1. Gifted and Talented
Standards Tracker
S2:
• Promote good progress and
outcomes by pupils.
S5:
• Adapt teaching to respond to the
strengths and needs of all pupils.
Learning Objectives
• To understand how to
meet the needs of Gifted
and Talented learners
• To learn about strategies
for engaging G and T
learners and apply them
to classroom practice
As a member of
the G&T cohort,
write in your own
learning
outcomes for this
session!
2. What is Learning?
‘The mind is a fire to be
kindled not a vessel
to be filled’
(Plutarch)
8. Definition
• Those who excel in academic disciplines
are termed ‘gifted’
• Those who excel in areas requiring visio-
spatial skills or practical abilities are
‘talented’: Art, Dance, Drama, Music,
Sport.
9. DFE definition
Paired task:
What are the
key ideas of
this text?
What might
be lacking in
this
definition in
terms of a
school’s
provision?
10. Who Are the Gifted and Talented Pupils?
Word Association
Capable Inquisitive Able Challenging
Excited Learner Innovator Motivated Creative
Leader Risk Taker Independent Potential
Fast Learner Bright Accelerated Learner Insightful
Achieve Outstanding Advanced Spontaneous
There is a significant difference between a bright child and a gifted
learner …
Place the comments into three piles.
– Gifted or Talented
– More Able
– Bright and Keen
There are descriptions of both ‘gifted’ and
‘talented’
11. Some Characteristics of
Gifted and Talented Pupils
• They learn more quickly
• They ask searching questions
• They challenge accepted theories
• They are autonomous learners
• Divergent thinkers – they look for the unusual
• They often display a keen sense of
humour
• They have a vivid imagination
12. Quantitative and Qualitative
Approaches
QUANTITATIVE
– CATS SAT Results Exam Results Class Tests
QUALITATIVE
• Characteristics (e.g. Curiosity Creativity Problem Solving)
• Ability Type (related to Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences)
13. What are the needs
of Gifted and
Talented pupils?
Whole class discussion
14. Gifted Underachievers
• Bored and restless with flashes of brilliance or
interest
• High quality oral work but poor written work
• Poor test results but asks searching questions
• Dislike of routine work – often unfinished
• Creative interests or hobbies outside school but
not reflected inside school
15. Gifted Underachievers
• Disruptive behaviour in some lessons but not in
others where work is challenging
• Low self esteem or highly self critical
• Hostile to authority and able to articulate this
• High Non Verbal CAT score but lower average
16. How can I meet the
needs of Gifted and
Talented pupils?
17. BLOOM’S TAXONOMY
• Knowledge – Remember Tell List Recite Memorise
• Comprehension – Give examples Select Explain
• Application – Use Make Map Demonstrate Construct
• Analysis – Classify Break into components Solve
• Synthesis – Rearrange Forecast Create Compose
• Evaluation – Judge Give opinion Prioritise Criticise
18. Bloom’s Taxonomy
• Use Bloom's
taxonomy
- in order to think both
about the use of
teacher questioning
and the complexity of
activities in your
planning
19. Original Terms New Terms
Evaluation
Synthesis
Analysis
Application
Comprehension
Knowledge
Creating
Evaluating
Analysing
Applying
Understanding
Remembering
20. Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy
This can be broken down into three areas
for curriculum planning.
• MUST: Remembering Understanding
• SHOULD: Applying Analysing
• COULD: Evaluating Creating
21. What are the most
effective strategies
to use with Gifted
and Talented
pupils?
Whole class discussion
22. Beyond the comfort zone …
• Stimulating questioning
• Challenging tasks
• An element of risk
• Opportunity to question accepted theory
• A chance to break the rules.
• Exposure to experts
23. Features of Effective Classroom Practice
• Higher order thinking skills
• Development of expertise
• Exploration of alternative views
• Questioning that encourages creativity
• Problem solving and enquiry
• Connection of learning: the big picture
• Independent learning
24. Engage, engage!
• Envisage and organise
unusual projects and
approaches which
catch students'
attention and make
them want to explore
the topic
25. Enquiry-based learning
• Open ended questions -'fat' questions
• Structure work around an enquiry question
• Divergent activities
26. Learning Outcomes
• Give the students the opportunity to
demonstrate what they know, understand
and can do through a range of different
outcomes
27. Thinking and Doing!
• Thinking skills- encourage students to
think creatively, explore and develop
ideas
• Mind maps
• Different types of learner – VAK
embedded in planning and tasks
28. Planning Lesson Objectives for
Gifted Learners
• Add breadth: enrichment through a
broader range of texts and tasks
• Give depth: extension through more detail
and complexity
• Accelerate the pace of learning: tackling
objectives earlier
• Promote independence
• Support reflection and self-evaluation
29. Differentiation by Task -
practical suggestions
• Use an able pupil to recap on last lesson’s learning for
other pupils
• Many starter activities ask for students to come up with a
number of examples. A more able student could be given
a higher target.
• Start pupils at an appropriate level of difficulty on tasks-
allow them to decide: ‘Try starting at qu.5, if that’s to easy
try going to qu. 10…’.
• If taking feedback in lesson enlist an able student to write
ideas up on the board.
• Ask able pupils to model their writing/thinking by
explaining their answer/solution to a task to a neighbour
30. Differentiation by Task –
practical suggestions
• Use G&T pupils to provide the plenary. Alert them at the
start of the lesson to be ready to present their learning at
the end.
• Ask G&T pupils to come up with questions to ask during
the plenary to test the other students’ understanding.
• Use higher level questioning and direct questions at
particular pupils rather than waiting for the hands up
approach.
• Be ready to probe beyond the first question in order to
make them really think: ‘Why do you think that?’ ‘How did
you come to that conclusion?’.
31. Differentiation by resource -
practical suggestions
• Provide dictionaries and ask G&T pupils to look
up and explain definitions of key words or
technical vocabulary used throughout the lesson.
• Use unedited or full length versions of abridged
texts you are using with the rest of the class.
• Ask the school librarian to produce a reading list
of texts and electronic resources to encourage
wider reading or research around a class topic.
• Use a wide variety of texts and resources.
32. Using ICT in the classroom- a way
of tackling underachievement?
• Set a homework assignment for students to produce
a starter activity for the IWB- can be brought in on a
memory stick and uploaded at start.
• AFL- peer assessment- photograph students work
during lesson and project onto board. Students can
edit on the screen and discuss how to improve.
• Editing/reviewing work. Use Word to produce a good,
not excellent, response to a question. Allow students
to move text around on screen/ add additional
phrases etc.
• Tutor group time:www.agameaday.com;
www.wordplays.com; www.dailysudoku.co.uk
33. ICT for independent learning
• VLEs- virtual learning environments:
• Have more challenging and stretching
background reading/ research material/
alternative tasks.
• Upload examples of high quality work-
modelling.
• Allows able pupils to look ahead at the
curriculum pages of older students.
34. Encouraging and supporting pupils in asking their own
questions
• Question: How long is 0.9 seconds?
• That’s how long.
• So what? Well, that’s how long teachers typically leave
after asking a question before they expect an answer or
answer it themselves. That’s barely enough time to react
– never mind think about it.
• Question: What would happen if you left a little more
time, like 3-5 seconds?
• You give the pupil time to reflect, synthesise, evaluate
and provide more thoughtful answers.
• Question: What if you allow people to ask their own
questions? Think about it for a moment...
• Pupils who ask questions learn much faster than those
who simply answer them. Gifted and talented pupils are
able to take an overview of the topic and to look for
subtleties and connections to other knowledge.
35. AFL with G&T
• Why use peer- and self-assessment with gifted and
talented pupils?
• 1. Using peer- and self-assessment enables gifted and
talented pupils to learn how to create, understand and
apply assessment criteria and understand the quality of
outcome that they could achieve.
• 2. Peer- and self-assessment supports gifted and
talented pupils in exploring what constitutes a high-
quality outcome, and coming to know how to direct their
efforts and abilities to produce high-quality outcomes
themselves.
• 3. Peer- and self-assessment encourages gifted and
talented learners to develop the skills they need to
become independent autonomous learners.
36. Plan extension tasks
• Planning for extension tasks - model
complexity of activities
• WARNING: Avoid giving gifted students
additional writing tasks. Instead,
encourage them to communicate their
understanding in a variety of ways, giving
them responsibility for choosing and
evaluating the most appropriate method.
37. More Challenge - not More Work!
Avoid:
– Repetitive extension work
– Time filling activities
– Additional writing
– Helping others when task completed
– Starting points that provide no challenge
38. Para-professional
• Link the student with an expert or an
academic or secondary school teacher
with particular expertise in the topic they
are studying
39. Support and Opportunity
• Provide opportunities to develop skills in
other areas (intrapersonal/interpersonal)
40. Subject Group Task – 20 mins
(15 mins to feedback to whole group)
• Consider what learning challenges might
be set for a child who is G or T in your
subject – design a series of activities
suitable for G&T learners in your class.
• Keep this practical by linking ideas to
specific lessons you have taught or
observed last week – or better still to ideas
which you have for a lesson next week.
41. Individual Reflection – 10 mins
• Can you recall the session objectives and
outcomes? What progress have you made
today?
• In what ways did today’s session help you
address the standards?
• What challenges present themselves in
terms of G&T in your classroom?