Page 439 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 18 March 2014
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staff for feedback through the weekly schools bulletin. Three public forums where parents and community members were able to come and discuss the policy were held. These forums included after-hours sessions to maximise participation. Several focus groups were conducted in schools to consult with students and gather and incorporate their views about gifted and talented education issues within the policy development process.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Porter.
MS PORTER: Minister, why is it important that schools tailor programs to meet individual needs of students?
MS BURCH: I thank Ms Porter for her interest. It is important that gifted and talented students are recognised as having different learning needs from those of their age peers. Therefore they need special education planning to support them in developing their potential. There are three fundamental differences which stand out in the characteristics of gifted students—their capacity to learn at faster rates, their capacity to find, solve and act on problems more readily, and their capacity to manipulate abstract ideas and to make connections.
The main purpose of identifying gifted and talented students is that schools can use appropriate educational provisions and strategies to move them along in their learning. While gifted students can have an extraordinary level of potential and ability, their high aptitude for learning can easily be wasted if they are not fostered properly. Gifted students have learning needs that require a special education program. Characteristics such as curiosity and the ability to manipulate abstract ideas all point to the need for a responsive school environment. Extensive research has found that between 18 and 25 per cent of gifted and talented students often drop out of school, and that gifted students need teachers who will challenge them. The curriculum for gifted students needs to be fast paced and it needs to allow time for in-depth exploration, manipulation of ideas and questions requiring higher order thinking. Subject or whole-grade acceleration should also be considered.
The new policy allows for each school community to determine how the needs of gifted and talented students will be addressed within their schools. It does not advocate a single approach; rather, it provides flexibility to ensure that schools reach decisions that meet the needs of their students in a way that incorporates parents and students in those decision-making processes.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Berry.
MS BERRY: Minister, how will the network of gifted and talented policy officers and the expanded professional development deliver the key points of this policy?
MS BURCH: I thank Ms Berry for her question. A centrepiece of the initiative is the delivery of high-quality professional learning for gifted and talented liaison officers identified in each school. The liaison officer is a designated, school-based position that provides liaison between the Education and Training Directorate and the schools. The role of the liaison officer is to inform schools on up-to-date gifted and talented
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