Services for Schools

Professional Development Seminars for Teachers

Seminars can be selected from a range of topics and presented within a timeframe to suit teachers’ professional learning needs.
A professional education programme can be structured to provide teachers with:

  • An introduction to gifted education and the needs of gifted students
  • Curriculum differentiation strategies for gifted students
  • Identification
  • Socioaffective issues
  • Underachievement
  • Twice-exceptionality, i.e. gifted who have something else going on,
    e.g. ADD, ADHD, LD, ASD.

The following outlines provide examples of the types of seminars offered. Specific programs will be developed following discussions about the school’s professional learning needs, budget and the time available.

Finding Gifts; Nurturing Talents

  • Understanding Giftedness
  • The Dynamic of Talent Development
  • Identifying gifted students in your class and school
  • Optimal learning environments for gifted students
  • Interventions for gifted students
  • What the research says about provisions for gifted students
  • Questioning techniques and a new look at Bloom’s Taxonomy
  • Using pre-testing and off-level testing to assess readiness
  • Tailoring curriculum differentiation – practical strategies
  • Bespoke tailoring – curriculum differentiation for individual students
  • Make a Twist – how this resource can be used in the classroom

Curriculum Differentiation for Students with Diverse Needs

  • A range of options and strategies for gifted students
  • Curriculum Differentiation – an effective model for gifted students
  • Practical ways in which the curriculum can be differentiated
  • Different levels of ability require different interventions
  • Individualise and implement differentiation for a specific student
  • Professional collaboration and implementation for gifted students
  • Using Make a Twist to engage and challenge individual students
  • Addressing the complex needs of twice-exceptional students

Seminars for Parents

Parent Seminars can be provided as a series of seminars to inform parents about a wide range of issues related to parenting gifted children or provided as a single topic presentation for parents. Seminars for parents may be provided by the school’s administration; by the school’s parent association (P& F/C) and/or as a joint project.

Parents with an understanding of gifted children are best able to meet their child’s needs at home; understand the interaction of intellectual, psychological and academic factors; develop positive, collaborative relationships with teachers and school administrators.  The seminar outlined below is an example of the type of seminars that can be provided for parents.

Raising Bright Sparks

Parents need to know how to parent “bright sparks” including how to:

  • Identify a child’s strengths and nurture talents
  • Understand a child’s abilities and meet their needs
  • Promote achievement while ensuring children are happy and confident
  • Support children to manage stressors and become resilient
  • Understand the delicate balance of fitting in and standing out

Parenting High-ability Students

A series addressing topics such as:

  • Understanding talent development dynamics
  • Social and emotional issues related to high-ability students
  • Families of high achievers: what the research tells us about families
  • Healthy body, mind and habits; resilience and happiness
  • Child or adolescent issues: peer relationships, gender; transitions
  • Ways in which parents can support students’ academic achievement

Articles / Newsletters

Schools (or P&F/Cs) can subscribe to receive regular articles, written about topics such as: talent development, academic skills and achievement, physical and psychological well-being. Articles are forwarded fortnightly for inclusion in school newsletters. These articles increase awareness and knowledge of the needs of students; they are a useful resource for students, parents and teachers and act as a stimulus for discussions with students, whether individually or in groups.

We invite you to view some sample newsletter articles below:
Newsletter article – Homework Habits
Newsletter article – Nurturing Nature
Newsletter article – Transformation

Contact us to receive further samples and details about subscriptions.

Parents Comments

These were great. I'd recommend them to all parents.  Should be compulsory for all parents!

Many thanks...for a wonderfully informative session.

All excellent, thought provoking insights into a new arena for us.  Has helped us tremendously...

Informative - certainly a lot of great hints to secure my son's developing education.

I found these lectures so very helpful in dealing with my daughter in year 12.  I have learnt some valuable skills in dealing with her anxiety.  I was able to stand back and not feed her anxiety, and was able to help out where Michele had given guidelines for supportive parents and not rescuing parents.  I feel they are wonderful for all year levels and could be attended by parents each year.

I am impressed with the presentation of these seminars which have enlightened and broadened my view towards parenting a gifted child.

Thank you for the insights and information you have given us.

...What is refreshing is that after trying to convince teachers for all of our son;'s school life that needed more, only to be considered interfering parents, to find a school that embraces him and to leaver about giftedness in general.  We aren't alone! Thank you.

This information should be compulsory learning for all parents.  It increased my understanding and empath6y for our children and answered many questions that I had, that I couldn't actually put into words.  Thank you.

Overall, reassuring, encouraging + very valuable.

These (seminars) need be promoted so parents are informed and realise how important these seminars are.

All the topics and contents were well organised and useful to me.

Consultations

Administrators ~ Individuals or groups

Consultations can be arranged to meet with the principal, executive group, administration team and/or key teacher/s to discuss the school’s strategic directions; develop policies; identification processes; to establish a range of provisions and interventions; determine professional skills and directions for professional development – designed to meet the needs of gifted students.

Teachers ~ Individuals

Consultations are provided for an individual teacher to help identify and respond to the needs of a specific gifted child, group or class of gifted students. Consultations may provide support for a teacher to differentiate curriculum and/or assessment processes; address complex learning needs or classroom behaviour; develop an IEP/ILP; determine a student’s suitability for acceleration; identify appropriate interventions, supports or extension activities suitable for an individual student.

Teachers ~ Team

Consultations are provided for teaching teams (e.g. all teachers of a certain year level or teachers within a specific department) to help identify and respond to the needs of gifted students in their care. These consultations may focus upon the needs of gifted students at a specific stage of education or development, e.g. the transition to school, boarding or secondary education. Consultations might relate to subject-specific achievement issues. A series of consultations with teaching teams at each year level in the school will allow teachers to discuss issues related to their students’ specific needs.

Parents

Consultations may be implemented where expertise is needed to provide independent advice and guide a collaborative decision-making process involving parents, teachers and school administrators. An independent advocate, acting on behalf of a gifted student, can help to identify a gifted student’s complex needs and negotiate how to meet the student’s specific needs within the school, home and/or through accessing resources in the broader community.

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