Including the Gifted: Professionals Praise Learning Support Plan
Specialist educators in gifted education have been waiting over a decade for the government’s promise of giftedness
being identified and provided for as a special educational need. In 2005, the National Administration Guidelines
mandated all schools in New Zealand to respond to giftedness as a special need, yet research and ERO reviews
consistently showed that schools were failing to do so.
Research in New Zealand, last funded by the Ministry in 2004, showed a strong preference for working with gifted
students in their regular classrooms, yet, their learning progress has likely been stifled by low expectations, set by
assessment systems like National Standards and lack of opportunity to work with like-minded peers, due to funding cuts
for specialist programmes.
The Draft Disability and Learning Support Action Plan, released on Friday, could change this situation for gifted
learners through universal screening for giftedness, which would contribute to a central database.
Dr. Nadine Ballam, co-chair of The Professional Association for Gifted Education, and a Senior Lecturer at the
University of Waikato, explains that, “The Ministry has not collected data on gifted students, making it difficult for
teachers to monitor and track their progress, and impossible for researchers to state with any certainty how many of our
students in New Zealand classrooms are gifted.”
The Draft Plan includes gifted students in its proposed overhaul of a school system that is not fully inclusive. “This
plan proposes a step change that will place New Zealand amongst a small number of countries, like Scotland, that
acknowledge the special needs of gifted students, as part of a fully inclusive education system,” says Massey
University’s Dean, Research, Tracy Riley, who is serving as Secretary of the World Council for Gifted and Talented
Children.
Teachers in all classrooms engage with gifted students, who have abilities and qualities beyond those of other kids, in
academic, creative, social, cultural and physical domains. Research shows that most gifted learners are identified
formally by teachers in schools, but, as Dr. Ballam explains, “Most teacher education programs and professional learning
do not include specialist knowledge on gifted characteristics - like advanced knowledge, rapid pace of learning, deep
concern for social issues, and a quirky humour- and without this knowledge, it is likely teachers will not identify
giftedness.”
“We are pleased that the Ministry intends to grow teacher capability to identify and provide for giftedness, and,
hopeful, that will include advanced opportunities for in-depth teacher learning,” says giftEDnz co-chair and doctoral
student researcher, Justine Hughes, who is actively creating an online community of practice using social media.
The association is supporting its members, who are professionals in gifted education working in all sectors, as
teachers, school leaders, researchers, and educational psychologists, to share evidence-based practices, research and
policies, to inform the consultation process which closes on 31 October. Through social media, Ms Hughes, says, “We are
facilitating online chats on Twitter, information sharing and discussions on Facebook around key themes to inform our
member submissions, and launching a new, fully interactive website this month.”
Associate Professor Riley says, “Along with a sense of optimism, this is a great time for critical discussion and debate
amongst professionals. In my 22 year career as an academic in this field, the debate around whether we should include
gifted in special education or not has never been resolved. Perhaps now is the time to include our gifted.”