supporting G&T pupils in the 2nd school

supporting G&T pupils in the 2nd school by Moira Thomson, is a book written in 2006 that describes how to identify gifted and talented students, how to make provisions for them in your classroom and outlines specific educational teaching strategies.

Thomson uses Gagne's definition of gifted and talented, beginning by outlining his differentiated model of giftedness and talent, 1985, 2003a (DMGT).

Responsibility for these students says Thomson lies with the school and individual teachers.

Characteristics and behaviours such as these are a good indication of potential of G&T ( from p.10-11)

• rapid learning
• excellent memory
• outstanding problem-solving and reasoning ability
• persistent intellectual curiosity
• ability to see subtle relationships
• a wide range of interests
• mature and unusual vocabulary
• ability to sustain concentration
• responsibility and independence in classroom work
• initiative and originality
• flexible thinking
• ability to consider problems from different aspects
• observant nature and responsiveness to new ideas
• ability to communicate with adults in a mature way
• enjoyment of intellectual activities
• subtle, sometimes quirky sense of humour

Four methods of addressing the needs of a student who is gifted and/or talented are:

1. differentiation: curriculum needs to be flexible to make changes in breadth, depth and pace
2. enrichment: exploring the wider context of ideas and knowledge to understand the subject area more fully
3. acceleration: this can occur in one or more subjects
4. specialist provision: a specialist in the subject the student is excelling at is provided in or out of school