Since I watched Rita Pierson's TEDTalk many years ago, I've been inspired by what she had to say and it's made me reflect deeply on the purpose of being a champion for our students and which students need that champion the most. Of course, all of our students need a champion but there is a group which, at the moment, are in very real danger of being forgotten. These are our gifted students.
I've been thinking about why this is the case and there are many reasons and issues. A common belief is that "All children are gifted, they just unwrap their gifts at different times." Unfortunately, this belief has taken hold and doesn't account for the unique social, emotional and learning needs of this group of students. Yes, all children have or are gifts but not all children are gifted. There is a wealth of research and information on this, some of which I've listed below, but still, the misinformation persists. Why?
During recent discussions, I've come to understand that it seems to be a lack of knowledge through the professional learning and development gaps. I graduated from university in 1998 and we were exposed to very little information on gifted and talented students. In fact, the quote in the image above was frequently used. I think it's like many things...if used enough it becomes a self-perpetuating belief that many grab hold of. After all, we're teachers and we believe in every one of our students and we know that they have gifts. That's of course as it should be, but by denying that truly gifted students exist by definition and identification we are perpetuating this myth and also taking a rather large risk with the specific social, emotional and learning needs of this group of students. It then becomes an issue of equity.
We always champion our students and I've blogged about this in the past (here, here, and here) but have I really championed the gifted students I've learned and taught alongside? Could I have done things differently? Of course, there are always things we can do better. I had a large group of gifted Year 5/6 students in my class in 2011 and I think, together, we really enabled them to shine, to share and value their learning from their one-day school and to make connections between the two learning environments. There were so many lessons I learned from them and from fighting for them and their peers to be recognised in the school. These are lessons I take with me today.
Prior to this, I was differentiating and personalising the learning for all of my students and they always planned the learning alongside me but knowing what I know now, I could have done it even better and made a real impact on how and what they were learning and how they were recognised and valued. This understanding of gifted students and how to be a champion for them only came about through my own need to learn. There was very little organised for us in terms of professional learning and development (PLD). I think in the whole of my teaching career I have only attended one PLD session on gifted students. One session - a one-off - does not ensure that changes in practice are made or are even sustainable.
Having the knowledge and understanding about giftedness and gifted students helps us to be better champions for this group of students.
'Kids don't learn from people they don't like'. This is an often-quoted statement from the late Rita Pierson. I wonder what happens to our gifted students who know they are different, who feel that they don't fit in if we as teachers don't acknowledge that giftedness even exists? What does that do to a student's self-esteem and identity? To their understanding of who they are? What impact does that have on their love of learning and of school in general? These are all questions that need further thought and research - and most importantly, input in the form of student voice.
For me, being a champion for our gifted students means that we open up the debate and have honest reflective discussions around our own beliefs and understandings - this can be quite confronting but our students need and deserve this. We need to share as much evidence as we can about what the experiences are for this group of students. We can say that we're differentiating the learning and personalising it but unless we understand the specific needs of this group of students, I'm betting that we have a way to go - but isn't that the great thing about learning?
A champion is someone who will always have their students' backs and fight for what is their right in the education system. They help give students a voice. That is currently leading to some fantastic debates on social media. The more we can have these conversations, the better chance we have as champions for gifted students.
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| Rita Pierson by Sylvia Duckworth |
Resources
Aren't All Children GIfted? - David G Myers
Giftedness is not an unwrapped present - Carol Bainbridge
The Problem of Giftedness - Jim Taylor
10 Social and Emotional Needs of the Gifted - Ian Byrd
Social and Emotional Issues of Young Gifted Children - Carola Sampson
Identification - NAGC
Gifted and Talented Students: Meeting their needs in New Zealand Schools - Ministry of Education
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