Supporting gifted and talented students - an overview
Why is the issue important?
It is now generally recognised that gifted and talented students are as vulnerable a group in schools as pupils with Special Educational Needs. To reach their full potential, very able children need appropriate learning opportunities and focused teaching that builds on what they know and can do already and which presents them with new challenges. Schools in England are now required to indicate on a national register, which of their pupils are gifted and talented, and to make appropriate provision for them. To do this, schools need to understand how to identify and support highly able children, including the hidden gifted or underachievers – particularly children from disadvantaged backgrounds and those for whom English is not their first language.
What did the research show?
Gifted and talented students are identified through testing (intelligence, achievement and creativity) and/or nomination (by teachers, parents, and/or pupils), but focusing on positive behaviours and achievements may fail to reveal some gifted and talented students, including able underachievers. Strategies for meeting the needs of gifted and talented students fall into two main approaches – special and inclusive. As strategies that separate out individual gifted and talented pupils from the mainstream class run the risk of making them feel isolated from their peers, increasingly, emphasis is being placed on the provision of differentiated activities within the classroom.
How was this achieved?
There are two distinct types of differentiation: enrichment and acceleration. Enrichment activities that form part of classroom learning aim to increase variety and/or pace of learning. They may include using higher order thinking skills, developing students’ enquiry and problem solving skills, and encouraging student independence and intellectual risk-taking. Some schools provide enrichment activities outside the classroom, such as field trips, independent research projects, summer schools and artistic, creative, and cultural events. While enrichment involves increasing the breadth and depth of specific curriculum areas and subjects the student is already following as part of the normal curriculum, acceleration refers to strategies that involve structuring the learning process in a way that leads to accelerated attainment or performance.
How was the research designed to be trustworthy?
The researchers conducted a review of research. They adopted a systematic approach to searching, selecting and analysing the literature – identifying empirical studies and theoretical articles through searching a range of sources, such as university library catalogues and government reports. The researchers created and used a template to classify and explore the research in relation to key themes, such as: identification, inclusion, special provision and differentiated approaches to teaching and learning. They described and analysed what different approaches to gifted and talented education set out to do, rather than evaluate the effectiveness of the approaches, although they did identify the evidence that was most securely based.
What are the implications?
The findings suggest:
- revisiting the approaches schools use to identify gifted and talented students
- providing activities that appeal to differently gifted and talented students (creative, artistic, academic etc)
- the importance of identifying what students know and can do already in order to personalise learning, for example, through constructing diagnostic tests
- the value of in-class enrichment activities.
What do the case studies illustrate?
The case studies show:
- three different ways of identifying gifted and talented pupils, that help to uncover hidden and potential talent
- an inclusive approach for gifted and talented pupils
- how peer coaching can help to tackle gifted and talented students’ underachievement
- ways gifted and talented students can gain from enrichment activities
- teachers’ and G&T students’ perceptions of accelerating the curriculum
- two ways of structuring group work that enable gifted and talented students to gain the most from working collaboratively with their peers.
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