Current practices in the education of gifted and advanced learners in South Australian schools

Predictors of Attitudes to Gifted Programs/Provisions

“…The tension between catering to the needs of gifted students and their nongifted counterparts (Jarvis & Henderson, 2012) is evident in the mix of attitudes that have been expressed in investigations to date, which range from "a degree of apathy and opposition to gifted education" (Watters & Diezmann, 2001, p. 29) to views that gifted education programs and provisions are "important" (Lassig, 2009).…”

“…The study was undertaken with preservice educators in Australia, where a social justice perspective that places priority on special educational interventions for poorly achieving students and a generally egalitarian ethos that is consistent with a low power distance orientation, coexists with recent political rhetoric about the need to foster creativity and knowledge for the “knowledge economy” (Hofstede, 2001; Lassig, 2009). The tension between catering to the needs of gifted students and their nongifted counterparts (Jarvis & Henderson, 2012) is evident in the mix of attitudes that have been expressed in investigations to date, which range from “a degree of apathy and opposition to gifted education” (Watters & Diezmann, 2001, p. 29) to views that gifted education programs and provisions are “important” (Lassig, 2009).…”

The ChallenGE Project: Using Design-Based Research to Determine the Effectiveness of a Design Thinking Approach to Professional Learning in Gifted Education

“…Griffin (2015) found that teachers did not always know how to provide for the most able learners in their classrooms. This is confirmed in the South Australian context by Jarvis and Henderson (2012) who found that only 5% of teachers surveyed had substantial PL in Gifted Education. Strong research evidence indicates that only teachers who have received PL in Gifted Education are able to accurately identify highly able and gifted students and effectively cater for their needs (Chessman, 2006; Needels & Gage, 1991; Plunkett & Kronborg, 2011; Rowley, 2012).…”

Gifted Education in the Australian Context

“…Pull-out or withdrawal services, where students are removed from their regular classroom for a period, usually 45 to 60 minutes per week, are used in primary schools to meet the needs of gifted students. Although there are no available figures on how many schools offer withdrawal programs, Jarvis and Henderson (2012) found that 50% of respondents to their survey of gifted education practices in South Australia reported the use of a withdrawal program. They also reported the content of the classes usually focused on content outside the curriculum, such as thinking skills, indicating that little scope or sequence exists within these classes or connects to the regular curriculum.…”

“…A common theme identified by Jarvis and Henderson (2012) is that schools tend to see gifted education as an “optional extra” and that meeting the needs of disadvantaged students is a priority for schools. Within Australian culture, there is an ever-present assumption that the gifted will do well regardless of special intervention (Porter, 2005).…”