. It will help you to decide whether these strategies are right for the students you work with.
BACK TO INDEX
MODULE2D Task 2: An audit of the provision for very able students in your school
Now that you've identified three strategies and applied the key questions to them, you should be able to see if your school is on the right lines.
This task will help you find out exactly what your school is doing for very able students. Print off the questionnaire in Resource 7 and answer the questions it poses. Answer them yourself first, then give some copies to a sample of colleagues to fill in.
Then, using Resource 8: The very able child audit form, pull your findings together.
Document your findings with the other students in STUDENTBOOK (9).
MODULE2E Activity 8: What steps can you take?Now you've done the audit, you need to do something with the results. You've talked to key colleagues and shared your findings with them. So what next?
The first thing to do is to decide how to organize and build on what your school already does for very able pupils. You need a consistent and coherent approach that everyone agrees with. For this you need a whole-school policy. The big question is what will your school's policy for the very able look like? For example, will it stand alone, or will references to the teaching of very able students be included in every subject policy?
Go to your Student book (10) and list the pros and cons of both these approaches. Some thoughts to bear in mind are:
- If your school had a separate policy for very able students would class teachers apply it in different subjects?
- Does each subject have a specific set of thinking skills and so need its own policy statement for very able children?
- How can you ensure the different measures taken in your school for very able students relate to each other?
Whichever approach your school decides to take you will still need to monitor its effectiveness and the impact on the attainment of all students in the school. It makes sense if everyone is using the same format to do this. A good way to achieve this is to use SMART targets. Have a look at Resource 9 for more information about target setting.
Remember, when planning to put your policy into action it's necessary to set short-, medium- and long-term SMART targets. Use your Student book (11) to draw up one of each for your school
BACK TO INDEX
MODULE2G Activity 10: Implications for managers
(NB: If you don't have management responsibilities you can skip this Activity - click Next).
If the school's approach to teaching the very able is to be effective, the entire leadership team, including the administration and school board members, must be committed to its success and give it their whole-hearted backing. They should be accountable for ensuring that the whole-school policy shows dedication and support for very able students and provides a clear structure for subject policies or guidelines.
With this in mind use, your Student book (12) to answer the following questions:
- how well do all the staff in your school understand SMART targets and how to use them?
- how do you ensure everyone, including support staff, shares information about helping very able
- students to make progress?
- how do you encourage and sustain an ethos of excellence for all students in your school?
BACK TO INDEX
MODULE2H What have you learned?
Evaluation of your learning from Module 2.
When you've worked through the activities and task in this module, please look again at the intended learning outcomes for Module 2.
By the end of this module you should have:
- identified what your school does to help very able children
- conducted an audit of your school's provision for the very able
- considered the most appropriate policy approach for your school
- an understanding of, and be able to write, SMART targets
How much has this course helped you to achieve these outcomes? Make a note in your Student book (13) and e-mail your comments to your instructor.
MODULE2I Congratulations
MODULE3 A Activity 12: Using time twice
MODULE3A Intended learning outcomes for Module 3
By the end of this module you should have:
- an understanding of cognitive levels
- interviewed students that other members of staff feel are very able
- produced a differentiated lesson plan for very able students
- delivered a differentiated lesson plan to a mixed ability class
- a greater insight into how to help very able students to learn
MODULE3B Which strategies work best?
Ways of supporting very able children vary from school to school. They can range from teaching these students in withdrawal groups, putting them in a class with older students, sending them to out-of-hours school tuition, mentoring, assigning special homework, giving them enrichment materials and differentiated work, to setting classes according to ability.
Often, very able children spend most of their time being taught in mixed ability classes. The aim of mixed-ability teaching is to allow the students to study the same topic but at a level that is appropriate for them. There is a danger here that if teachers pitch the level of their lessons to students in the middle range of ability very able students will quickly become bored or "switch off".
This can be avoided by developing teaching strategies that stress:
- the development of thinking skills rather than the accumulation of facts
- the process of learning rather than the content
In other words, get students to use and apply information and not just soak up facts. Your aim should be not just to keep your pupils busy but to make them think. For example, it's better to challenge a student to find three different solutions to a problem rather than to solve three problems of the same type. Read Resource 10: A teacher and a very able student in a numeric lesson.
MODULE3C Activity 11: Cognitive levels
Benjamin Bloom produced a series of cognitive levels that help everyone involved in education to understand levels of learning and how they're linked. These levels are useful to keep in mind when planning a differentiated lesson, whatever the subject. The levels are:
- knowledge - the student recognizes and recalls information
- comprehension - the student understands the facts
- application - the student uses the facts/information
- analysis - the student explains the information
- synthesis - the student creates something new by using the information
- evaluation - the student makes judgments
The first three levels apply to all children, but the last three focus on thinking skills that you would expect the very able to show. Read Resource 11: Bloom's six levels - example 1 and Resource 12: Bloom's six levels - example 2 (devised by David George). These show how Bloom's six levels of activity have been used to make differentiated lesson plans.
Now apply the six levels to a lesson you want to teach.
MODULE3D Task 3: Learning preferences of the very able
One of the best ways to find strategies to support the very able is to ask them how they prefer to learn.
Ask your colleagues to put forward the names of students in each year group who fit the definition of very able used by your school. Using the questionnaire in Resource 13: Learning preferences, interview the children identified by the teachers. In this way, you'll start to build up a picture of which styles of teaching and learning these students find the most effective.
When you've finished the interviews, circulate your findings amongst your colleagues. They'll be sure to find the results interesting, and it should stimulate discussion about what's happening in the classroom.
You can reflect on what you've discovered by analyzing the results in your Student book (14). Are the children's responses very different or is there a common thread running through them? Do the older students have different views from the younger children? Is any one subject or activity more popular than others with very able students?
MODULE3E Activity 12: Differentiation
Whichever styles of teaching and learning you adopt in your school, it's vital that you offer students the chance to express their talents. You can do this by differentiating activities and having higher expectations of your very able students. For example, if you're working with an elementary class on re-telling a traditional tale they're familiar with, you could set the very able the task of making up a new "traditional" tale of their own to tell to the class.
Read the two original texts: Resource 14: My Pet and Resource 15: The Face in the Window, and the two undifferentiated lesson plans based on those texts, Resource 16: Lesson plan: My Pet and Resource 17: Lesson plan: The Face in the Window. Resource 16 is for elementary children and Resource 17 is for secondary students. Choose the lesson plan that is appropriate for the age group you work with.
Then, in your Student book (15), write how you would alter the lesson plan to make it more demanding for very able students. Keep in mind Bloom's cognitive levels while you are doing this activity. The key things to remember are that:
- very able students should be given more challenging learning objectives than their classmates
- they should be working at a quicker pace and exploring subjects in more depth than the rest of the class
MODULE3F Activity 13: Teaching a lesson
Now that you've produced a lesson that contains differentiated work for very able students, put it into action by actually trying it out with a mixed ability class.
You can reflect on how well it was received by the students by reviewing the outcome of the lesson in your Student book (16).
The following questions will help you focus on what happened:
- Did all the children enjoy the lesson?
- Did the very able pupils produce work of real quality?
- How far did you succeed in achieving your learning objectives/outcomes for the class?
- To what extent did being in a mixed ability class affect the contribution made by the very able students?
MODULE3G What have you learned? Evaluation of your learning from Module 3
When you have worked through the Activities and Tasks in this module, please look again at the intended learning outcomes for Module 3.
By the end of this Module you should have:
- an understanding of cognitive levels
- interviewed students that other members of staff feel are very able
- produced a differentiated lesson plan for very able students
- delivered a differentiated lesson plan to a mixed ability class
- a greater insight into how to support very able students to learn
How much has this module helped you to achieve these outcomes? Make notes in your Student book (17) and e-mail your comments to your instructor.
MODULE3H Congratulations
Module 4: Wider issues concerning very able students
MODULE4A Intended learning outcomes for Module 4
In the three previous modules, you've looked at how to identify very able students - how to build a whole-school approach to educating them and what strategies are best to support them in the classroom. Now it's time to get to grips with some of the wider issues.
- Should very able students get special treatment?
- Can being very able be a mixed blessing?
- Does acceleration for very able students work?
- Are very able girls and boys different from each other?
- Are very able minority students unrecognized?
The Activities and Tasks in this module are designed to help you think about these issues and give you some ideas on how to deal with them.
MODULE4B What are the wider issues concerning very able students?
In the three previous modules, you've looked at how to identify very able students - how to build a whole-school approach to educating them and what strategies are best to support them in the classroom. Now it's time to get to grips with some of the wider issues.
- Should very able students get special treatment?
- Can being very able be a mixed blessing?
- Does acceleration for very able students work?
- Are very able girls and boys different from each other?
- Are very able minority students unrecognized?
- The Activities and Tasks in this module are designed to help you think about these issues and give you some ideas on how to deal with them.
MODULE4C Activity 14: Conflicting views
Perhaps the most pressing question to answer is why we should spend time, money and energy on very able pupils. There's a view that if the pupils really are bright they don't need any extra help to succeed as they will automatically rise to the top. Many argue that teachers and schools have more than enough to do trying to educate pupils who find mastering even basic skills difficult.
What are your views on this? Read Resource 18: An argument in the teachers room.
Then read Resource 19: Arguments for and against special treatment of very able students which should give you some food for thought. Then, in your Student book (18), consider the following questions:
Why should overworked teachers have to make a special effort for very able pupils?
To what extent is it fair to say that many schools only pay lip service to educating very able pupils?
Why should society in general be concerned whether or not very able pupils receive the best possible education?
MODULE4D Activity 15: A mixed blessing
Being very able is not always a blessing. The failure of schools to meet the educational challenge posed by very able students can be stressful for the whole family, not just the student. It often results in behavioral problems, under-achievement and frustration. In fact, catering for the special needs of very able students is as vital to their progress and welfare as the special education provisions that exist for children who are suffering from any form of disability or learning difficulty.
Sadly, being clever is not seen as "cool" by many young people. This can mean that very able students become targets for teasing and bullying, which can lead to unhappiness and social isolation. Helping very able pupils to cope effectively with this situation needs a sympathetic approach on the part of teachers and a willingness on the part of the school to promote a positive ethos towards supporting the very able.
Resource (20) highlights some of the issues of how strengths have the potential to become problematic. After reading the Resource, think about the kind of behavior displayed by the very able students you work with and, in your Student book (19), note down examples you have observed. How you can do something positive to change the situation?
MODULE4E Involving parents and guardians
One way of preventing the social or emotional problems suffered by very able students is to involve their parents or guardians in their education from the start. Students spend more time at home than they do in school. Your school may provide a stimulating educational environment but there is little it can do in the face of misguided parenting. On the other hand, a supportive family can do an awful lot to make up for unhappy school experiences suffered by their child.
The question is, how do you help parents to recognize and cope with their child's ability? Webb and DeVries have suggested that setting up parent discussion groups can be a real boon. Parents of very able children don't have many opportunities to talk with other parents in the same situation. Discussion groups provide opportunities for them to swap "parenting recipes" and talk about their experiences. These sessions not only enable the sharing of specific information they also help everyone keep a sense of perspective on bringing up a very able child. By hosting these meetings the school is able to keep open good lines of communication with parents and provide a forum where invited contributions from teachers and other professionals, such as the school psychologist, school counselor, school nurse and so on, can be shared.
MODULE4F Activity 16: Does acceleration for very able students work?
Acceleration can take many forms, but it's usually taken to mean teaching a student full-time in a class that is a stage or grade above the one in which the pupil's peers are being taught. It can also mean:
- linking up with older, more advanced students for certain subjects
- vertically grouping classes so that younger students can work with older students
- taking extra lessons in specialist subjects out-of-school
- taking a distance learning course with a university while still at school
Research has been going on for many years into the effectiveness of acceleration. Kulik has shown that very able students really benefit from being taught in accelerated classes.
Despite this, many teachers and parents remain unhappy with the idea. Use your Student book (20) to explore the following questions:
- How does keeping a very able student in a class where he or she is by far the most advanced help that child?
- How might the older students react to the younger but very able student joining their class?
- What effect does moving the most able students out of a class have on the rest of the students?
- What other factors, apart from ability, need to be considered when accelerating a student's progress through the school?
MODULE4G Task 4: Making a case for acceleration
Now that you've taken time to think about the issues involved in acceleration look at what your school does:
Do you allow very able students to skip a year?
Do you set within classes or teach certain subjects in ability groups?
Print out Resource 21 and use the form to structure a few interviews with members of staff.
When you've completed your interviews discuss the results with key members of staff then, if appropriate, share your findings at a staff meeting. Your research may well lead to a change in the way in which your school tackles the issue of acceleration. At the very least, you'll have made everyone reflect on how they are catering for the very able.
MODULE4H Are very able girls and boys different from each other?
Gender is a significant influence on high-level achievement. Research shows that very able girls:
- are more prone to depression than boys of matching ability
- are under pressure to conform to stereotypical images of femininity
- do not make boys look bad by out-performing them
- will frequently underestimate their own ability
- are more ready than very able boys to accept the conventional expectations of their parents
- can have low self-esteem as a result of low parental expectations
The scarcity of role model women teachers in subjects like mathematics and science has also contributed to very able girls performing less well than boys of similar ability in those subject areas.
MODULE4I Task 5: An observation of very able students
Arrange to sit in as an observer in a class that has some very able students. Take with you Resource 22 to make comparisons on how the boys and girls react to the lesson.
To make your observation more significant try to repeat the observation in a different class or classes
MODULE4J Activity 17: Some observations of very able students
Use your Student book (21) to reflect on what you saw during your classroom observations.
What significant differences in the behavior or the quality of the work between the very able boys and girls did you notice? How far do you think the factors highlighted by research played any part in what you saw?
MODULE4K Activity 18: Are very able minority students unrecognized?
Very able students come from all cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Many students have special talents that are particularly valued within their own cultures. Unfortunately, these students are often not recognized as very able by schools and teachers. This is because if a student doesn't speak English as a first language they are likely to be seen as having special needs.
Are very able students from all backgrounds recognized in your school? Go to your Student book (22) and answer the questions there.
MODULE4L Activity 19: New ways to identify very able students from cultural and ethnic minorities
Most of the tests that schools use to identify very able students rely on the students being fluent in English and have a cultural bias. In your Student book (23) devise three activities that will help you and staff at your school to spot very able students from all backgrounds. The points below will help you focus on the kind of things you can do:
- use tests like Raven's matrices (the most widely used non-verbal reasoning test in the world) which are not
- completely dependent on a knowledge of English
- use a range of identification procedures that recognize and value other cultures
- value multilingual capability
- recognize how the student copes with life outside school
- recognize the student's competence in a variety of situations
- encourage the students to start their own projects and learning
- listen to what other students have to say
MODULE4M Task 6: Identifying very able students who are non-native speakers of English
Select some students who are non-native speakers of English who you feel may well be very able, but are not recognized as such by your school. Use the activities you produced in your Student book (23) to see if this is the case.
When you've done this, take time to feed back what you've discovered about these students to their teachers.
MODULE4N What have you learned? Evaluation of your learning from Module 4
When you have worked through the activities and tasks in this module, please look again at the intended learning outcomes for Module 4.
By the end of this module you should have:
- explored the arguments for and against making a special effort to educate very able students
- considered some of the problems that being very able can bring
- examined the arguments for and against acceleration
- explored the effect of gender on achievement
- considered the reasons why schools often fail to identify very able students who are non-native speakers of English
How much has this module helped you to achieve these outcomes? Make notes in your Student book (24) and e-mail your comments to your instructor.
RESOURCES
Resource 1: Characteristics of the very able
Very able children:
- have a wide vocabulary and talk early in relation to peers
- ask lots of questions and learn more quickly than peers
- have a very retentive memory
- are extremely curious and can concentrate for long periods on subjects of interest
- have a wide general knowledge and interest in the world
- enjoy problem-solving, often missing out the intermediate stages in an argument and making original connections
- have unusual and vivid imaginations
- can read from an early age
- show strong feelings and opinions and have an odd sense of humor
- set high standards and are perfectionists
- lose interest when asked to repeat task
Resource 2: Definitions of the very able
Gifted students are those with a potential to exhibit superior performance across a range of areas of endeavor.
Talented students are those with a potential to exhibit superior performance in one area of endeavor.
Able students are those who are quick to understand and apply their knowledge and skills in creative and original ways and are more advanced than professional educators would expect of a child of that chronological age.
Resource 5: Research-based methods used by teachers to recognize very able students
(Adapted from Ofsted Reviews of Research, Educating the Very Able, Part One: Who Are the Very Able? by Joan Freeman. See Internet Links for more information about this publication.)
- Don’t just rely on test scores or workbooks, but observe, first-hand, how children cope with particular tasks.
- Initiate subject-based discussion with small groups of children to find out the depth of a child’s understanding.
- Keep careful records in a consistent checklist format.
- Focus on particular aptitudes, rather than apparent general intelligence or positive attitudes to schoolwork.
- Talk on a one-to-one basis with children to find hidden talents.
- Use a second observer from time to time.
- Check that choices are not biased by social class, ethnicity, gender or handicap, etc.
- Make sure that all children have access to the facilities available.
- Recognize children’s efforts and techniques that attempt to overcome handicaps.
- Watch out for motivation and interests as clues to potential.
- Consider more children than are immediately obvious. Positively seek variety and look through the range of subject areas for children with diverse talents.
- Seek more than one opinion as to whether a child is gifted or not.
- Remember that children’s abilities change over time. Some develop later than expected while others show a sudden drop in achievement.
Resource 6: Questions to consider before choosing a strategy for supporting the very able
- Is the strategy flexible and open-ended enough to allow students to develop at their own pace?
- Does the strategy focus on helping students gain higher-order thinking skills, concepts and attitudes?
- Is the strategy more concerned with helping students than with making the school look good?
- Is the strategy likely to alienate students from their peer group?
- Will the strategy be detrimental to the students’ later learning, introducing factors that will inevitably be repeated, and lead to boredom?
Resource 7 Click here to download
Resource 8 Click here to download
Resource 9: SMART targets
Key points about targets:
- if a target is too large or complex it causes confusion and people lose interest so keep it precise
- if you can’t decide when a target has been achieved, then it’s not measurable
- if people can’t understand a target, then it isn’t achievable
- if you don’t have the resources available to allow a target to be achieved then it is unrealistic
set a fixed deadline for achieving the target and when the deadline is reached review the progress made
Achievement of a series of SMART targets would, over time, clearly show that your school’s approach to very able students was being successful.
Resource 10: A teacher and a very able student in a numeric lesson
Teacher OK Simon. Here’s one for you. My answer to this sum is 27. What I want from you are three questions that would lead to this answer. But, and here’s the catch, each question has to be more difficult than the previous one.
Child Well the obvious question is what’s 3 times 9?
Teacher Why?
Child Because everyone knows that 3 times 9 is 27.
Teacher Fair enough. So what’s your next question?
Child What’s 135 divided by 5?
Teacher And what is it?
Child 27 obviously.
Teacher I realize that Simon, but can you explain why?
Child Oh because five into 13 is two with three to carry. Carry it to the five. That makes 35. Divide 35 by five and you’ve got seven. Two and seven – two tens and seven units that’s 27.
Teacher You’re right, but now remember this last question’s got to be the hardest of the three.
Child Don’t worry it is. What’s the square root of 81 multiplied by the square root of 9?
Teacher 27?
Child Correct.
Teacher Would you care to explain why?
Child The square root of 81 is nine and the square root of nine is three, so multiply nine and three together and hey, you’ve got 27.
Resource 14: My Pet
When I was young my folks were poor and couldn't afford a pet
So they gave me a soldier ant – it was the best one they could get.
I loved that little creature and I kept it in a jar.
I’d take it out with me for walks but we never went too far.
It waved its feelers when I spoke to it and I think it knew its name
It even bit me once or twice but I loved it just the same.
I brought my ant to school one day but as we came to the gate
The school bully pounced on us, we couldn't escape our fate.
But for once I felt no fear, as Killerbrute was in my hand
I wouldn't run away this time I was going to make a stand.
I put my ant down on the ground and said, "Get him Killerbrute".
But the bully he just laughed and stamped on Killy with his boot!
The moral of this poem is not a lecture or a rant
Tell a teacher if you’re bullied, don’t rely upon an ant.
Resource 15: The Face in the Window
The Face in the Window
A teenage girl was home all alone watching TV on a cold winter night. The television was right beside a sliding glass door, and the curtains were open.
Suddenly she saw a wrinkled old man staring at her through the glass! She screamed, then grabbed the phone next to the couch and pulled a blanket over her head so the man couldn't see her while she called the police.
"You must come quickly," she gasped. "I think my life is in danger!"
She was so terrified that she remained shaking under the blanket until the police arrived in a blaze of flashing lights and howling sirens.
It had snowed a lot during the day, so the police naturally decided to look for footprints. But there were no footprints at all on the snowy ground outside the sliding door.
One of the officers glanced at his partner, raised his eyebrows and grinned sarcastically. "I guess she must have an overactive imagination. No one’s been out here tonight except us."
"Right", replied the other officer. "We’d better tell her to stop watching horror movies and stick to the Disney Channel from now on."
Both men laughed and made their way back inside the house – and that's when they saw the wet footprints on the floor leading up to the couch where the girl was still sitting.
The policemen looked at each other nervously. "Miss, you're extremely lucky," one of them finally said to her.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because," he said, "the man wasn't outside at all. He was in here, standing right behind the couch! What you saw in the window was his reflection!"
© Roger Hurn 2002
Resource 18: An argument in the teachers room
Teacher 1 [enthusiastically] Well, I don’t know about you, but I was pleased to hear that at last we’re going to have a policy on teaching very able students.
Teacher 2 [sighs] Really? Well, if you want my opinion, so-called very able kids should be able to look after themselves if they’re so bright.
Teacher 1 Oh come on. They’ll only be able to really shine if we provide the right sort of teaching and resources. After all, they do have a right to be given work that’s going to stretch them.
Teacher 2 Is that so? Well, I've got my hands full just trying to teach my class the basics. I don’t need anything more to worry about.
Teacher 1 Point taken, but the thing is, most really bright kids already know the basics. They just get bored waiting for the others to catch up. It seems a waste to me. We should be catering for their needs otherwise they’ll just switch off.
Teacher 2 Maybe, but the fact is I don’t see why the school should be expected to bend over backwards just because a few children with pushy parents think they’re entitled to special treatment.
Teacher 1 It’s not that, is it? I mean we all accept that children with learning difficulties should get extra help, so why can’t we do the same for kids who are very able?
Teacher 2 As I said before, if they’re so able why do they need special help? No, it seems to me that this school does a pretty good job of teaching all the children. We follow the curriculum and if a child wants to get on they can. Goodness knows, I’ve never stopped a child who wanted to do a bit extra. Mind you, it seems to me that some of these kids who claim to be so able are troublemakers. I’ve got one in my class at the moment, Darren Johnson, and all he does is stare out of the window all day.
Teacher 1 Really? I had Darren in my class last year and he was full of good ideas.
Teacher 2 Oh yes, he’s full of ideas alright. The trouble is he won’t just listen and knuckle down to the work I want them to do. He always wants to do things his way and he’s got an answer for everything. He’s a proper little know-all. Well, I’ve let him know I’m not having it. You might think he’s clever, but in my view he’s just another smart-Alec.
Teacher 1 If you say so, but we’re going to need kids with ideas if this country wants to stay ahead of the game. I mean, someone’s got to be the next Alexander Fleming or John Logie Baird.
Teacher 2 Yes but it won’t be Darren Johnson, believe me. Anyway, very few child prodigies ever grow up to be brilliant. It’s a well-known fact. No, if someone’s got a good brain on them, then it stands to reason they’ll make a success of their life whatever we do in school.
Teacher 1 I hope you’re right, but I’m not leaving it to chance. As far as I’m concerned, I’ll be doing my best to give the very able kids in my class the kind of help they need.
Teacher 2 Well you do that and I’ll be doing my best to make sure the vast majority of children in my class get the help they need.
Resource 19 CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
Resource 20 CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
Resource 21 CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
Resource 22 CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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ISBN: 1618213962
Author: Davidson, J, Davidson, B & Vanderkam, L
Title: Genius Denied: How to Stop Wasting our Brightest Young Minds (2005)
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0743254619
Author: Cash, R, Heacox, D
Title: Differentiation for Gifted Learners: Going Beyond the Basics (2019)
Publisher: Free Spirit Professional
ISBN: 1631984322
Author: Winebrenner, S
Title: Teaching Gifted Kids in Today's Classroom (2012)
Publisher: Free Spirit Professional
ISBN: 1575423952
Author: Bloom, B et al
Title: Taxonomy of educational objectives: the classification of educational goals (1956)
Publisher: McKay
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http: faculty.washington.edu/krumme/guides/bloom.html
Author: Clark, B
Title: Growing up Gifted (1992)
Publisher: Prentice Hall
ISBN: 0130944378
Author: Freeman, J
Title: Educating the Very Able. OFSTED Reviews of Research (1998)
URL: http: www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/ofsted/very able/able.htm
BACK TO INDEX
Author: Freeman, J
Title: Educating the Very Able: Current International Research (1998)
Publisher: The Stationery Office Ltd
ISBN: 0113501005
Author: Freeman, J
Title: Gifted Children Growing up (1991)
Publisher: Cassell: Heinemann Educational
ISBN: 0304324086
Author: George, D R
Title: Enrichment Activities for More Able Students (1994)
Publisher: Chalkface
ISBN: 1873562713
Author: Kulik, J, Storrs, A
Title: An analysis of the research on ability grouping: Historical and contemporary perspectives (1992)
Publisher: CT: University of Connecticut, The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented
Author: Seagoe, M
Title: The identification of the gifted and talented (1974)
Publisher: Office of the Ventura County Superintendent of Schools
Author: Tempest, N R
Title: Teaching Clever Children 7–11 (1994)
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0710078056
BACK TO INDEX
Author: Webb, J, Amend, E, Beljan, P
Title: Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults: ADHD, Bipolar, OCD, Asperger's, Depression, and Other Disorders
Publisher: Gifted Unlimited
ISBN: 1935067435
Author: Webb, J, DeVries, A
Title: Gifted Parent Groups: The SENG Model 2nd Edition (2019)
Publisher: Great Potential Press Inc.
ISBN: 0910707774
REFERENCES
These are linked in your outline to take you to further reading and any data forms you might need to help you answer questions
Name: The National Association of Able Children in Education (NACE)
Description: This organization provides support, advice and information on very able pupils.
URL: http://www.nace.co.uk
Name: The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)
Description: This is an American association dedicated to supporting gifted children.
URL: http://www.nagc.org
Name: Hoagies' Gifted Education Page
Description: This is a collection of articles and tips for parents, teachers and students.
URL: http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/