In New Zealand the Education Act 1989 states everyone has the same right to education in a state school whether or not they have special educational needs (New Zealand, 2016). This inclusion leads to classrooms with diverse students varying culturally, intellectually, physically, socio-economically and linguistically (Alton-Lee, 2003). This essay will examine giftedness, one area of diversity that is found in all schools, and provide assessment and teaching strategies to help support students from this group in the classroom. There are many definitions of giftedness throughout the world, but no definition that is universally accepted (Ministry of Education, 2012). To further complicate things the Ministry of Education in New Zealand does
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The first approach is the responsive learning environment where the social and emotional growth of the child is incorporated into their academic learning. All students are given intellectually challenging tasks across the curriculum and they are able to follow the topics in depth, this allows gifted children to rise to the top and be identified (Easter, 2011). According to Bevan-Brown (2009) it is important that a cultural aspect is included in the responsive environment, by doing this gifted Maori and Polynesian students are more likely to achieve and be identified. There are several factors that may contribute to gifted students not being identified in the responsive learning environment, these include the teacher’s inability to create high quality lessons that allow creative and higher thinking, the inability of the teacher to always be alert to student abilities in large classes, and teachers negative attitudes and low expectations of certain cultures or students (Easter, …show more content…
Various methods are used to gather data about the student for example, observations, teacher rating scales, product, process and performance results, nominations and, tests (standardised achievement, intelligence tests and teacher designed) (Riley, 2004, as cited in Easter, 2011). In identifying gifted Maori and those from minority cultures it was found that checklists, rating scales, product, processes and performances were accurate and effective in identify gifted students when cultural ideas of giftedness where taken into account (Bevan-Brown, 2009). Standardised tests of intelligence, achievement and creativity are useful to identify gifted students because of high reliability and validity, though these tests also have disadvantages where the child can hit the ceiling of the test, there maybe cultural and linguistic bias, and others are not appropriate for children who are gifted with learning difficulties (twice-exceptional students) (Ministry of Education,
The first approach is the responsive learning environment where the social and emotional growth of the child is incorporated into their academic learning. All students are given intellectually challenging tasks across the curriculum and they are able to follow the topics in depth, this allows gifted children to rise to the top and be identified (Easter, 2011). According to Bevan-Brown (2009) it is important that a cultural aspect is included in the responsive environment, by doing this gifted Maori and Polynesian students are more likely to achieve and be identified. There are several factors that may contribute to gifted students not being identified in the responsive learning environment, these include the teacher’s inability to create high quality lessons that allow creative and higher thinking, the inability of the teacher to always be alert to student abilities in large classes, and teachers negative attitudes and low expectations of certain cultures or students (Easter, …show more content…
Various methods are used to gather data about the student for example, observations, teacher rating scales, product, process and performance results, nominations and, tests (standardised achievement, intelligence tests and teacher designed) (Riley, 2004, as cited in Easter, 2011). In identifying gifted Maori and those from minority cultures it was found that checklists, rating scales, product, processes and performances were accurate and effective in identify gifted students when cultural ideas of giftedness where taken into account (Bevan-Brown, 2009). Standardised tests of intelligence, achievement and creativity are useful to identify gifted students because of high reliability and validity, though these tests also have disadvantages where the child can hit the ceiling of the test, there maybe cultural and linguistic bias, and others are not appropriate for children who are gifted with learning difficulties (twice-exceptional students) (Ministry of Education,