Gifted and Talented Education from A-Z

Jacquie Buttriss, Ann Callander, Buttriss, Callander

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2014
• eBook ISBN:
  9781134022779
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

This quick reference guide contains comprehensive listings and definitions of common terms in able, gifted and talented education, as well as other aspects that you might need to learn about, find or use – all in a teacher-friendly format. It includes:

• clear and concise definitions that translate jargon into plain English
• a 'who's who' guide of gifted and talented education explaining the contribution of major experts and theorists
• alphabetical listings of organisations, resources, suppliers and websites
• full cross-referencing so you can find your answers quickly.

A–Z Glossary of Gifted and Talented Education

A

Accelerated Learning

Accelerated Learning synthesises ideas about intelligence, thinking and learning and was developed by Colin Rose (see Who’s Who) into teaching techniques for use in schools, drawing upon such areas of research as:

• the theory of Multiple Intelligences;
• preferred learning styles;
• creating a supportive learning environment;
• enhancing self-esteem;
• retaining and recalling information;
• enhancing memory and motivation.

The Accelerated Learning approach encompasses a belief that all learners can reach a level of achievement which may seem beyond them.

Accelerated learning cycle

This cycle provides a meaningful structure to the process of learning, but it is not meant to be a straitjacket for every learning opportunity. There are seven stages to the cycle:

• Stage One – Connect the learning. This involves giving children the opportunity to relate their previous learning to their present learning experience. It helps to identify what they have already learned and understood.
• Stage Two – The Big Picture. At this stage an overview of the lesson is given and key ideas and vocabulary are introduced.
• Stage Three – Describe the outcomes. It is important to share the lesson objectives with pupils, describing what should be achieved by the end of the lesson.
• Stage Four – Give the input. This involves giving children the opportunity to use their own preferred learning style, such as VAK – visual, auditory and kinaesthetic – styles of teaching and learning (see separate entries).
• Stage Five – Activity. The activity should incorporate the use of different intelligences, use interactive and collaborative learning experiences and provide a balance of VAK styles of learning.
• Stage Six – Demonstrate understanding. It is important that pupils are given opportunities to show their conceptual understanding of a topic throughout the lesson.
• Stage Seven – Review for recall and retention. There need to be regular review sessions during and at the end of each lesson. The ideal review cycle for recall and retention of information is: during the lesson – at the end of the lesson – within 24 hours-within one week – within one month – within six months-within one year.

Acceleration

Acceleration is the practice of arranging for pupils to work for all, or part of their time with pupils in a higher year group. If this cannot be arranged, acceleration can take the form of allowing children to work on curriculum materials designed for older pupils. When considering acceleration, it is important to make provision for the all-round development of children as well as making provision for the area in which they excel.

ACTS

ACTS is the acronym for Activating Children’s Thinking Skills, a project which aims to promote the development of thinking skills in ordinary classrooms at Key Stage 2 by doing the following:

• using an infusion approach – infusing subject content with the teaching of relevant thinking skills in an explicit way;
• developing a thinking vocabulary through encouraging children to discuss, listen, question and reflect;
• using thinking diagrams to outline the sequence or pattern of an activity. This helps learners with decision-making and to understand the steps involved in thinking.

The initial project was directed by Dr Carol McGuinness and involved a group of teachers in Northern Ireland. Learning contexts were identified, then lessons developed where relevant thinking skills and subject understanding could be taught explicitly.

Advanced Extension Awards

These are tests specifically designed to challenge the most able 18-year-olds by requiring a greater depth of understanding, together with the ability to think critically at a level higher than is demanded by ‘A’ Levels.

Advanced Learning Centres

Advanced Learning Centres (ALCs) are an innovation pioneered and promoted by the National Primary Trust (NPT), that can organise training and co-ordinate funding. The first ALCs were in English (Advanced English Centres, or AECs) and maths (Advanced Maths Centres, or AMCs). These are now being extended to include centres focusing on ICT, Modem Languages, Drama, Art, Philosophy and Music. ALCs aim to cater for the needs of primary-aged children who show high aptitude in particular subjects or skills. ALCs usually take place after school or at weekends throughout the year, supporting children in their exploration and discovery of a subject and thereby enriching their learning experiences. More information about ALCs is available on the NPT website (see Organisations).

Aimhigher

This is a government initiative, which seeks to raise aspirations and improve access to higher education for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. A key focus of the initiative is to provide advice and support for gifted and talented youngsters in the 14—19 age group. ‘Strand One’ of Aimhigher concentrates on meeting the needs of post-16 gifted and talented learners.

ALPS

The acronym for Accelerated Learning in Primary Schools, ALPS is an approach to learning, devised by Alistair Smith and Nicola Call, that draws upon research by Gardner (theory of Multiple Intelligences), Jensen (brain-based learning), Goleman (emotional intelligence) and Dennison (Brain Gym). The ALPS approach provides strategies for primary teachers using accelerated learning techniques.

Assessment

It is important to clarify the difference between assessment for the purposes of identification of gifts or talents (see Identification) and assessment of attainment, related to learning objectives, or progress related to prior attainment. The assessment of gifted and talented pupils’ achievements is in many ways similar to the assessment of all pupils’ work, except that it may prove to be more complicated for a non-specialist teacher to assess the attainment or progress of those pupils who have exceptional abilities in advanced subject areas. Assessment strategies for gifted and talented children fall into three main types:

• Teacher assessment, usually linked to planned learning objectives, National Curriculum level descriptions or to other specific criteria. (Since the demise of SATs extension tests in 2002, additional assessment tasks for more able pupils have been provided by the government to support teacher assessment in Key Stages 1-3 in English, Maths and Science.)
• Standardised tests, such as baseline profiles, National Curriculum Standard Assessment Tests conducted at the end of each key stage, optional QCA standardised tests, or CATs (Cognitive Ability Tests) which assess verbal and non-verbal skills and reasoning abilities.
• Self-assessment, which requires pupils to evaluate and reach judgements about their own progress, learning and achievements.

B

BACE

The Brunei Able Children’s Education (BACE) Centre at Brunei University was Britain’s first university-based research and teacher-support centre for gifted children. BACE has links with international centres in the USA and Australia. (See Organisations.)

Barriers to Learning

’Barriers to learning’ is a term used in the 2001 SEN Code of Practice, to include a range of difficulties that may affect a child’s ability to achieve his or her potential. Gifted and talented children may experience ‘barriers to learning’ that could include:

• physical disability;
• a diagnosed condition or syndrome;
• English as an additional language;
• chronic illness;
• adverse environmental influences.

Gifted or talented children who also have barriers to learning have what is known as double exceptionality (see separate entry).

Beacon schools

Beacon schools were established in 1998. Any type of state-maintained school, in England, could be part of the programme if they had been identified as a high performing school. The aim of the Beacon school programme was to help raise standards by sharing examples of successful practice through partnerships between schools. Beacon schools could use their additional funding to offer advice and set up networks for the dissemination of good practice across a wide range of areas, including provision for gifted and talented children. Beacon schools are gradually being phased out and this initiative has now been replaced by the Leading Edge Partnership: Leading Edge Schools (secondary) and Leading Practice Schools (primary) (see separate entries).

Behaviour

There are two main types of behaviour difficulties associated with giftedness. The first is that behaviour problems can sometimes mask underlying giftedness in the disaffected able pupil. There are many reasons why potential high-flyers may not reveal their abilities. Some innately gifted pupils may be under-challenged in their mainstream classrooms, thereby lacking outlets for their creative and intellectual capacities. This often results in either a sullen or withdrawn manner, or in disruptive and possibly confrontational behaviours. Conversely, it can be very difficult for a teacher to identify a pupil with a negative attitude, low self-esteem or anti-social behaviour as a potentially gifted child, so this is a complex Vicious circle’. This may be further exacerbated if a pupil has a learning difficulty alongside his or her gift or talent, resulting in frustration, which in turn may cause negative behaviour patterns (see Double exceptionality).

The other type of behaviour which presents in some particularly gifted children is the type of alienation which may occur if the child feels in any w...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• A–Z Glossary of Gifted and Talented Education
• Who’s Who
• Organisations
• Books and Resources
• Publishers and Suppliers
• Websites