Gifted and Talented Students - Meeting Their Needs in New Zealand ...

GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS: MEETING THEIR NEEDS IN NEW ZEALAND SCHOOLSTiered activities, whereby all students work with the same essential skills, but in differentdirections based upon needs, may complement grouping. It should be noted that co-operativelearning groups that have the purpose of academic/intellectual growth work best for giftedand talented students when they are grouped homogeneously, rather than heterogeneously(Robinson, 1997). It seems that the notion of gifted and talented students bringing up orhelping out less able students may be a myth, with traditional co-operative learning groupsoften leading to frustration and lack of challenge for the gifted and talented. However,heterogeneous grouping does have some benefits, such as, meeting the service componentfor gifted and talented Mäori students. Thus, a careful balance of grouping practices must beensured.Consulting TeacherAnother option for meeting the needs of gifted and talented students is to have a specialistteacher working within the regular classroom with individuals or small groups of giftedand talented students. This requires close communication and co-operation between thespecialist and the regular classroom teacher. In some cases, the consulting teacher may workalongside the regular classroom teacher, supporting the teacher’s development of specialisedopportunities for the gifted and talented. The consulting teacher may therefore work directly orindirectly with gifted and talented students within the regular classroom setting.42