The Journal of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children

After reading and analysing the final section of students’ reflective journals which required
them to reflect on how their opinions had altered over the semester and their overall journey of
learning two major themes emerged. One related to the realisation of their previous lack of
knowledge and understanding about giftedness and the second related to the value of the unit’s
content for their teaching in general, as illustrated in the following representative comments:
“Looking at the changes in my attitudes I can’t believe how little I knew about gifted students and I was
one myself! I just feel that I am much better prepared now” (Julie, 2010).
“My journey through this subject has been one of fantastic enlightenment. I found that the more I
studied, the more I felt compelled to learn more in an attempt to affect change…… The growth in my
knowledge in this area has made me reflect on my teaching practices over the past 25 years, which at
times has been very uncomfortable, but definitely necessary” (Allison, 2008).
“I have really enjoyed this unit on giftedness. I feel it has opened my eyes to important issues I would
have been completely unaware of. I now feel I am developing important insight into how to recognise
gifted students and how to go about providing for them. Giftedness is such a complex issue with many
dimensions to consider. These students won’t always stand out, often they can be the quiet ones that
don’t want to be noticed or they can suffer from other disabilities which mask their brilliance. These
disabilities can range from Asperger’s syndrome, ADHD to learning disabilities. Awareness and
provision for the gifted in schools is slowly increasing, but there is still a long way to go and even
further to go for the future of disabled students who are also gifted. Research concludes the gifted that
are accelerated or grouped have positive experiences and excel both academically and socially.
Social-emotional needs and aspects of gifted students are matched and met when they are placed
with like-minded peers. Often to achieve this they have to be placed with older students or paired with
a mentor to help them progress and develop their abilities” (Gayle, 2010).
Moreover, there was an almost unanimous perception within every cohort over the three
year period, of the need for a compulsory unit on gifted education.
“I am really grateful that I chose this unit but can’t believe it isn’t compulsory – I have told all my friends
to make sure they do it as otherwise they won’t have any idea what to do if they get a gifted kid in their
class. My mum is a teacher and she is amazed at what I tell her – she has taken a few of the readings
to her school for the staff and even asked my advice about one of her students who she now thinks
might be gifted” (Sue, 2009).
Finally the following heartfelt statement from one recent student sums up what many
students perceive as the inherent value of this elective unit on giftedness:
“I made a bold statement when beginning my journal for this subject: “throughout my academic
career, no single unit has left me feeling as astonished and baffled by my own ignorance as EDF4512”.
I stand by my words. Being in the final year of a Bachelor of Education, and having completed a law
degree a year earlier, I felt as though I was well-equipped to soon enter the classroom as a teacher.
Then along came this unit! It wasn’t as if this subject made me feel incompetent, but rather that I
simply couldn’t fathom that someone in my position could be so oblivious of an educational issue that
almost every single teacher will encounter in their profession. Gifted education cannot be considered
in isolation; it permeates all subject areas, across all levels, and I think it’s a real shame that units such
as this aren’t made compulsory in teacher education courses. As a pre-service English teacher I feel
eternally grateful that I’ve been made aware of key issues surrounding gifted education now, before I
formally enter the education profession. But, I do wonder about all those who – due to unavailability of
the subject, timetable reasons or otherwise – have not been exposed to this educational issue. I worry
because for all the excellent information provided on the characteristics of gifted students, the
problems with identification, cultural disparity, and grouping and acceleration alternatives, our
response to these issues turns so much on the attitude and knowledge of the teacher. Without an
appreciation of what we’ve covered in this course, a teacher is unlikely to instinctively be on the
lookout to respond positively and appropriately to the needs of gifted students. This is a real shame.
Until there is broader education about giftedness, I feel as though many of the myths and
misunderstandings that have punctuated this issue for decades (eg. the ‘zero-sum’ idea that investing
in ‘gifted’ and ‘handicapped’) will continue to be peddled. But, on the plus side, you’ll have another
lecture theatre full of staunch advocates out there in the schools fighting for proper provisions for the
gifted. A small step? Maybe. But a step nonetheless. Thank you for a wonderful semester” (Nigel).
Gifted and Talented International – 26(1), August, 2011; and 26(2), December, 2011. 43