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Gifted and talented regional partnerships and excellence hubs workshop on identifying and providing for disadvantaged students
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Wed, 09/01/2008 - 9:03am — liz.worthen
Been inspired by the topics we've discussed? Do you have something to share? Post your thoughts, presentations, next steps and ideas here.
There are still places available for the Eastern Region Gifted and Talented Partnership's conference on 'High barriers, hidden gifts' - a conference for all those involved in the education of socially vulnerable learners. Ruth and Linda are keen to have people from different regions and with different roles attending. Ruth says "It's relevant for TA's, behaviour support, Learning Mentors, teachers, head teachers, social services etc etc - in fact anyone involved in teaching or caring for children!"
Matt Dickenson and Ian Warwick delivered a workshop on how the REAL Project has approached disadvantage from a positive perspective and how REAL can be transferable into other contexts. Here is the presentation and a handout which illustrates some of the key issues in relation to parental engagement and how REAL is engaging with these.
User names have been created for all delegates to enable access to the project toolkit. If you have any further interest in REAL feel free to email real@londongt.org.
This action group discussion looked at a broad range of issues revolcing around how we can locate and share interesting practice and sharpen our understanding of disadvantaged students and groups to enable services to be more effectively targeted.
Here are the notes from the discussion. Feel free to respond.
This action group explored the question 'what do disadvantaged students look like? How do we identify them and what do they need?' They identified three issues for further discussion and debate:
1. Shared understanding of what disadvantage actually means.
2. Changing our perceptions of what G&T is in order to identify those who are disadvantaged and who may have different skills/qualities/abilities. Is the academic route always the best?
3. Not enough value given to those who work with these pupils every day. Teachers know their students well and are familiar with the studentsâ environment.
Please share further thoughts on these issues. What do you agree or disagree with?
The whole business of identification, for me, is still way too rooted in academic abiity and achievement.
More and more I agree with the notion that all children are guilty of posessing a gift or talent, but that some are more easily catered for in our present educational set up.
My experiences are all primary based and I have a severe ignorance of what happens in secondary education but....
Could it be considered that all children should be identified as disadvantaged in our current system of education, but some more disadvantaged than others because resources, political agendas, fads and historical straight-jackets freeze out opportunity for all.
While all that cash is being thrown at our potential athletes because of the 2012 banner wavers and the hype about obesity, what happens with our poets and orators or tuba players?
Or do the truly gifted and talented find their own ways around their lack of opportunity? Is that part of the package of being truly gifted and talented? Some kind of inbuilt capacity to rise above any obstacle to pursue what really drives and interests them?
Have we only recognised gifts and talents since LGT came into existence?
Or have we squandered a raft of gifts and talents because the funding or expertise wasn't there or the 'special perseverance gene' was missing?
Whatever, I feel that the G and T agenda pushes more and more for equity of opportunity for all.
Now that can't be a bad thing.
Or can it?
One of the action groups tackled the question: how do we foster aspirations and utilise stakeholders? As a group they came up with a statement in response:
âRegional Partnerships and Excellence Hubs to develop a coherent and diverse programme which is based upon needs analysis and aspirations and gives value to the attitudes, values and experiences of the student and their families, and takes the Excellence Hub to the student and not vice versa, and allows for complete, thorough engagement with parents, teachers, students and communities.â
In presenting at the plenary, the group emphasised the importance of the needs analysis being conducted from the studentsâ point of view, rather than imposing aspirations, and the importance of valuing different experiences, aspirations and values.
What further thoughts would you like to add to this statement?
PS apologies if I haven't read the handwriting correctly!
Jules Offord set the scene for this workshop by discussing 'barriers and characteristics of disadvantage in rural areas'. Joanne Steele followed this with an outline of the MALL project - Most Able Least Likely in rural areas. You can find out more from their presentation and handouts.
Sue Soan's workshop was on 'Practical solutions to the identification and referral of gifted and talented students within FE colleges'. She shared a pilot project they've run in Kent to introduce provision for and identification of gifted and talented students in the FE environment. See her presentation to find out what they did, how they did it, what the outcome was what they're going to do next!
Stefani Shedden, Borough G&T Coordinator for Hounslow, challenged us to consider issues around Looked After Children and lessons to be learned for other disadvantaged groups. Would you agree with the importance of these four 'capitals'? Here are Stefani's slides as a reminder.
Philip O'Hear, Principal of Capital City Academy, is going to be sharing his experiences and views on personalised learning and issues around identifying and providing for disadvantaged students. Here's his presentation...
Data feedback
Here are some of the comments and questions raised in the workshop on use of data for personalising learning.
High barriers hidden gifts
There are still places available for the Eastern Region Gifted and Talented Partnership's conference on 'High barriers, hidden gifts' - a conference for all those involved in the education of socially vulnerable learners. Ruth and Linda are keen to have people from different regions and with different roles attending. Ruth says "It's relevant for TA's, behaviour support, Learning Mentors, teachers, head teachers, social services etc etc - in fact anyone involved in teaching or caring for children!"
Booking form and conference programme attached!
The REAL Project - a positive approach to disadvantage
Matt Dickenson and Ian Warwick delivered a workshop on how the REAL Project has approached disadvantage from a positive perspective and how REAL can be transferable into other contexts. Here is the presentation and a handout which illustrates some of the key issues in relation to parental engagement and how REAL is engaging with these.
User names have been created for all delegates to enable access to the project toolkit. If you have any further interest in REAL feel free to email real@londongt.org.
Transferring policy into practice
This action group discussion looked at a broad range of issues revolcing around how we can locate and share interesting practice and sharpen our understanding of disadvantaged students and groups to enable services to be more effectively targeted.
Here are the notes from the discussion. Feel free to respond.
Matt Dickenson
What do disadvantaged students look like?
This action group explored the question 'what do disadvantaged students look like? How do we identify them and what do they need?' They identified three issues for further discussion and debate:
1. Shared understanding of what disadvantage actually means.
2. Changing our perceptions of what G&T is in order to identify those who are disadvantaged and who may have different skills/qualities/abilities. Is the academic route always the best?
3. Not enough value given to those who work with these pupils every day. Teachers know their students well and are familiar with the studentsâ environment.
Please share further thoughts on these issues. What do you agree or disagree with?
I am me. You are you. We are us.
The whole business of identification, for me, is still way too rooted in academic abiity and achievement.
More and more I agree with the notion that all children are guilty of posessing a gift or talent, but that some are more easily catered for in our present educational set up.
My experiences are all primary based and I have a severe ignorance of what happens in secondary education but....
Could it be considered that all children should be identified as disadvantaged in our current system of education, but some more disadvantaged than others because resources, political agendas, fads and historical straight-jackets freeze out opportunity for all.
While all that cash is being thrown at our potential athletes because of the 2012 banner wavers and the hype about obesity, what happens with our poets and orators or tuba players?
Or do the truly gifted and talented find their own ways around their lack of opportunity? Is that part of the package of being truly gifted and talented? Some kind of inbuilt capacity to rise above any obstacle to pursue what really drives and interests them?
Have we only recognised gifts and talents since LGT came into existence?
Or have we squandered a raft of gifts and talents because the funding or expertise wasn't there or the 'special perseverance gene' was missing?
Whatever, I feel that the G and T agenda pushes more and more for equity of opportunity for all.
Now that can't be a bad thing.
Or can it?
How do we foster aspirations?
One of the action groups tackled the question: how do we foster aspirations and utilise stakeholders? As a group they came up with a statement in response:
âRegional Partnerships and Excellence Hubs to develop a coherent and diverse programme which is based upon needs analysis and aspirations and gives value to the attitudes, values and experiences of the student and their families, and takes the Excellence Hub to the student and not vice versa, and allows for complete, thorough engagement with parents, teachers, students and communities.â
In presenting at the plenary, the group emphasised the importance of the needs analysis being conducted from the studentsâ point of view, rather than imposing aspirations, and the importance of valuing different experiences, aspirations and values.
What further thoughts would you like to add to this statement?
PS apologies if I haven't read the handwriting correctly!
Overcoming barriers in the rural setting
Jules Offord set the scene for this workshop by discussing 'barriers and characteristics of disadvantage in rural areas'. Joanne Steele followed this with an outline of the MALL project - Most Able Least Likely in rural areas. You can find out more from their presentation and handouts.
Working with FE colleges
Sue Soan's workshop was on 'Practical solutions to the identification and referral of gifted and talented students within FE colleges'. She shared a pilot project they've run in Kent to introduce provision for and identification of gifted and talented students in the FE environment. See her presentation to find out what they did, how they did it, what the outcome was what they're going to do next!
Looked after children
Stefani Shedden, Borough G&T Coordinator for Hounslow, challenged us to consider issues around Looked After Children and lessons to be learned for other disadvantaged groups. Would you agree with the importance of these four 'capitals'? Here are Stefani's slides as a reminder.
Capital City Academy
Philip O'Hear, Principal of Capital City Academy, is going to be sharing his experiences and views on personalised learning and issues around identifying and providing for disadvantaged students. Here's his presentation...
Regional Workshop on Disadvantage
Ruth and I hope you find our journey interesting, please come back to us with your ideas.