Knowledge,
Understanding and Acceptance: If Only!!
Ken Imison
Parents
of gifted children do not have an easy time of it! For many parents, lack of parenting knowledge about developmental
milestones and what constitutes advanced development causes doubts about what
clearly is being demonstrated each day in the child’s development. The lack of support from relatives and
friends reinforces this uncertainty and then, developmental achievements become
hidden away for private enjoyment rather than incur what seems to be public
resentment.
However
as the interactions of gifted children with age peers increase, parents then
must deal with the lack of acceptance of difference evident in the attitudes
and comments of age peers and unfortunately, key adult figures. When parents come to accept that they really
were correct in thinking that their child was “bright”, this too often results
in feelings of guilt in not having done more to stimulate their gifted
children. For some parents, this
creates an almost overpowering sense of being a failure as a parent. Why should we then be surprised that such
parents become fierce advocates for their children’s right to an education
which challenges them and nurtures their giftedness so that they might achieve
the possibilities their giftedness offers?
This presentation will
expand on the issues evoked by the phrase “Knowledge, Understanding and
Acceptance” and in doing so, Ken Imison will draw on a wealth of personal
experience as a parent of gifted children, as a specialist teacher of gifted
children and from his experiences over twelve years in assessing gifted
students and interacting with their parents.
Biography
 |
Ken Imison taught in primary
schools in NSW and in London for sixteen years. Eight of those years were spent teaching special classes for
gifted students. Ken became a Lecturer
in Education in 1969 at Mitchell College of Advanced Education, Bathurst and in
1975 was appointed Head of Curriculum and Instruction and Chairman of the
School of Education at Darlings Downs Institute of Advanced Education,
Toowoomba. In 1979 he was appointed to the newly created position of Dean of
Education at that institute and remained in that position until June 1988 when
he retired from tertiary education in order to establish his own consultancy
and testing centre, S.O.I. (Australia).
The main focus of this work has been with gifted students. |
Ken was the co-founder of the
Australian Association for the Gifted and Talented and was the foundation
President of that Association for four years.
He is a member of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children and
has served as a member of that organisation's Executive Committee and as an
Australian Delegate to its Assembly. He
has presented papers at state, national and international conferences on the
Gifted and a number of these presentations have appeared in international
publications on the gifted.
Ken Imison was Chairman of the
Queensland Board of Senior Secondary School Studies, a position he held from
February 1989 to February 2001. During
this period, his work in assessing children both clinically and in whole group
situations in schools has continued to grow.
Ken has been engaged as a
consultant by Education Queensland to review and report on gifted education in
State schools with the report to be presented May 31st 2001.