News (Australia) Are we leaving our brightest children behind?

[Arcadia]

Saw this article on my newsfeed and remembered our Australian boardies mentioning about cutting tall poppies syndrome.

 

"Approximately 10 per cent, or close to 400,000, Australian students are intellectually gifted. But, Dr Hay explains, many parents are reluctant to seek help because they do not want to sound elitist when they ask for assistance to engage their gifted child. “One of the difficulties surrounding parent advocacy for their gifted children is that there is a social stigma around giftedness.†She explains that due to a lack of mandatory ‘gifted student’ training for teachers, parents can often know more about gifted education and almost certainly more about their gifted child’s needs than most teachers do. “This can make parent advocacy absolutely essential, albeit a little awkward."

http://www.sbs.com.au/topics/life/culture/article/2017/04/26/are-we-leaving-our-brightest-children-behind

[Rosie_0801]

I can believe it. I've spoken on the forum here about my dd's struggles with learning difficulties and now she's in school, she's working approximately 1-3 years below her ability level depending on the subject. I can easily believe that gifted kids are given the short shrift and parents not knowing where to turn for help. Teaching does not attract the high achievers, as a general rule, and the system does not allow teachers to deviate from the curriculum much. My dd wants to continue algebra and sentence diagramming, but nope. 

[chocolate-chip chooky]

Yep. 

 

I studied an education degree here and there was one page of one textbook for one unit that discussed giftedness. That's it, for a 4 year degree. One page.

I was a very dedicated, high-achieving and even award-winning education student,  and I came out with NO clue about giftedness. I wouldn't have recognised it in a classroom and I wouldn't have had a clue what to do even if I did.

I'm not bragging here. It's embarrassing. And worrying.

 

My own youngest daughter came along and I realised how much I really didn't know. 

 

And yes, tall-poppy syndrome is alive and well ... except if you're a sportsperson perhaps.

[regentrude]

"Approximately 10 per cent, or close to 400,000, Australian students are intellectually gifted. 

 

Why is it that the percentage of gifted kids in Australia is five times as high as everywhere else? IQ 130 and above is normally 2% of the population. Is there some strange selection going on?

 

Also, that's not limited to Australia. The brightest kids are left behind in the US just as well in a school system that is one-size-fits-all without any tracking. In many places, there is no gifted education that deserves its name; many GATE programs are a fig leaf and don't actually offer an appropriate education. Ask me why I homeschool.

Edited April 26, 2017 by regentrude

[Ausmumof3]

I think the issue here may be more attitude than resources. Anyone who claims to have a gifted kid is likely to be mocked. Yes, some parents do tend to think everything little Johnny does is amazing but there is definitely tall poppy syndrome going on. I have a friend with a definitely gifted kid and to be honest she is very wary about telling people or mentioning anything where he shines academically.

 

We do tend to value sport and manual or physical skills a lot. I think this can be a really good thing, however it shouldn't mean pulling down those who are high achievers academically.

 

I'd be really surprised if our gifted population is higher than average. If anything I suspect our education standards are slightly lower.

[regentrude]

Entry to OC and selective schools here isn't on the basis of IQ but on academic testing. There are plenty of the 'merely bright' who take up those places who are described as 'gifted'. I'd imagine stats come from the percentage of kids in OC or selective schooling.

 

We do not have a higher percentage of gifted students than elsewhere.

 

Thanks, that makes sense.

[epi]

"Approximately 10 per cent, or close to 400,000, Australian students are intellectually gifted. ....â€

 

Why is it that the percentage of gifted kids in Australia is five times as high as everywhere else?

I don't think the percentage used is really an issue. You can just say students in the top X% are in the top X%. It's a bit like the other thread about how terms like "<prefix>-gifted" have no standard meaning. The real point is that there is a continuum of intellectual abilities, and education systems would be vastly improved if they catered to ALL levels.

I remember receiving differentiated instruction way back in the 70's.

This is the way it should be done. Group students by ability and have separate classrooms moving at different paces as appropriate.

[luuknam]

The brightest kids are left behind in the US just as well in a school system that is one-size-fits-all without any tracking. In many places, there is no gifted education that deserves its name; many GATE programs are a fig leaf and don't actually offer an appropriate education. Ask me why I homeschool.

 

 

In NL people look up to the options for gifted kids in the US, one of the main things being that it's legal to homeschool in the US. 

[chocolate-chip chooky]

From purely anecdotal experiences, I'm guessing that 'high achievers' are being labeled 'gifted'. That would skew the numbers significantly.

[Arcadia]

I studied an education degree here and there was one page of one textbook for one unit that discussed giftedness. That's it, for a 4 year degree. One page.

The gifted education program I was in had teachers that were trained and mentored after their education degree and having taught for a few years.

 

"3. What qualities are required of teachers in the GEP and SBGE?

 

Teachers of the gifted should believe that there is a need to cater to gifted children. They must also be strong in their subject content and possess good academic qualifications and teaching records. They should be intellectually curious, imaginative, creative, energetic, enthusiastic, open to new ideas, flexible, and should have respect for individual potential. They need to also have special skills and attitudes to facilitate learning among the gifted pupils they work with.

 

4. What kind of training is provided for teachers in the GEP?

 

The major part of the training for new GEP teachers takes place on the job. This takes the form of classroom observations by Gifted Education Branch officers as well as frequent consultations with them on matters relating to curriculum planning and teaching strategies.

 

New GEP teachers have to complete 3 compulsory courses:

 

Foundation Course in Gifted Education which exposes teachers to essential concepts in the education of the gifted

Affective Education for the Gifted which emphasizes the development of the affective domain of GEP pupils

Curriculum Differentiation for the Gifted which equips teachers with the skills to differentiate the curriculum from that of the mainstream in order to cater to the needs of the gifted.

Throughout the year, GEP teachers continue to work closely with the subject officers in the Gifted Education Branch at the Ministry of Education. They meet with them to discuss both curriculum and instructional approaches. Local workshops are conducted by gifted education specialists and overseas consultants. Teachers may also be sent for courses in the field of gifted education or be placed on attachment to gifted education programmes overseas.

 

Teachers also attend the GEP Annual Conference which is held every November."

https://www.moe.gov.sg/faq/education/gifted-education-programme/gep-teachers

 

ETA:

Almost all my teachers were ASEAN scholars.

Edited April 27, 2017 by Arcadia

[chocolate-chip chooky]

Teachers here can take further education courses in gifted education. Just as they can train further in learning disorders. It doesn't surprise me that initial teacher training spends most time on the part of the bell curve that most children fall under - the average, the somewhat less than average, the somewhat brighter than average.

 

It would significantly lengthen the training (and increase the cost to the student) to insist on equal time being spent on educating students in both the tails. Now, maybe that's OK somewhere like Finland, where teachers are respected and paid accordingly. Not sure that student teachers here would feel the extra year was time and money well spent.

 

Yes, I could go on and do a Masters in Gifted Ed if I wanted to.

 

The tricky thing is that classroom teachers would usually just have the standard BEd and therefore zippo training to identify the gifted students and know how to meet their needs.

[chocolate-chip chooky]

I'm not sure we can expect all classroom teachers to have more than the standard BEd.

 

Education at the tails is a specialization.

 

I do wonder, though, if classroom teachers could receive more training in recognizing possible issues of giftedness or learning disorders, and in how to refer on to a specialist teacher, if, of course, a school could afford to employ one.

 

In theory, I agree that all children, no  matter where they fall on the tail, should receive an appropriate education in the mainstream classroom, but in practice, I think it's unworkable. In reality, the goal is that all children receive an education to an agreed upon minimum.

 

I absolutely agree.

[Korrale]

When I went to school in rural Queensland gifted education was non existent. I had a teacher who tried to implement it and I was in a pull out math class and a specialized composite class for one year. But the program only lasted that one year.

Indigenous students however were given many advantages. They got free field trips I could never afford to go on. They got extra and differentiated class help. Special education was different back then too.

 

I am not sure how much it has changed since I graduated in the late 90s.

Edited April 29, 2017 by Korrale