The Extent, Nature and Effectiveness of Planned Approaches in ...

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Table 2. 2003 Enrolment Figures: The Correspondence School.Year Level Gifted Students1 92 153 184 465 626 777 668 1199 1310 1311 412 1Many of the university-based Talent Search programmes have developed online courses for gifted andtalented students. An example of this is the Education Programmes for Gifted Youth (EPGY) atStanford University (2003) which offers courses in a variety of subjects at levels ranging fromkindergarten (age 5) through advanced undergraduate and currently serves more than 3,000 studentsfrom 28 countries. The courses include instruction in mathematics, English, physics, computerscience, and music which are facilitated via a virtual classroom, e-mail, and telephone. Adams andCross (1999/2000) provide detail on several similar distance learning programmes in the UnitedStates, and the Northwestern University Center for Talent Development provide web-based links toother programmes.Closer to the shores of New Zealand is the Virtual School for the Gifted (VSG) (2003), which wasestablished in Melbourne in 1997. The online school specialises in providing enrichment courses tocomplement and extend the regular curriculum, and in doing so strives to develop an onlinecommunity of learners in which gifted and talented students can ‘remove their masks.’ The courses,available to primary and secondary students, are taught by specialist teachers and class sizes are keptsmall, allowing for individualisation of instruction. The online classes encompass opportunities inmathematics and science, humanities, and computing, and each course lasts approximately nine weeks.Individuals or groups of students can apply for the VSG and there are no criteria for entry; theirwebsite states, “There are no testing procedures for admittance to the VSG. Places are offered on afirst-come-first-served basis.” The VSG was unable to report exact numbers of New Zealand studentswho are currently enrolled in their programmes, however, they did indicate that at least four differentschools from New Zealand have participated (D. Kelly, personal communication, September 5, 2003).A similar, but much smaller, programme is offered by the University of New England, Armidale andis called the TalentEd Enrichment Programmes (TEEP) (2003). TEEP is a computer mediatedcollaborative learning environment for young learners which appears to specialise in mathematicsbasedenichment.Frydenberg and O’Mullane (2000) report that several Australian state departments of education deliverdifferentiated programming via satellite, facilitate mentoring and peer-group interaction on theInternet, and offer access to more resource bases than could be available in any single schoolenvironment. For example, they describe The International Student Project which links gifted studentsat 22 Victorian schools via e-mail and the Internet with counterparts in a dozen countries to researchand debate worldwide problems facing young people today.Outcomes for StudentsRogers (2002b) reports that there is no systematic research which examines the effect of distancelearning. Olszewski-Kubilius and Lee (2003) believe that more research is needed to determine howdistance learning can be most beneficial to gifted and talented students. As they state, “In particular,continued comparison of distance learning to traditional learning formats should help researchers120
determine what features are essential elements of successful distance learning …” (no page given).Adams and Cross (1999/2000) support this view, stating that although enrolment numbers in manydistance education courses in the United States continue to steadily increase, very little systematicevaluative research related to their effectiveness has been undertaken. This review of the literatureconfirmed the lack of empirical research related to the effectiveness of this often-recommendedprovision for gifted and talented students. Whilst a few overseas articles were located, this reviewyielded no references within the context of New Zealand.International perspectives. Smith (2000) describes research which evaluated the effectiveness ofvirtual schools in Alberta, Canada. Since 1995, twenty-three virtual schools have been created inAlberta, and these offer ‘anytime/anyplace’ learning opportunities, and as such, Smith believes theseare viable alternatives for gifted and talented students. Unfortunately, the report does not give anyindication of the methodology utilised (and attempts to contact the researcher or locate the study wereunfruitful). However, it does provide some information regarding the results in relation to outcomesfor students. For example, she reports that 14% of students attending virtual schools were identified ashighly gifted. The students and their parents selected this option because it gave way to opportunitiesfor autonomous learning: students could work at their own pace, in their own time, and to the depthand breadth of their choice. She reports that the students found these independent learningopportunities motivational. The students also reported that in the virtual schooling environmentrelationships were created which were not influenced by race, gender, or age and they saw this as apositive feature. As she reports “These students felt that eliminating these issues made them feel moreaccepted and this increased their grades because they were no longer occupied with how they feltemotionally” (no page given). Of the parents surveyed, 34% reported that their children’s academicachievement has improved since enrolment. Further, they reported changes in their children’ssatisfaction with learning and personal confidence.Wilson, Litle, Coleman, and Gallagher (1997) report the findings of an evaluation of a distancelearning programme at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM), a residentialhigh school for academically talented students in the last two years of their schooling. NCSSMincorporated a distance learning programme in 1991 as an outreach to students unable to attend theresidential facility. During the evaluation, students were surveyed and interviewed to obtain theirperceptions of the distance learning programme. Overall, the participating students reportedfavourable experiences. The benefits cited by the students included: access to outstanding faculty;opportunities to take courses that they would not have otherwise been able to take; the chance tointeract with students from other schools and other sites; the opportunity to test their abilities againstprestigious courses from the NCSSM; a chance to develop independent skills and study skills that theyfelt would better prepare them for tertiary study; and the opportunity to sharpen their communicationand thinking skills.The authors further report that as a group, the students achieved to levels similar to their peers inresidence at the school. However, they also indicate that some students struggled to achieve and haddifficulties with the courses. The difficulties these students experienced were not so much related tothe mode of study, as to the content and teacher expectations. These students did point outdisadvantages and these primarily related to lack of face-to-face, one-on-one face-to-face contact withtheir teacher and technical difficulties.Olszewski-Kublius and Lee (2003) conducted an evaluation of the online learning courses availablethrough the Northwestern University Center for Talent Development, a programme established in1982 for students in grades 6 through 12 (or approximately ages 11-18). Through questionnaires, theyprobed student perceptions of their experiences. Overall the students reported satisfaction, with 73.3%of the 149 students surveyed indicating that they plan to enrol in future courses. The authors report,“Most were satisfied with the quality of overall technical support, reporting easy access toinformation, adequate technical support help, clear navigation and organization of course websites,and quality online communication with their instructors” (no page given). Their research confirms thefindings of Wilson et al.’s (1997) study that the greatest difficulty for students was the lack of face-toface,one-on-one interactions with the teacher.121
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The Extent, Nature and Effectivenes
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iii
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AcknowledgementsThe research team w
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viii
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The Nature and Extent of Identifica
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Table 28. School-Based Provisions:
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policy (Ministry of Education, 2002
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Introduction to the Literature Revi
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national and international theory a
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literature in relation to New Zeala
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DEFINITIONS AND CHARACTERISTICSTher
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It is also important to remember th
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classroom. She further recommends t
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combination. The desirable approach
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identification and the opportunitie
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words, teacher identification in yo
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Tests of intelligence. Tests of int
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2003). The bias reported in these t
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mentioned, it must be recognised th
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that ‘all parents think their chi
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The adaptations made to content, pr
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same time, relationships can be bui
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6. The classroom has a comfortable,
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Freeman (1998) conceives enrichment
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egular classroom can also alleviate
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• These learners should have oppo
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learning there seems to be reluctan
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Swiatek (2002) concludes that the S
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Perhaps in the historical debate ov
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The New Zealand Curriculum recognis
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Stocktake Report to the Minister of
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The model reflects many of the prin
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• The establishment of learning g
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challenging for them” (Fielder et
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(1986) believe that if grouping is
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EDUCATING GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDE
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and exposure to higher level thinki
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Page 85 and 86: There are some suggestions that IEP
Page 87 and 88: Potential Weaknesses• Time consum
Page 89 and 90: always be concerned to protect stud
Page 91 and 92: Similar findings were reported by J
Page 93 and 94: Potential Strengths• Working in t
Page 95 and 96: Kaplan (1999) outlines the followin
Page 97 and 98: Potential weaknesses of learning ce
Page 99 and 100: Developed specifically as a model f
Page 101 and 102: earlier in this review of the liter
Page 103 and 104: • A practical option for small or
Page 105 and 106: programmes of this nature. Macleod
Page 107 and 108: have significant but varying positi
Page 109 and 110: • Missed instruction (Cox & Danie
Page 111 and 112: describe American secondary schools
Page 113 and 114: felt that instruction was more stud
Page 115 and 116: Recommendations for Effective Pract
Page 117 and 118: Outcomes for StudentsEarly entry is
Page 119 and 120: difficulties, Cornell et al. (1991)
Page 121 and 122: opportunities for acceleration and
Page 123 and 124: Burns and Lewis (2000) conducted a
Page 125 and 126: way, competitions allow students a
Page 127 and 128: hundred and sixteen of these Olympi
Page 129 and 130: her wings so that those special abi
Page 131: programmes: establish a “definiti
Page 135 and 136: their responses (Harrison, 2003). O
Page 137 and 138: ideas beyond the school curriculum,
Page 139 and 140: • Narrow selection criteria inclu
Page 141 and 142: Culture free and culture fair tests
Page 143 and 144: In her examination of successful pr
Page 145 and 146: potential (Torrance, 1984). Mentors
Page 147 and 148: Provisions: ProblemsShortage of cul
Page 149 and 150: content and context of learning is
Page 151 and 152: concept/phenomenon, threat of isola
Page 153 and 154: Similarly, Doidge (1990) recommends
Page 155 and 156: cooperative team approach is helpfu
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Page 159 and 160: a link between programme evaluation
Page 161 and 162: • Community and parental contribu
Page 163 and 164: Cathcart (1996) states that, “som
Page 165 and 166: • Is passionate about discipline,
Page 167 and 168: Whilst all of these are promising p
Page 169 and 170: THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF IDENTIFICA
Page 171 and 172: profiles or cumulative work folders
Page 173 and 174: QuestionnaireThis purpose of the qu
Page 175 and 176: questionnaire the quality of these
Page 177 and 178: • Income Support Payments Receive
Page 179 and 180: of these schools reported one, wher
Page 181 and 182: Table 9. Written Policies and Proce
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We are very much in our conception
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Table 11. School-Based Concept or D
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Some schools recognised the potenti
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Table 12. Formal Identification by
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The frequencies for this section ar
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Table 17. Identification Methods: C
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Table 19. Identification Methods: S
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Summary: Formal Identification of G
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Table 24. Community-Based Provision
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Table 25. School-based Provision by
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Provisions: Intellectual/Academic.
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Table 31. Provisions: Gifted and Ta
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primary schools are making schoolwi
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Resource provision, staffing, is a
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Case StudiesTo add richness to this
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7. Measures to ensure identificatio
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Table 36. Profile of School A.Overa
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intelligences, inquiry learning, an
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School B’s JourneyThis full prima
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Table 38. Profile of School C.Overa
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included. Teachers chose which acti
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School D’s JourneyWhile it is dif
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Table 40. Profile of School E.Overa
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isks. As part of this inclusive phi
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School F’s JourneyPrior to the pr
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Table 42. Profile of School G.Overa
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School electives and the annual sch
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School H’s JourneyThe gifted and
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School I’s JourneyThe journey for
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Table 45. Profile of School J.Overa
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community who may be able to suppor
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IdentificationDuring the in-depth i
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1. A talent detector form that asks
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The process in one school for the i
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Have an established gifted register
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Withdrawal programmes. The ‘succe
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It’s actually releasing children
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Difficulties. Providing for gifted
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Knowing that Mäori kids like team
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To counteract the previously mentio
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classroom teacher for inclusion in
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additional funds for competitions,
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classes during Enrichment. The coor
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One of the main day to day operatio
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The intermediate school teachers of
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cluster programme, as well as press
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not all students could participate,
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levels of schooling, and overall or
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The rationale for professional read
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DiscussionThe purpose in this resea
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Schoolwide organisation of gifted a
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inclusive nature of giftedness and
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provisions in their procedures. Mee
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ConclusionsThis section of the rese
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eflect the core principles of gifte
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ReferencesAdams, C., & Cross, T. (1
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Betts, G. (1985). Autonomous Learne
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Callahan, C.M., Hunsaker, S.L., Ada
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Cross, T. (1994). Alternative inqui
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Feldhusen, J.F. (1997). Educating t
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Freeman, J. (1998). Educating the v
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Heller, K.A., & Schofield, N.J. (20
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Kaufmann, F.A., Harrel, G., Milam,
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Lewis, G. (2002). Alternatives to a
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McGee, C., Jones, A., Cowie, B., Hi
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Montgomery, W. (2001). Creating cul
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Plunkett, M., & Harvey, D. (1995).
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Renzulli, J.S. (1986). Systems and
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Robinson, A. (1991). Cooperative le
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Slavin, R.E. (1988). Synthesis of r
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Timutimu-Thorpe, H. (1988). E awhi
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Van Tassel-Baska, J. (2000). Theory
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APPENDIX ALiterature Review Templat
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Section 2: THEORY-BASED REFERENCES
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APPENDIX BSchool Questionnaire20033
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APPENDIX CInformation Sheets andInt
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The Extent and Nature of Identifica
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As compensation for your school’s
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APPENDIX DConsent Forms335
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