A look at identification of Gifted and Talented students in Australia

I have been told that this is a touch too opinionated. Perhaps. Maybe that is just me though.

Uncovering Gifted and Talented Students in the Australian Educational Context.

There is an attitude in Australia, perhaps the egalitarian streak that runs through the culture, which sees those with gifts and talents, unrelated to sport, as suspect. Unless your gifts and talents are useful on the sporting field, stay in your box/room/lab. This attitude influences policy. There are many historical reasons for the pervasiveness of this way of thinking, however the effect is real and is felt by students across the country. Without clear policies regarding gifted and talented students, identification will continue to be stifled and students will continue to mask their talents. It is imperative that this be changed.

Identification methods in Australia

In a review of gifted and talented identification methods and policy in Australia, Slater (2018) found a general lack of consistency. While there is direction provided, nationally, by the Australian Curriculum and Reporting Authority (ACARA), it is left to the state education bodies to implement policy and syllabus based on state level priorities. Outside of New South Wales and South Australia, policy regarding identification is vague at best, with Victoria having no policy at all (Slater, 2018). This is inconsistent with the aims of the Melbourne Declaration.

The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (MCEETYA 2008) calls for both equity and excellence in education (Hyde, Carpenter, Conway, 2014). Without clear policy and direction, it is hard to see how these goals could possibly be met for the gifted and talented. There is a distinct need to make a change. Without direction from education departments, regions and schools, there is no imperative for teachers to act. Considering the change that has happened spheres of working with students with disabilities and from diverse backgrounds – rightfully so – it can be seen that with direction, and directives, change can occur.

While not perfect, New South Wales has a comprehensive policy and systems that aims to cater to the needs of the gifted and talented students in that state. The New South Wales policy embraces Gagné’s model of gifted and talented, encompassing a broad definition throughout a number of spheres (Department of Education & Training, 2004). This policy places the requirements of identification on the individual school, providing the scope to develop programs to fit the local context. Rather than a specific method for identifying gifted and talented students, a series of guidelines is provided, which states the process must: be school-wide, use multiple criteria, be inclusive, dynamic, ongoing and several more (Department of Education & Training, 2004). It would seem that the scope is there to capture a wide range of gifted students.

In South Australia, the other state with a comprehensive policy identified by Slater (2018), the identification process involves a number of subjective and objective measures (Department for Education and Child Development, 2016). There is an acknowledgement that the identification process can be a difficult one, with a number of factors impacting upon the visibility of gifted and talented students. Also highlighted is the need for identification not to be an end in itself, rather it should be ongoing and the “impetus for providing appropriate and personalised learning programs (Department for Education and Child Development, 2016). Identification might include observations and interviews, interest surveys, standardised attainments tests and standardised achievement tests such as Raven’s standard progressive matrices. The front line of all this remains the teacher.

Western Australia places the emphasis of identification on the parents. With no clear policy document regarding gifted and talented available, it would seem that it is up to parents and primary teachers to recommend that student sit the testing required to gain access to the states’ selective high schools. The Academic Selective Entrance Test (ASET) is required to be sat by all students seeking acceptance, with additional requirements dependant on the specific program/s being applied for (Department of Education, 2018). While the programs themselves seem broad in their scope and therefore opportunity, the application process is slanted towards those clearly showing their potential rather than identifying students that may slip through the net.

Talent Masks – The hidden gifted and talented

What the majority of the policy documents discussed above leave out is the fact that gifted and talented students are not always apparent. Unsurprisingly, in a cultural climate that does little to celebrate the academically talented, or anyone that is different to the norm, it is not surprising that many talented students hide their capabilities. Reporting in the Sydney Morning Herald, Jennifer Jolly (2016) compares Australia’s obsession with the success, or otherwise, of our sporting teams, with little concern shown towards declining academic success of “our best and brightest young students barely rates a mention”. If the nation places so little emphasis on academic or cultural success, why should the individual?

Montgomery (2009) highlights the extent of underachievement, stating that 80% of students are underachieving with astonishing regularity. Overcoming this should be a primary focus of any plan to identify gifted students. In order to do so, teachers need to be conscious of the reasons why students may choose hide behind a mask. The values of a student’s peers and wider culture are a primary reason for the desire to hide potential away.

That Australians broadly consider all to be equal is a wonderful aspect of the culture in many ways. It builds community. Conversely, this egalitarian approach to life has a tendency to develop “a profound unease with ‘further privileges for the already privileged’” (Jericho, n.d.). Particularly throughout middle school years – 7 to 9 – students become more and more reliant on their peers for validation, seeking to create their own identities through the eyes of those around them (O’Donnell et al., 2012). The desire and need to fit in leads to making adaptions in order not to call attention to individual differences.

Of course, in the modern Australian context, there are a plethora of communities and sub-cultures that have their own impact on a student’s desire to be seen as someone standing out from the crowd. Australian indigenous groups place particular importance on family, community and culture, with those over-riding the educational requirements of modern schooling. Chaffey, Bailey and Vine (2003) provide an example of how such barriers may be overcome. Working with and within communities, a model has been developed that provides dynamic, culturally appropriate, opportunities to test and work with gifted indigenous students. The dynamic nature of their testing overcame the masking of the underachievers and found gifted rates similar to those in other communities (2003). This is proof that cultural barriers may be overcome.

Considering all of this, it is apparent that there is a need for identification of gifted and talented students to take into account that students may not wish to be seen as such. Therefore, identification methods need to screen students in ways that at once both effective and non-confrontational. Fun would be an added bonus. There are several options that may be utilised.

First and foremost, as identified by those Australian education departments with policies, the teacher and the parents are at the forefront of gifted and talented identification. Conversations with parents can lead to a greater understanding of the student’s strengths and interests in ways that may not be possible simply conversing with the student themselves. Parents often have insights that may not be readily apparent to the child. Teachers must use their observational skills and basically get to know their students. This can be built further with the use of checklists, such as those outlined by Montgomery (2009). While such checklists may be aimed at identifying underachievement rather than potential giftedness specifically, it is hardly a waste of the teacher’s time to consider their students under such a light.

One potential screening tool that leaps out is the Ideal Computer test (Shavinina, 2009). Using the concept that the students have access to a computer, which has all the answers to any questions they may possibly ever wish to ask, students are able to spend some time developing their questions in what would appear to be engaging exercise. Certainly non-confrontational, the number of questions and depth of insight sought by the students may be scaled by the teacher to at least give some indication of potential. Of course, there will always be students who will not even willingly participate in something so simple, but as an entry point to screening, it would seem to have a number of advantages over more traditional and complex forms.

Conclusion

The importance of identifying students with potential giftedness or apparent talents cannot be understated. Like all students, they have a right to an education that is challenging ad engaging. It is to society’s benefit that these students reach their potential, giving them the opportunity to lift the potential of communities and the country as a whole. That it is a difficult task to identify those that perhaps wish to remain hidden in the crowd, should not deter educational bodies from doing so. There is an opportunity within this country to celebrate all forms of achievement equally. The dearth of policy regarding the gifted and talented is something to be worked upon by all, to the benefit of all.

References Australian Curriculum and Reporting Authority (ACARA). Gifted and Talented Students. Retrieved from: https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/resources/student-diversity/gifted-and-talented-students Chaffey, G., Bailey, S., & Vine, K. (2003). Identifying high academic potential in Australian Aboriginal children using dynamic testing. The Australasian Journal of Gifted Education 12(1), pp. 42-55. Department of Education. (2018). Guidelines for Parents Gifted and Talented Selective Entrance to Secondary Schools and Programs. Government of Western Australia Department of Education and Child Development. (2016). Gifted and talented children and students policy. Government of South Australia. Department of Education and Training. (2004). Policy and implementation strategies for the education of gifted and talented students. State of NSW. Hyde, M., Carpenter, L., Conway, R. (2014). Diversity, Inclusion & Engagement (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. Jericho, A. (n.d.). Inquiry into the Education of Gifted and Talented Children. Board for Lutheran Schools. Jolly, J. (2016). Gifted and talented students are neglected by our schools. Retrieved from: https://www.smh.com.au/opinion/gifted-and-talented-students-are-neglected-by-our-schools-20160928-grqd6c.html Montgomery, D. (2009). Able, gifted and talented underachievers (2nd ed.). Hoboken: Wiley. O'Donnell, M., Dobozy, E., Bartlett, B., Bryer, F., Reeve, J., Smith-Wiley, J. (2012). Educational Psychology: First Australian Edition. John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd. Shavinina, L. (2009). International handbook on giftedness. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. Slater, E. (2018). The identification of gifted children in Australia: The importance of policy. TalentEd, 30, 1–16.

Gifted and Talented Underachievers

It was hard to choose a path to take with this topic. As I look around the shed, I am pretty sure I can spot a couple of twice exceptional folk at least. Thinking of Tristan in particular, his knowledge and interests have little to no relevance to his schooling. There are only so many subjects that look at Finnish snipers of WWII. One of Bron's clients, is a young man who's profound ASD covers the brilliant mind from all but the most observant.

Instead of 2E, I have stuck with my own domain. Even if the 10% figure proclaimed by Gagne is off, say 5% of the community is likely to be gifted, that is still 5 or 6 students in my classes each year. As I researched and wrote the post, names kept jumping out at me. Anyway, here it is.

Gifted & talented topic 3: Under achievement
“80% of pupils underachieved a large part of the time… underachieving by at least one standard deviation”(Montgomery, 2009). Before we even consider gifted and talented, this statistic is frightening enough. Therefore, I am wondering how we are to readily find the invisible underachievers. This leads straight to another question, known as the forced choice dilemma: ‘do I fit in or do I let my gifts show?’

Simply watching the reaction of year nine students as they, or their peers, receive awards on parade – assembly south of the border – tells me that this social dilemma is very real and active. Gifted or not. A student I know quite well received a behaviour and effort award last week. As she walked up to receive the award, with a number of other students, her peer group giggled and she looked incredibly embarrassed, double folding the award as soon as it was in her hands as if covering up the evidence. Gifted students are just as likely, if not more so, to want to hide.

If talent is not valued by the peer culture, the potential and/or interests are likely to be hidden “behind a talent mask”(Bannister-Tyrrell, Merrotsy, Jones, & Gunn, 2016), though there are some that have found ways to get past the mask. While away from my realm of influence as a teacher, the Wii Gaay project (Merrostsy, 2006) – targeted at indigenous year three students – leads to a relaxed learning environment with a focus on “intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy enhancement.” The program is holistic in nature and success is ensured through “scaffolding and supported by performance and attributional feedback.” The holistic nature of the program is a key factor. Whether gifted or not, students succeed where they feel safe and comfortable. Though sometimes even this is not enough for students to make the leap.

Another year nine student I have taught spent most of the year doing the bare minimum to get by in English. In term three, a peer was moved to another class and another started spending more and more time away from school. She is more or less an outsider with the rest of the class. Her term three assessment was wonderful; the first A she had achieved in a long time. At the start of term four, she was still flying. Her contributions to classroom conversations were exceptional, leading the class in a lot of ways. She started the assessment well ahead of the majority of the class and I was expecting something special. Then came ‘I don’t know what to write’. Her planning was complete, the ideas within showing excellent analysis. In the end, she reverted to the bare minimum. Despite the support, the conversations, the scaffolding, she believes that term 3 was an outlier.

Self-efficacy is another of the key factors (Chaffey, Bailey, & Vine, 2003). The power of the mind to limit its own ability is profound. This is just one of the reasons why, when addressing underachievement, the intervention must be: long term and holistic, involve the school and the community, and address cognitive and affective development (Bannister-Tyrrell, Merrotsy, Jones, & Gunn, 2016). The time and energy must be spent ensuring that our school systems build students up. This needs to start in the individual teacher’s classroom, particularly when the system is not up to the job.

So what can the teacher control? Thankfully, there are many things. A student’s sense of comfort and order has a primary role in their ability to learn (Marzano & Pickering, 1997). Teacher/student relationships go a long way in developing this comfort. I am privileged to witness some wonderful teachers, of various teaching styles, build excellent relationships with students that others look past or even burn through. I like to think that the relationships – comfort – part of the equation is a pro within my skillset. The order is less so. The bit that I think we all struggle with is finding the student’s motivation.

Motivation needs to overcome intrinsic barriers. If we could just bribe our students to success, teaching would be a lot easier. I found this particularly insightful: “extrinsic rewards such as gifts and prizes actually caused a decline in motivation to learn” (Montgomery, 2009). I know a number of parents who pay for A’s. Positive support and self-directed creative work increases intrinsic motivation in the gifted learner and I dare say students in general. Montgomery highlights that when “challenging questioning, problem based learning and thinking skills are promoted” gifted students, and their peers, are more able to be engaged and motivated, forming an extrinsic factor within the teacher’s control. I will be reading more of her book, Able Gifted and Talented Underachievers, over the next few weeks.

Finally, it is important that we, as teachers, parents and a community, try to engage all students, particularly the gifted and talented. Studies like that of Barbara Black (1984) highlight the importance of unlocking a student’s potential. Without doing so, we risk losing more students. This is a loss for the student themselves and us as a community. Below I have added a list of characteristics from the Montgomery book. As I read through them, the second student I mentioned here jumped out at me. I hope I have the opportunity to teach her again in year ten.