Gifted and Talented
Online Professional Learning series
Modules can be completed in any order over a twelve month period, so you can register at any time.
If you prefer to register for just one or two modules, you can do this on our Events page.
There are currently eight modules in this series. A description of each Module is below. Please click the button below when you are ready to register.
Cost: $495 (Access to all resources for 12 months)
WHAT IS INCLUDED
Eight professional learning modules in this series (seven compulsory, one elective), each approximately 2 hours in length (including video content, workbook and 1 hour live webinar)
Access to the presenter Kylie Bice. This is an opportunity for you to discuss what you have learned, ask questions and apply your knowledge.
Videos from the whole series to watch and review at any time during the 12 month period you are registered.
Access to additional resources, research articles and prompts to guide your practice.
Access to online group networking to discuss, review and share your practice with others.
An overview of the basics of understanding gifted and talented students. We will explore the definitions of 'giftedness' and 'talent', including Gagne's DMGT model and examine the characteristics of gifted students, including how they learn, develop and thrive. We will also look at their complexities and quirks, and the possible impact of these on their learning, development and wellbeing, including introducing local and international resources you can access for further information and research. If you are a teacher or parent who is new to the world of gifted and talented, this module is the place to start!
Understanding Acceleration for Gifted and Talented Students
Acceleration is often misunderstood as just 'grade-skipping' and despite overwhelming evidence of its efficacy, teachers and schools continue to be reluctant to consider this strategy as an option for certain highly able students. This workshop will explore the research behind acceleration, the types of acceleration and key strategies to ensure acceleration is implemented appropriately and effectively for the right students, in order for them to experience a challenging learning environment while at school.
Becoming a detective: Searching for and identifying the gifted students at your school
So many of our gifted students are hiding in classrooms, either underperforming, underachieving or opting out of schoolwork due to boredom, frustration or hidden disability. This online workshop will explore how to identify gifted students (Years 2-9) in your school using characteristics, available data and off-level testing. The aims of this workshop are:·
To better understand the data you are currently collecting·
To improve your capacity to identify gifted students through their behaviours and characteristics; and·
To learn more about alternative assessment options, including off-level testing.
Why gifted students underachieve
This professional learning event is designed for primary and secondary classroom teachers and school leaders who are looking to better understand the profile of gifted underachievers, including key reasons for underachievement and strategies that schools and teachers can implement to turn this around. If you have ever wondered why you are not seeing the ability of a gifted child in your class, or are frustrated with students who do not seem to be fulfilling their potential, then this professional learning will help you to understand how schools and teachers can identify and work with students whose potential is yet to be uncovered.
Catering for 2E (Twice-Exceptional) Students in the Classroom
Twice-exceptional (2E) students are those who are gifted and also have a disability or other challenge. These are students whose potential often remains undeveloped and for whom the school experience is extremely frustrating. As such they present unique challenges for educators and schools and it is important to understand their individual profile in order to offer the best educational options. This professional learning event will explore how to identify 2E students and how to best support their strengths and challenges in classrooms and the school environment.
Designing Learning Experiences for Gifted and Talented Students
This professional learning is designed to give teachers increased understanding of the intellectual learning needs of gifted and talented students and confidence to design learning experiences. Teachers will explore the implications of Passow's Rule, and examine options such as differentiation, compaction and high order thinking in order to provide appropriate challenge for gifted and talented learners.
How is a great question like chocolate ice cream?
How to design and use essential questions to create high order, inquiry-based and engaging units of work for gifted and talented students. Using essential questions is a key strategy for designing challenging units of work for gifted and talented students, and a study of NSW schools with high-quality differentiated practice found that one of the common elements was their use of essential or 'big picture' questions to design learning and engage students. In this practical workshop we will explore how to use resources such as Bloom's Taxonomy, SOLO Taxonomy and the Williams Model to create essential questions, and how to link these to differentiated questioning and success criteria.
Elective Modules (Choose one)
Gifted in the Early Years (PK-Yr1)
An understanding of gifted education and the unique ways that gifted students develop and learn, is key to effectively catering for their diverse needs in the early years of schooling. This workshop will provide information about the characteristics of gifted children in the early years, and the impact of their unique profiles in a play- based environment. Strategies to cater for gifted students in Kindergarten, Pre-Primary and Year 1 classrooms will be discussed, including the option of acceleration.
Assessing Gifted and Talented Students (Yrs 2-10)
What do we do when students are getting A grades, Stanine 9's or high scores all the time? While excellent results might not seem to be a concern, consistent high scores often give little information to students about how they can improve and set goals, do not build resilience, and do not show evidence of learning growth. On the other hand, how do we assess gifted students who under perform on assessments? This online workshop will discuss how and when to design and use off-level testing, the importance of pre and formative assessment, designing challenging assessment and how to give feedback that is meaningful, measures against standards, tracks learning growth and values extended or accelerated learning.