Teaching the Very Able Child

Developing a Policy and Adopting Strategies for Provision

Belle Wallace

• Publisher: David Fulton Publishers
• Year: 2012
• eBook ISBN: 9781136627200
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

This introduction to the field of teaching the very able child provides practical help on meeting their needs within the mainstream school, and advice on formulating and developing effective whole-school policy. This book examines strategies for identification and provision which are in line with current government policy. It questions the definitions of the terms 'gifted' and 'very able'. The author encourages heads, teachers and governors to discuss and adopt principles which suit the very able pupils' specific needs. The book demonstrates how the whole-school policy can be put into effective practice. It also provides guidelines for checking that day-to-day lessons have sufficient challenge for the very able child.

The author, who is highly experienced in this area of education, has carefully selected relevant information which schools can use as a basis for their decision making, and offers an extended reading list for those wishing to read the topic in greater depth. The book offers a comprehensive and reliable overview of educating very able children.

What Do We Mean by ‘Very Able’?

Negotiating The Meaning: A Rose by Any Other Name?

In Excellence in Cities (1999), the DfEE refers to the top 5–10 per cent of the school population as being ‘very able’. However, this definition implies that this group of learners is easily identifiable within a narrow range of academic subjects. The DfEE document also refers to ‘gifted’ and ‘talented’ pupils but the meaning of the terms is undefined. Consequently, in this chapter we will explore the wider meaning of the terms ‘very able’, ‘gifted’, and ‘talented’ and then you will be able to formulate and adopt a definition that suits the needs of your school.

The comments in the speech bubbles reflect important issues arising from teachers’ discussions of their understanding of the terms ‘very able’ and ‘gifted’.

Share the comments among your staff for group discussion using the questions below the speech bubbles as a guide for your thinking. Make brief notes of your discussion, then take feedback of the main points from each group.

Don’t expect to solve all the problems! Just highlight the major issues.

I may have taught a young Len Deighton or John le Carré. I really don’t know. I’ve had some boys who have written excellent stories though. They had some potential because their stories were exciting and showed a creative use of language and intricacy of plot, although the grammar and handwriting left much to be desired! Letting them use PCs helped a lot because they could then work on their first drafts more easily to improve them.

How do we identify children in our classes who are revealing early signs of high potential? What characteristics do we look for? How do we plan our lessons to ensure that we give all learners a chance to reveal high level ability?

I had a girl in my Year 7 class who was on another planet in maths! Alice was different and way out ahead of anyone else I have taught. I learned a lot from her! At least I was a good listener and questioner! I managed to persuade some Year 12s to start a maths club in the lunch hour and, believe me, Alice gave them a good run for their money!

Have we ever met a child who ‘is on another planet’ when compared with other children? What characteristics did she or he show? Could we say with certainty that the child was ‘gifted’? What other factors must come into play before we can suggest that a person is ‘gifted’?

The kids in this school can’t afford extra music, art or dance classes. Anyway, most of our parents don’t see the value of those kinds of activities. 5o all the kids get is what we provide at school. Sure, there have been some talented kids with potential but how can they go further? Where would the money come from? And would their families support them?

What kinds of ‘disadvantage’ or ‘deprivation’ are manifested in the children we teach? If there is restricted access to and support for a wide range of enriching opportunities, how do the children demonstrate their talents? To what extent is the development of talent or high ability linked with social acceptance?

I’ve never had a ‘gifted’ child In my class, don’t really know what ‘gifted’ means unless it means a little genius like Mozart. I’ve had very clever children though who have stood out from the rest of the class. But I don’t believe in labelling children this or the other. I try to meet their needs as best I can.

To what extent is it possible to diagnose a child as ‘gifted’? Is the task of the teacher only to diagnose current needs, supporting those needs as best we can? To what extent should we be concerned about a learner’s future needs?

I like to think that all the children in my class are ‘gifted’ in some way. I tell them all that they are capable and worthwhile and I like to give everyone a merit badge for achieving or doing something well. It’s important that all children feel they are ‘special’ in some way.

How can we help all children to feel that they are worthwhile as individuals and also have something to contribute to society? How can we help children to openly acknowledge and accept individual differences in the classroom?

Some children come confidently into school, are able to speak fluently and able to do a lot of things for themselves. Others are very shy and reluctant and take a long time to gain confidence. When they do, they surge ahead of the others and show themselves to be very bright when they feel secure and safe.

How important is self-confidence and security when it comes to children feeling they can reveal their particular strengths and weaknesses? In what ways can the home background provide learners with a good start? What are some of the characteristics of the children we would diagnose as late starters?

This is a very poor area economically and socially there are many problems caused by poverty and street violence. I don’t expect to find exceptionally able children in this school. They don’t show any signs of unusual potential. My priority is to deal with the many emotional and social problems in my class.

In our school, is the identification of the very able masked by other more pressing problems? What are the general expectations of the staff with regard to the more able pupils?

This is a very professional area, and we have a lot of very able children. The parents expect very high standards for the children who come here and we have a long waiting list for school entry. We still have the 11+ system operating and most of our children pass and go on to the ‘Royal’. Our National Curriculum test results are always very good so we must be doing quite well.

How important is the home background of the children in the development of high-level ability? How justifiable is it to say that high ability is mainly found in children from high socio-economic areas? Is ability the result of ‘nature’ or ‘nurture’ or both? Can curriculum test scores indicate high ability?

I had a girl who used to stay behind when the others had gone out for break. She would chat about the newspaper headlines of the day. Often I hadn’t looked at my newspaper so we organised a time after school when we would talk about world news. She would help me to prepare the apparatus I needed for experiments I was organising for the following day. Her general knowledge of world affairs was amazing! But she was very quiet in class. She just coped with everything that was put her way without complaining.

How does our school encourage learners to establish a trust relationship with at least one teacher or mentor? How can we identify those children who are too polite or shy to ask for more challenging work? How can we diagnose the pupils who are coasting along?

I had a very disruptive boy who was the class fool. His aim was to be the centre of attention all the time. I was at my wit’s end until we got a fully equipped computer suite. Then th...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• For Teachers, Parents and Children
• Introduction
• 1. What Do We Mean by ‘Very Able’?
• 2. Analysing and Diagnosing the Needs of Very Able Children, Teachers and Parents
• 3. Using our Professional Judgements to Diagnose Pupils’ Needs
• 4. Differentiating and Extending Opportunities in the Classroom
• 5. Conclusion: Preparing a School Policy for Very Able Pupils
• Appendix A: Definitions of Giftedness
• Appendix B: Photocopiable Resources
• Bibliography
• Index