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

cluster programme, as well as pressure in the Christian-based individualised programme foracceleration rather than enrichment via the modules.Staff in a high decile school felt that many of the parents believe their child to be gifted. Theseteachers expressed a concern that perhaps there is a lack of parental understanding as to what giftedmeans, and some parents may be insisting their child be part of a programme that they may not havethe ability to cope with. The committee for gifted and talented has a criteria for selection, but try toreassure parents that the school is meeting their child’s needs, whether it is through the withdrawalprogramme or the classroom programme. However, the possibility was raised that some children maybe in the programme because of parent nomination more than any other criteria.How well the programme is received can depend on how well informed the school community is aboutgifted education. There was a recognised need in all the schools for parents to be well informed aboutwhat is being provided, as well as the rationale for it, in order to allay parental concerns when studentsare challenged by the programme. The school may have an open policy but in reality there may not bea lot of parental involvement. Therefore teachers in the intermediate school endeavour to meet withparents:to alleviate a lot of concerns that they have and to try and explain the direction that thechildren are going to be going in but also to point out some of the issues that they may haveconcerns about.Students. Several of the schools raised issues related to gifted and talented students which they saw asa barrier to effective provisions. The major themes to arise were in relation to inappropriate behaviour,coping with academic and intellectual challenges, and student attitudes upon returning to the regularclassroom after participation in withdrawal programmes. Students participating in withdrawalprogrammes or special provisions off-site (i.e., cluster groups, working with local experts, field trips,etc) were seen as needing social skills and cooperative skills for effective participation. Thus,negative, ‘bad,’ or ‘naughty behaviour of some gifted or talented students was seen as a barrier toprovisions. Additionally, some teachers felt that the students needed to be able to work in a group withother students. The result of lacking these skills was that some gifted and talented students wereexcluded from these opportunities. One of the ways that one primary school is working to overcomethis is by way of a social skills programme that runs through the school at the beginning of the year.The homework habits and learning skills of some of gifted and talented students were described bytheir teachers as unsatisfactory. For example, teachers in one secondary school talked about studentswho might forget to bring their diaries or the equipment required to complete some of the activities.They also described students who had ‘cruised through’ school without developing appropriate workand study skills, and sometimes lacking in motivation. These indicative comments explain someteachers’ perceptions:I think you sometimes get kids who are bright, it’s not a language problem but just amotivation problem. Or they’re just not used to sort of doing a lot of stuff, homework, a lotof homework, that sort of thing.I think some of them are used to achieving without having to work terribly hard.They’ve coasted through.And you get that comment from their parents a lot too at Parents’ Evening.They’ve said they’re so used to achieving without having to think about it.They are kids who may have had an easy ride up until they hit our classes and all of asudden they’re with other kids who are possibly better than them so they are no longer atthe top of the pecking order.261