former Associate Principal, Gifted Kids
In the last issue of NZ Principal, we ran the story of a programme for gifted children in Invercargill called Enrich@ILT (see ‘Enriching the Southern Stars’, March 2012, 27(1), pp. 6–8).The programme is fully funded by the Invercargill Licensing Trust with a small contribution from parents. This article outlines a national programme for talented and gifted children called Gifted Kids, a programme which can be widely accessed across New Zealand. The Ministry of Education (2000) advocates for a continuum of provisions for gifted students, ranging from in-class to out-ofschool options. We are encouraged to be learner-focused and to differentiate our classroom programmes for these students, but some needs are best met beyond the school gates. ‘The New Zealand Curriculum advocates flexibility and inclusion, but it is questionable whether our classrooms adequately provide for the needs of gifted and talented students’ (Ministry of Education, 2000). This is where provisions such as Gifted Kids (formerly The Gifted Kids Programme) come in. Gifted Kids is a charitable trust providing a specialised one-day-a-week programme for students and professional learning and development for teachers to help meet the needs of gifted learners. Gifted Kids’ vision is to inspire children to discover, develop and celebrate their intelligence and creativity. This article explores the benefits and challenges of specialist out-of-school programmes, based on the Gifted Kids Biennial Review (2011) and the perspectives of two school principals.
Benefits Gifted Kids offers a specialist programme delivered by specialist teachers. The specialised curriculum is tailored for gifted students, focusing on talent development, affective development, and complex and conceptual thinking. ‘The Gifted Kids’ staff has specialised knowledge and are able to focus at that top end. They don’t have to look at the whole spectrum,’ says Dave Appleyard, principal of Rata Street School in Lower Hutt. Students get opportunities beyond that which a school can offer.
Gifted Kids’ vision is to inspire children to discover, develop and celebrate their intelligence and creativity. They engage in learning that stretches them to capacity, such as working on advanced curriculum content, visiting businesses or universities, tackling ethical issues, and solving real-world problems. Margaret Civil, principal of Reporoa School (40 km out of Rotorua), comments: ‘Gifted Kids can give them time and resources, in particular human resources. For a busy classroom teacher to do that for just one or two kids is a lot more difficult. There are things that our teachers can do, but Gifted Kids offers another layer.’ Gifted Kids is a talent development programme providing
challenge in students’ areas of strength. The review provided the strongest evidence of increased outcomes in opportunities for: 1. knowledge growth in strength areas, 2. in-depth projects, and 3. challenging thinking.
Dave says, ‘It’s a different way of operating. In mainstream we’re looking at “What are their weaknesses? What gaps do we need to fill?” You’re looking at their strengths and their talents. “What do we need to do to strengthen and channel that?”’ At Gifted Kids, students spend quality time with like-minded peers. Research shows that like-minded peer interaction is one of the greatest benefits of out-of-school gifted provisions (Freeman, 1991). Gifted Kids alumni students provide more evidence of this in research conducted by Clark (2009): ‘It was easy to fit in and feel part of things and to make friends, which was a novelty to me and not like regular school where I was not really like the others.’
A student’s visual response to learning about the holocaust
Managing students being out of school – sometimes teachers and students worry about school work that has been missed, time away from friends, or clashes between special school events and a Gifted Kids day. ■■ Transport – transport can be a challenge, particularly in rural or low socio-economic areas. ■■ Costs – schools pay $15 per student per session and parents are asked to make a termly donation. ■■ Understanding who should attend and why – some teachers see Gifted Kids as a privilege and struggle to understand why the students that are going are not their best behaved or highest achievers.
‘It was my best time at school ever, the only time I’ve ever felt I fitted in.’ Sending students to Gifted Kids helps a school to better understand what giftedness means and to identify gifted students. Schools are an integral part of the selection process and this involvement helps the school staff cement their understanding and make informed decisions for their students. ‘It’s helped us to realise how uneven the profile of a gifted child can be. If you just use regular school assessments for identifying gifted children, it really doesn’t quite work. There are other things that need to be considered,’ says Margaret. Mainstream teachers can access the Gifted Kids’ teachers, resources and professional development. Gifted Kids provides free professional learning and development opportunities, invites mainstream teachers to several annual events and shares student portfolios with schools. ‘If the professional development is accessed or if the teacher makes connections with Gifted Kids, it can make them a more effective teacher back in their classroom and effective teaching will have spin-offs for all students,’ Dave comments. Challenges Clearly, there is much to be gained by gifted students accessing an out-of-school provider like Gifted Kids. The review showed 97 per cent of respondents felt that the Gifted Kids curriculum helps to meet special learning, social and emotional needs. However, such opportunities also have barriers and challenges. Challenges may include: Students engage in hands-on chemistry lesson
Wellington Gifted Kids students visit Victoria University
Overcoming the challenges Making out-of-school provisions a success is a matter of schools acknowledging the value of the programme and doing what needs to be done to overcome the barriers. As Margaret says: ‘Yes, of course there are some challenges and some barriers, but do we crash through the barrier and just keep going, or do we just build it higher?’ Out-of-school provisions, such as Gifted Kids, work best when the following things are in place. 1. Teachers value the learning and accept that sometimes those opportunities are more beneficial for that student at that time. It works best when teachers see that the combination of school and Gifted Kids is what their student needs. ‘Gifted Kids is just one of the things that we do. It’s an accepted part of our culture. And particularly too because the teacher values it then the kids value it,’ Margaret comments. 2. Teachers have strategies in place for managing students being out of class. Dave Appleyard shares some strategies used by his staff to overcome this problem: juggle groups so kids don’t miss out on guided instruction; recap the day missed and ask about the student’s day; don’t be hung up about work that is missed –acknowledge that they’ve had a good days’ learning. 3. Both school and the out-of-school providers are flexible, but also recognise that regular attendance is important for kids to settle and succeed. When teachers at school and Gifted Kids are flexible, communicate clearly, problem-solve together, and consider options such as a half day or a day-swap, this problem can often be overcome. 4. A school financially plans for sending students to Gifted Kids. There is a cost to a school for sending students to Gifted Kids. In return, their students receive specialised education for one-fifth of their school time and the staff are offered free professional learning and development. (Currently, Gifted Kids receives no funding from the Ministry of Education, despite the Ministry advocating for schools to access a range of provisions for their gifted students, including withdrawal programmes.)
There are many benefits to gifted students accessing an out-ofschool provider, but some effort and commitment is needed to make it work. When asked for her advice to schools considering
Ollie learns about portraiture
sending students to Gifted Kids, Margaret responded, ‘For us it has been really successful. Certainly, take the opportunity to go to the open-days and evening events and find out what’s going on. Give it a go.’ As education moves more and more towards a learner-centred focus, Dave’s thoughts go to the individual child. ‘For that student, Gifted Kids could be “the thing” that hooks them into learning. There’s nothing to lose and you should make it happen.’ References Clark, D (2009). ‘Student Voice: Perceptions of the Gifted Kids Programme alumni 2000–2007.’ MEd thesis, Massey University, Palmerston North. Freeman, J (1991). Gifted Children Growing Up. London: Cassell. Ministry of Education (2000). Gifted and Talented Students: Meeting their needs in New Zealand schools. Wellington: Learning Media. About the author
Joanne Bate was Associate Principal at Gifted Kids until December 2011. She has specialised in gifted education for ten years and has a Master’s Degree in Education, with a focus on gifted, through Massey University. She has taught gifted children and delivered professional development workshops around New Zealand. She has also attended several international Gifted Education Conferences. Jo enjoys travel, photography and spending time with friends and family.
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