Ad Astra: Differentiation across a K-12 school (S) Saturday 11:00
An appropriate education and learning environment is one that identifies the educational needs of all students and then proves a curriculum and opportunities that address those needs (Benbow & Stanley, 1996). This paper will describe how one school was able to develop a culture of differentiated learning for all classes and students from Kindergarten to Year 12. The Ad Astra program is based on the philosophy of enrichment for all, and has consequently eliminated much of the resistance felt towards specialised classes and opportunities for gifted students that many schools face. The school has been able to implement the program with minimal costing and utilising the resources already available and functioning within the school, including personnel and learning spaces. Recent Basic Skills results have confirmed that Ad Astra is targeting both ends of the learning spectrum with outstanding results. Ad Astra has also found a way of avoiding negative labelling and social issues which often accompany withdrawal programs. Through Ad Astra, all students in the school are realising their potential and reaching To The Stars.
Reading Beyond (S) Saturday 2:15
Research supports that even in today's educationally enlightened classrooms many highly able readers receive little, if any, differentiated instruction, which would allow them to grow and work beyond what they have already mastered. This can be partly explained through understanding the culture of teaching. With limited time and resources, many teachers feel an innate desire to help those who they perceive as needing their help most. Unfortunately what many teachers fail to realise is that highly able readers also need their guidance to continue to achieve their potential.
This paper will present:
Topping up your Think Tank: Strategies for Critical and Creative Thinking (W) Saturday 1:30
Critical Thinking is defined as "the persistent effort to examine evidence which supports any belief, solution or conclusion prior to its acceptance" [Reid 1990]. Creative Thinking is defined as "the act of being able to produce along new and original lines" [Costa, 1985].
If your 'Think Tank' is empty or only half full, you need to join in this interactive workshop. Explore the skills of critical & creative thinking and practice strategies that will fill your 'tank' to overflowing and enable you to make a world of difference in the thinking of the children whose futures you are helping to shape.
Each participant in this workshop should bring along a 'random interesting object' aka RIO that they are not afraid to focus on. Your ROI may be borrowed, found or even a 'thingie' from your conference materials. Let your imagination run riot!
Important Issues in Assessment of the Gifted (W) Saturday 11:00
A question often asked by parents and schools is why do we need to assess the gifted? What purpose is there in confirming what we already know? On what basis should we make the decision to assess and what is the optimal time to do so? What sorts of assessments are used and what are the pitfalls of some assessment strategies? How will I optimize the information I obtain to benefit the child? All of these questions will be addressed and some strategies employed to facilitate change will be discussed.
Pedagogical Strategies for Visual-spatial Learners (S) Sunday 2:00
Now that you have identified a visual-spatial learner in your classroom how can you cater for their individual learning needs? Visual-spatial learners are individuals who think primarily in pictures and have visual strengths. With seven years of teaching visual-spatial learners Matthew has developed and researched many pedagogical strategies for use with within the classroom context. These pedagogical strategies will enable teachers to help students who are visual-spatial learners to bridge the gap between potential and performance.
Linking Investigative Science, Differentiation of Learning and Primary Connections (W) Saturday 11:00
In order to understand scientific concepts and apply them confidently in scientific investigations, students need to learn science by doing it, just as scientists do: posing questions derived from their current understanding and cooperatively planning their search for answers.
This powerful process by which science is done provides a ready tool for teachers who inclusively plan for all students. Differentiation of science learning's processes, products and outcome standards flows naturally from understanding and experiencing the investigative processes of science.
In this workshop participants will:
Implementing Gifted Programs (W) Saturday 1:30
For three years, A.B.Paterson has embarked on an aggressive path to identify and develop structural changes in the College to more adequately provide for gifted students. As a result of this planned change, more gifted students are being identified and a variety of strategies developed. Supporting the Harvard Project Zero Teaching for Understanding thinking platform, the differentiation for gifted students becomes more coordinated and drives the students to achieve higher performances. In this session, Ailsa Crockett, Head of Student Services and Lesley Sutherland, Gifted and Talented Coordinator, will trace the strands of the identification and provision for gifted students from early childhood to Year 12 within the College structure adapting the Maker and Williams' models of curriculum provision for gifted students as explicit workshop strategies. Participants will apply and consider the processes and products from these models in this forum.
Could Gifted Children be extended by developing Critical Thinking in early primary schooling? (W) Sunday 11:30
Do gifted children become marginalized because of their 'unusual' talents and behaviors? I propose to address this issue by demonstrating how the use of formal listening and critical thinking can be a priority strategy from an early age. Case history material from two innovative UK school projects give a rationale for suggesting application for young gifted students. Further, the data suggests that when social and emotional aspects of 'different ness' are catered for in a group situation, facilitators can develop understanding of individual's extension needs. Could this process help parents and teachers have a different perspective on how to reduce the frustrations of high achieving students in an inclusive classroom? Recognizing and valuing individual strengths means benefits to all!
This workshop will take the form of a "listening/thinking circle" dialogue to act as a sounding board to express common frustrations experienced and then to develop individual solutions from knowledge gained by listening to others. Suggested questions for the dialogue: What stresses gifted children at school and home? What behaviours manifest from this stress? Can beliefs about motivation, intelligence and stress make a difference?
Using Technology to engage Gifted Students (W/P) Sunday 2:45
A panel of collegiate members from the Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics and Technology will explore the ways Information Technology is being developed to engage gifted students both in the immediate Academy environment and how digitising of the curriculum will lead to the Queensland Academies acting as "lighthouse" institutions for gifted students across Queensland.
The panel will explore how they have successfully engaged gifted students in the challenge of meeting the rigorous demands of the International Baccalaureate in ways which enrich their learning. The panel will also discuss the future challenges facing the Academies in their outreach program to help gifted students across Queensland, which is one of the briefs of the Queensland Academies. The panel will demonstrate practical examples of their use of technology across the senior high school curriculum at QASMT and take questions from the floor.
Developing Critical and Higher Order Skills through The Holocaust (S) Sunday 2:00
This educational program was originally initiated through a scholarship granted by the Sydney Jewish Museum and is a series of History and English units developed for students from Years 5 to 11. This will be a highly practical session, where teachers will be given ideas developed from History, HSIE and English learning outcomes and will look at how to deal with the difficult theme of the Holocaust in Australian schools.
The program is a schema of developmental skills and concepts which can be applied to other themes and is of particular relevance to gifted and talented programs. Through differentiation, difficult topics like the Holocaust can be highly effective for teaching cultural, moral and value-based lessons which are so relevant in today's diverse Australian society. The program is aimed primarily for non-Jewish students with little understanding of the issues and historical context of this culture, and will suit anyone interested in promoting tolerance, multiple perspectives, critical and higher order thinking and research skills through their classrooms.
You've got to Reach Them to Teach Them: Identifying giftedness in achievers and non-achievers at home and school (S) Sunday 12:15
As a teacher or a parent how do I tell the difference between a gifted child and a bright child? Is it possible for a child to be both gifted and learning challenged at the same time? Current research from the big guns such as Silverman and Gagne on the common characteristics of giftedness as well as information on factors leading to gifted learners' underperformance will be presented in an easy-to-understand format from an experienced educator and parent of gifted children. This seminar will discuss why gifted learners including underachievers need to be afforded the opportunity to be given an educational experience appropriate to their level of ability to realise their potential. Angela will present practical information on what steps were implemented to identify the gifted students in both junior and senior school levels, and how parents can be a resource in the identification of gifted children.
From Research to Practice: Closing the gap between research findings and teacher practice on acceleration and ability grouping (S) Sunday 2:00
Many teachers and parents are concerned about the social and emotional needs of gifted children, and some may put those needs ahead of intellectual needs. However, for many gifted children, they amount to the same thing. Learning is an emotional need for them. Therefore, finding the right educational fit also means that social and emotional development is enhanced. Unfortunately, misconceptions and unfounded assumptions abound regarding the appropriate education for gifted children. The two educational practices most strongly supported by research for use with gifted children are acceleration and ability grouping. However, many teachers and principals are unwilling to consider such strategies for fear of harming the child's social and emotional development. Who hasn't heard comments such as 'It's all very well moving them ahead, and yes they can do the work, but what about when they get to Year 12 and all their friends are driving? Or drinking?' This seminar will present a review of the research evidence for acceleration and ability grouping of gifted students, including the social and emotional effects of these practices, and provide answers for some of those common, but misplaced, objections.
Dancing the Margins and Darting among Shadows (S) Saturday 3:10
Many gifted students remain "at the edge" and risk relative underachievement. Within the complex dynamic of underachievement, we need to understand the individual student's skills and intrapersonal processes. Parents and teachers can act as catalysts for the reversal of underachievement when they understand a student's perceptions of achievement, self-concept, self-efficacy, motivation, risk, peer and family relationships. Drawing on research literature and clinical experience in counseling gifted students, this seminar explores the role of the individual's belief system and how this influences their level of achievement.
E I E I ... O: Factors in Underachievement (S) Sunday 2:00
There has been much debate about the relative importance of intellectual ability (IQ) and the socioaffective factors or emotional intelligence (EQ) in the areas of academic and life achievement. Teachers and parents know that a child's organisational abilities, or what I propose is their Organisational Quotient (OQ) is an important factor in achievement both at school and throughout life. This seminar proposes the concept of OQ and explores a number of questions: What do we understand about the components of a child's organizational ability? What impact does OQ have upon underachievement and achievement? What is fixed and are there aspects that can be developed? How can parents and teachers support deficits and facilitate the development of a child's OQ? What is the relationship between IQ, EQ and OQ and how does OQ fit within the dynamic of Talent Development?
Robotics in the Classroom (W) Sunday 2:45
The use of robotics as a teaching tool in the classroom has been rapidly gaining popularity, with its ability to teach wide and varied topics. Everything from primary mathematics to algebra, science and society to energy and change can be taught using robotic resources. The hands-on nature of the equipment encourages kinesthetic learning as well as group work, creativity and problem solving skills. Students respond well to the immediate feedback afforded by robotics and fundamental scientific concept of 'Test - Observe - Review - Retest'. The use of robotics has proved popular with the gifted and talented community, as the open ended nature of the challenge allows student to explore their potential without the confines of strict regimented problem and answer sets. In this workshop, participants will program their own robots to move and interact with their surroundings. Participants will utilise the LEGO MINDSTORMS technology and the NXT-G software development environment to program their robots.
The Road to Differentiation: A practical insight into sustainable school-wide change (S) Saturday 3:10
Do you believe that change is imperative in many of today's classrooms if we are to cater for our students' abilities and potential? Do you believe that the focus should be classroom practice? Do you have plans or dreams for your school but need a road map to implement this systemic change?
We are travelling this roller coaster of adventure and have developed plans directions and a practical, innovative model that will enable you to negotiate this exciting labyrinth! We will focus our energies on two aspects: what it means to be responsive to learners' needs and thus teach them effectively, and how to extend the number of classrooms in which this way of teaching is happening.
We will analyse and discuss the beliefs that underpin differentiation, furnish you with the most relevant and powerful theories that support inclusive differentiation in classrooms and delve into some of the research that gives us a glimpse of the potential of differentiation. This coupled with snapshots of the planning and delivery of our professional development sessions to staff will provide you with the tools you could use to embark on an exciting journey for your teachers and gifted students.
Tournament of Minds: Opportunities for excellence (W) Saturday 1:30
TOM requires students to solve demanding, open-ended challenges from the disciplines of Language Literature; Maths Engineering; Social Sciences; and Applied Technology. In 2007, over 30 000 students participated nationally in TOM, including teams from Hong Kong and Singapore. TOM Qld took eight teams to Canberra, with three of the teams receiving formal recognition.
Conference participants will be equipped with skills to implement creative, problem-solving experiences within their schools. Particular focus will be upon the new Applied Technology Challenge. It is about taking risks and letting the students run with the Challenge. While many of us may fear the ever-changing technological world, our students are leading the next generation and jump at the chance to take such Challenges on board.
Workshop goals are to explore ways in which educators provide opportunities for gifted youngsters to reach their potential, through problem-solving, negotiation, creativity, communication, and social interaction. Students are able to demonstrate their talents, which may not always happen within the everyday classroom. Often these students may not perform well within school structures, however, once committed to a TOM team, they become passionate and engaged individuals.
Interactive strategies employed throughout this workshop are:
Creative Problem Solving (W) Sunday 11:30
My colleague Kevin Lamoureux at the University of Winnipeg and I have developed an approach to creative problem solving that honours the work of Polya, is set within a (social) constructivist pedagogy, builds on cultural capital, and addresses the cognitive characteristics of gifted children. In this workshop, I will outline the theoretical underpinnings of the model, and then we will apply the model in several educational contexts (educational settings) and domains (subject areas).
Underachievement and Disadvantage (K) Saturday 9:20
Many people have a perception that the gifted child is well adjusted and enjoys high achievement at school. However, many gifted children, especially those from backgrounds of disadvantage such as low socio-economic status or cultural minority status, underachieve in our school systems, and some of them are 'invisible' in the classroom. I will draw on my research to give examples of different kinds of gifted underachievers and invisible underachievers. I will also outline necessary (but not sufficient!) steps that support the underachieving gifted child to succeed in the educational system.
Communication, Problem Solving and Creativity: The Opti-MINDS Challenge Experience (W) Sunday 2:45
Communicating and thinking effectively is not something that is widely practiced. What messages are you really giving and receiving? Taking away the limiting factors leaves us with the scope for creativity and the 'problem' solved easily and well - taking us from potential to performance.
Experience the fun of Opti-MINDS for yourself and learn about what this Queensland program can really do for you, your children and your students. It is designed around the Opti-MINDS Principles and applicable in all arenas. The program is practical using an interactive experiential format that catering for all learning styles.
This session will take you through a fun, team problem-solving activity designed to illustrate what prevents effectiveness in day-to-day communication; how to approach and solve problems and tasks; and how to be creative and innovative.
BRAINways Expeditions of Discovery: A solution to the current dilemma in gifted education (S) Saturday 1:30
While teachers and other education experts are searching for answers, and the debate regarding the future of gifted education continues, BRAINways EDUCATION is introducing BRAINways EXPEDITIONS OF DISCOVERY, a viable, flexible, far reaching, high quality, long term, solution. BRAINways EDUCATION offers workshop activities for gifted and talented children: The BRAINways Club (Saturdays, fortnightly) and BRAINY KIDS FUN (holiday workshops). BRAINways EXPEDITIONS OF DISCOVERY have been developed as integrated programs, to take place during school term and during school hours.
Research has suggested the need for such programs. The success of similar Melbourne programs is a testimony to the viability of the concept. The flexibility of structure allows its implementation in any school, complementing other gifted education activities. Due to the possibility of being simultaneously offered in a number of schools, the program can reach and can provide meaningful service to many children.
The quality is ensured by the team of presenters, and their high level of expertise in gifted education. The four-workshop structure of each BRAINways EXPEDITION OF DISCOVERY facilitates the indepth exploration of the topic, further research and learning. The workshops program cover areas such as Mathematics, Science, English, SOSE and Arts, and is offered to children Years 1-3, 4-6 and 7-9. Additionally, a Thinking Skills program of demonstrated value (including contributing to better academic outcomes) is offered.
Gifted Education Morsels: A GEM of an idea (W) Sunday 2:45
As identified in the 2001 Senate inquiry, the need to equip teachers with the knowledge and skills to identify the gifted and make provision for their special needs is an ongoing challenge. Many teachers feel a lack of expertise, a lack of confidence and a lack of resources to translate ability to achievement and potential to performance.
GEMs (Gifted Education Morsels) have been designed to tempt the tastebuds of teachers in their professional knowledge and understanding in Gifted Education. The interactive morsels are quick, practical activities that model engaging educational strategies to educators while building their understanding of giftedness. The morsels are particularly useful for in-servicing educators during staff and faculty meetings and can also be used to with parents. The content is linked to and complements the DEST Gifted Education Professional Development Package Modules.
In this workshop, participants will participate in the interactive activities and be given access to resources to aid implementation of the morsels at their school site. As a result, staff can be equipped with knowledge, challenged in their beliefs about the gifted and experience activities that can be used to engage learners.
Eeny Meeny Miney Moe: Making life choices count for your gifted child (S) Sunday 2:00
Parents of gifted children are faced with many choices and dilemmas in their efforts to ensure their children receive an appropriate education. Our eldest daughter was not formally identified as gifted until she was at university. Lack of knowledge and information frustrated our endeavours to assist her through the turbulent years of secondary education. Had we only known more, we would have been much better equipped to develop effective intervention strategies to assist her. By the time our second daughter commenced formal education, our knowledge had increased markedly.
This presentation will share with you the choices we made, the pathways we took and the impact of these choices on our daughter's progress through primary school at a one-teacher, multi-level, geographically isolated state school. By working in a productive partnership with the school and other departmental personnel, we were able to effectively assist our daughter to achieve a variety of positive outcomes. We hope, by sharing this information, that we can offer some practical suggestions which may assist parents and others to take these children from Ability to Achievement: From Potential to Performance.
DIY Learning: Teaching Multi-Literacies to Autonomous Learners (W) Sunday 2:45
What is the value of autonomous learning? Teaching our students the skills and attitudes to be responsible for their own learning climate opens up opportunities for educators to help students to not only recognise their own potential but the challenge of independent learning also allows for multi-skilled, flexible learners who can contend with integrated and often complex tasks.
The Autonomous Learner Model - Optimising Ability, (Betts & Kercher, 1999) is an individualised, American program for gifted children. It has been adapted by Nudgee College for use in the classroom since 2000, and is the focus of the Year 9 and 10 Personal Enrichment course. While the initial intention of the course was to provide for the needs of gifted students, the model has also played a large part in educating students, in what the New London Group (1996) refer to as Multiliteracies - an access to the evolving language of community and work created by the multimodal nature of modern communication and technologies.
In this workshop, you will trial some of the program's inventories and surveys. You'll try your hand at developing a 'Brain Box', and discuss how pedagogical strategies like learners' conferences and progress interviews help gifted and talented students adapt to constant change, become critically aware, develop creativity for innovation, and learn how to learn.
Is it play, then? (W) Sunday 11:30
Dear Parents
I am sitting here having just marked the Year 8 extension maths exam and I am speechless. These children are truly remarkable. The effort they have put in for both their assignment work and their exams is unheard of ... I am so proud of them.
This letter went out to children following a remarkable new program teaching maths. In this virtual world of media and the Internet, the knowledge children have is second-hand and out of context. Links between life experience and knowledge that most adults take for granted are lacking in today's teens. Embedded cues allow for knowledge recall, but as children move further from reality into the abstract world of the Internet, much of the sense in what they learn, and the ability to recall content knowledge, is "lost". Through hands-on experiential learning, foundations are laid upon which key concepts are hung. Maths takes on a life of its own, engagement is outstanding with amazing results.
This hands-on workshop demonstrates the power of contextualised learning and explores possibilities for change within your child's school program. Come and play with us.
Making Acceleration Work (S) Saturday 3:10
The climate in the education of the gifted is changing but the concept of acceleration often remains intimidating. Drawing on her experiences in four primary schools and two high schools, the issue of accommodating giftedness through acceleration is addressed and the problems wherein explored. Most importantly, the presenter aims explore the benefits possible actions which can be implemented in schools to promote the identification of the need, the flexibility of programming, the establishment of appropriate curriculum and the continuation of progression for students undertaking acceleration. Schools need to develop a comprehensive education program for gifted students that is accepted within schools, between schools and between institutions. Thus, gifted students will be enabled to develop their potential to achieve performance commensurate with their ability.
Whilst primarily for teachers, this presentation will also assist parents when working with schools to begin to establish provision for their children where accelerative practices are not systematically considered in catering for gifted learners.
Our Future: Our Gifted Students (P) Sunday 10:05
Much has been written about the attitudes and perceptual differences between Generations X, Y and Baby Boomers. Are the perceptions of these generations driving the views about our current generation of students in schools? How relevant are they to our education institutions today? This presentation focuses on these students currently in our schools and examines their situations both in upper primary and in adolescence. The results of a survey of how gifted students from Year 5-10 at A.B.Paterson view their own learning, their future place in the world and their attitudes towards issues that they will be confronting are shared and discussed. The results add further support to the need to negotiate with students and encourage their self reporting and assessments in order to allow them to see their learning as relevant and progressive. The applicability of these findings to those of gifted students in other areas defines how current curriculum strategies can be modified and updated.
Channelling Emotional Sensitivity in response to World Issues: From difference to making a difference (S) Saturday 3:10
Heightened emotional sensitivity combined with advanced cognitive reasoning can leave a gifted young person feeling helpless and isolated in response to world issues. This same sensitivity and ability can also equip the gifted young person to deal with these issues in positive ways. Informed by theory and research in emotional competence and Adlerian psychology, this presentation gives practical suggestions for channelling gifted young peoples' emotional sensitivity into positive rather than negative directions, for example through connecting them with opportunities to "make a difference" in their communities and beyond, with the support of the adults around them.
OK to be gifted, OK to be introverted: More than OK when valued and nurtured (P) Sunday 10:05
Alex freezes in group discussions, yet comes alive with his best friend. Sally is a mathematical whiz, but never finishes the class maths quiz. Hamish quietly returns days later to answer a question I forgot I even asked. Hanako spends the whole of recess observing ants in the garden, while the other children play 'Mr Wolf'. All four of these children possess one of Western Society's least valued personality types, and one of the more common personality types found among the gifted population. They are introverted. And this introversion stems from physiological traits fundamental to almost every aspect of their day-to-day lives... perhaps even fundamental to their giftedness. The implications of these traits extend well beyond the realm of social interaction, impacting areas as diverse as learning styles, energy levels, eating patterns and noise tolerance. These children bring a special gift to humanity, if that gift is allowed to flourish. Yet they are often incorrectly labelled as shy, antisocial, neurotic or having Asperger's Disorder. This session will explore the physiological underpinnings of introversion, along with characteristics and needs that stem from this physiology. When understood and valued giftedness and introversion can combine to create a powerful force.
Acceleration: For and against (S) Sunday 3:10
The debate about acceleration continues. Many schools are reluctant to accelerate, many families are unsure of whether this is the right option for their child. This paper will outline the myths and present research data. We will look briefly at the state and territory guidelines on acceleration across Australia as well as alternative options to acceleration for gifted students.
Building a School Culture of Personal Best (P) Sunday 10:05
Our students admire examples of personal best in the form of sporting and musical idols, billionaires and academic achievers. Why then do some students want to achieve their best even in the face of adversity whilst others are content to get by? Many underachievers see success as related to 'luck' rather than effort. Realistically, society plays a major role in enforcing the 'tall poppy syndrome' where academic giftedness is perceived negatively as elitism. This workshop outlines strategies to support a whole school culture of students, teachers and community acknowledging and affirming personal best so that our tall poppies may blossom.
Catering for Gifted Students with Learning Difficulties in the Classroom: We cannot direct the wind: but we can adjust the sails (W) Saturday 1:30
Gifted children arrive at our school in many packages. Some may be gifted intellectually, some may be gifted artistically and some may be gifted athletes, soccer players or rugby players and then others are gifted with learning disabilities/difficulties (GLD).
How do we cater for the student who is GLD? How do we identify them? How do we ensure that their difficulties as well as their gifts are being addressed? Differentiating units of work does help but what more can be done to support these students to encourage them to reach their potential?
Creativity with Responsibility (W) Sunday 11:30
Within any discipline a 'creative product' is a manifestation of the students' understanding of the problem given. In the arts, as well as all curriculum areas, they form an integral part of the learning process however we need to focus on the learning process to ensure we develop and not inhibit creativity.
Creativity is one of the thinking skills which has been neglected in the mainstream classroom or relegated to the creative arts. The influences on creativity will be examined as well as the four elements of creativity: fluency, flexibility, originality and elaboration will be explored in different curriculum areas through the concept of the Tree of Creativity. The Tree of Creativity is divided into two major components of creativity which are either the use or the appreciation of the creation and then relates to whether the creation is complemented, supplemented or replicated.
The options of ways to work with creativity will be focused upon in relation to these two concepts of creativity.
Educational, Social and Emotional needs of Gifted Students in their Transitions in School (K) Sunday 8:55
There are many obvious changes for students, families and teachers in the transition from primary to secondary school. These include school size and structure, interacting with many more people, and changes in the nature and organisation of the curriculum (Howard & Johnson, 2004; Newman, Myers, Newman, Lohman & Smith, 2000; Whitton & Perry, 2005). The developmental characteristics of adolescents add to the complexity of this transition (Tonkin & Watt, 2003). While the specific nature of the changes is different, it is important to note that, in essence, the same issues of physical size, relationships and educational environment are identified as challenges when students start primary school (Dockett & Perry, 2004).
Thus the transitions in school from primary to high school bring many concerns for parents, teachers and the students. Developing on this research the concerns relate to three broad areas: academic; social/emotional and organisational issues. Based on extensive research into transition effective transitions may be planned and implemented to ensure students gain the most from the time. Strategies for each component will be addressed and the guidelines for successful transitions will be discussed, and the issues that need to be related to transitions for gifted students.
Understanding a Paradox: Uncovering the potential of gifted students with a reading disability (S) Sunday 11:30
Gifted students with a reading disability have a paradoxical learning profile of strengths and challenges to learning which impacts upon their experiences of school. The ability to read influences all areas of the formal curriculum where print based text is common. It is recognised that gifted students with a reading disability face a continual struggle just to maintain average results. Since gifted students with a reading disability tend to be highly self-critical, the continual struggle leads to feelings of frustration and anxiety. Eventually these lived experiences of frustration and anxiety impact upon their motivation and consequently their academic performance.
An important psychological construct that aids in understanding the link between lived experience and motivation is self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is an individual's belief about their capabilities to perform a task at a chosen level of achievement.
This session explores the impact of the lived experience of being gifted with a reading disability. It highlights the paradoxical learning profile of these students so that teachers and parents can help these students move from potential to performance.
Striving for Excellence: A whole-school approach at Holland Park State School (W) Saturday 11:00
Gifted Education continues to be a focus for the Queensland Government. In this context Holland Park State School is committed to ensuring that students who are gifted are recognised, valued and supported so they have the best learning environments which both challenges them and supports them to pursue excellence and develop passion for life long learning. Holland Park State School implements the Framework for Gifted Education and Guidelines for Acceleration within the compulsory years of schooling (2004).
In this interactive workshop participants will engage in one school's journey towards embedding gifted education in practice so that students have the best opportunities to realise their potential for outstanding achievement because parents/carers, teachers and administration work together through collaboration and co-operation. An Excellence Expo is held annually to celebrate gifts and talents of students and is a product of curriculum differentiation that is in practice daily in the early and middle phases of learning. Participants will learn about the process of planning for this unique Excellence Expo and become familiar with the formulation of tasks and judging criteria implemented to create outstanding achievement for gifted students.