Welcome and thank you for accessing this professional learning! My name is Lynda Lovett and I am a project officer with the HPGE team. This online course that you are attending today will provide you with an orientation on how to support your ‘fellow leaders’, teachers, colleagues and the high potential and gifted students in your schools, using the High Potential and Gifted Education policy, web section, professional learning and available resources to guide you. The material in this course will support your teachers, colleagues and students working at school or working remotely.

I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we are meeting today, for me, the Kaurna nation. This land was, is and always will be Aboriginal land. I also acknowledge the traditional owners where you are situated. I would like to pay my respects to the traditional custodians, elders past, present and emerging and pay my respects to all Aboriginal people participating today.

This course meets the following NESA standards:

• 1.1.1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and how these may affect learning
  
• 3.1.1 Set learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics.
• 6.2.1 Understand the relevant and appropriate sources of professional learning for teachers

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Locate the policy in the web section
• Understand how the policy supports the four domains of high potential
• Understand how the policy supports diverse learners.
• Explore the 5 key actions which support policy implementation
• Locate the availability of professional learning opportunities.

Policy statements will be shared with you during this presentation to familiarise you with the contents.

The High Potential and Gifted Education Policy promotes engagement and challenge for every student, regardless of background, in every school or in every remote site across intellectual, creative, social-emotional and physical domains. It supports every student to achieve their educational potential, through talent development opportunities and differentiated teaching and learning practices.

Regardless of current restrictions due to COVID19, this policy will be implemented in Term 1, 2021.

You can access policy through the web section using the following steps

1. Go to the department’s homepage
2. Click on Teaching and Learning in the top toolbar
3. Click on High Potential and Gifted Education on the right hand side.
4. You are now at the landing page. You can see the red button that allows you to read the policy and download a PDF version

You can now minimise your screen to access it at different points in this presentation.

There are 5 key iterative actions that provide a framework for schools to support implementation of the policy. These five key actions will support the implementation of the policy and talent development across all domains of potential. These key actions are:

• Evaluate
• Assess and identify
• Implement
• Collaborate
• Build capacity

We will unpack these further as we move through the presentation. A link to a related film has been provided.

The web section is designed around the 5 key actions and there is a link with relevant advice for each one. Notice that there is an additional link for information about professional learning.

The first key action we will unpack is EVALUATE. This is where existing school procedures, programs and practices should be evaluated and analysed, including wellbeing, student engagement and the effectiveness of differentiated programs and provisions.

The policy guides schools to use rigorous self-assessment, internal and external data related to the growth and achievement of high potential and gifted students. This is particularly relevant when students are learning outside the classroom.

Let’s explore the Key Action Evaluate further.

On the web section, scroll down the EVALUATE key action until you reach Effective strategies and contributors to achievement and click on the title. Choose one strategy that you would like to explore e.g. providing access to enrichment opportunities particularly in the student’s area of strength and interest

Explore this strategy using the sentence starter: I am thinking of the strategy... from the viewpoint of a ...pre-service teacher, teacher, executive or principal.

From your chosen perspective, what would be your first step to evaluate the strategy.

The second key action mentioned in the policy is assessing and identifying the specific learning needs of all high potential, gifted and highly gifted students in your school using objective, valid and reliable measures, as part of formative assessment.

Assessment and data are used in an ongoing manner to inform learning and teaching across all domains of potential: intellectual, creative, social-emotional and physical.

Most of these forms of assessment can occur in a remote learning environment. To maintain formative assessment practices, regular online meet ups with students to discuss and talk, need to be strategically scheduled.

Let’s explore the Key Action Assess and identify further.

Valid and reliable assessment of student learning needs promotes inclusivity in the provision of developmentally appropriate programs, particularly for students from the various diversity groups mentioned in the Assess and Identify key action on the web section.

Evidence in Australia and overseas shows that many students who experience disadvantage are not proportionally represented in high potential and gifted programs or specialist settings.

Reflect on these questions. There are no right or wrong answers.

Teacher reflection: In terms of assessing and identifying, why do you think fewer disadvantaged students are represented in specialist settings or enrichment programs?

Leader reflection: Change always comes with challenges. What are the challenges of assessing and identifying disadvantaged high potential students in your school and how can you overcome these challenges to create change?

Implementing evidence-based procedures, programs and practices to meet the learning and wellbeing needs of all high potential and gifted students is also relevant when learning from home.

For the Implement key action, two statement points from the HPGE Policy are particularly relevant. Statement 1.4.1 says that learning and teaching programs and practices must extend high potential and gifted students beyond their current level of mastery. This is followed by 1.5.1 that states schools have a responsibility to create learning environments that support high potential and gifted students to experience efficacy, agency and achieve their educational potential.

This section is full of practical advice to implement evidence-based procedures, programs and practices that meet the learning and wellbeing needs of all high potential and gifted students, whether students are learning from home or attending classes on site.

Let’s explore the Key Action Implement further.

Focussing on the section called Grouping, click on Grouping Practices and consider these questions.

Teacher reflection: List your own grouping practices and compare the recommendations to that list. Do you need to make adjustments?

Leader reflection: What are the different ways you group your teachers for professional learning? Although the suggestions for grouping practices are for students, how could they be modified to meet teacher needs?

Collaboration with families, school communities and the wider community will enhance growth and achievement for all high potential and gifted students. It is important to maintain these connections during times when remote learning occurs. In this situation, collaboration can be facilitated either f2f or online. Policy statement 1.4.6 states that schools should collaborate with other schools and organisations to offer learning opportunities that address advanced learning needs.

Staff should be encouraged to share their expertise within and beyond their school.

Let’s explore the Key Action Collaborate further.

This section of the website proposes several ways educators can collaborate. Collaboration of this nature is vital in uncertain times with several schools and organisations running online enrichment across communities of schools.

Teacher reflection: Who within your school or network could you collaborate with to ensure every high potential and gifted student grows and achieves every year? Reflect on why you chose that person. What would be the first step?

Leaders reflection: Who in your network could you collaborate with to ensure every high potential and gifted student grows and achieves every year? Reflect on why you chose that person. What would be the first step?

The High Potential and Gifted Education policy recommends building teacher and leadership capacity through engagement with quality research and ongoing professional learning is vital. This will improve growth and achievement for all high potential and gifted students. Professional learning supporting the policy is available online through MyPL.

Let’s explore the Key Action Build capacity further.

Read through the section Leader and Teacher Knowledge and Skills. This section raises awareness of the additional expertise, skills and knowledge, leaders and teachers may already have in this space.

Consider this expertise across the four domains: intellectual, creative, physical and social emotional.

Teacher reflection: Scan the list and identify your skills. What might be your next step?

Leader reflection: Scan the list and identify the skills you have observed in your staff. How could you utilise these skills to develop the talent of your high potential and gifted students, across all domains?

Professional learning information is also found in this part of the web-section. When you scroll through this section you will find professional learning ranging from 30 minute canape courses through to two day leader’s courses. A package for DELs and PSLs to support their principals is also available, Principals can ask their DEL or PSL about this package.

The objective of this online professional learning was to help you navigate the High Potential and Gifted Education web section to locate the policy, and understand how the policy supports the four domains of high potential and diverse learners, to use the 5 Key actions of policy implementation and explore the range of professional learning opportunities.

By now you will have enough experience to self navigate through the web section where you can continue to familiarise yourself with the policy and access the support provided for the benefit of your high potential and gifted students. You may also consider what else you would like to see to support our every evolving, responsive web-section vision.

Read contact details.

Joining the High Potential and Gifted Education Yammer page and looking out for our HPGE State-wide Staffroom events will enable you to stay up-to-date with the most recent news and announcements regarding professional learning.

Thank you for participating in the Supporting High Potential and Gifted students professional learning.