Sustaining Improvement in City Schools Gifted & Talented Linguists (Identification, Inclusion, Provision) Dale Hardy

Sustaining Improvement in City Schools What is G&T? Gifted describes learners who have the ability to excel academically in one or more subjects such as English, drama, technology; Talented describes learners who have the ability to excel in practical skills such as sport, leadership, artistic performance, or in an applied skill.

Sustaining Improvement in City Schools DCSF Publication, Revised May 2008 ‘Identifying Gifted & Talented Learners – Getting Started’ There is an expectation that there are gifted and talented learners in every year group in every school. It is up to each school to decide on the proportion of their population who are gifted and talented. Since we believe that ability is evenly distributed throughout the population, a school's gifted and talented pupils should be broadly representative of its whole school population.

Sustaining Improvement in City Schools What language is it? What context? What meanings? naŭunusepoktri dekdukvinnul kvarses

Sustaining Improvement in City Schools So, what might this be…? “Ba, ba, safo! Cu vi havas lanon? Jes, tri sakojn: prenu en la manon! Unu por la mastro, unu por mastrin, Kaj unu por la eta knabo ce la strata fin »

Sustaining Improvement in City Schools Identifying an able linguist (1) Association for Language Learning, 2008

Sustaining Improvement in City Schools Identifying an able linguist (2) Linguists will usually be/be able to: Good readers Articulate and verbally fluent Can often give quick verbal responses Communicate well with adults, often better than with peers – may lead to socially disjointed behaviour/isolation. Often better with adults due to linguistic curiosity and willingness to take risks when manipulating language Obsessive hobbying - particularly IU, atlases, etc Unusual problem solving Exceptional at predicting/analysing language formations, conjugations/pattern following/finding exceptions to rules. Highly developed levels of language application across a range of contexts Not always verbal preferred to written but often perceived that way because we inevitably revert to word level or lower when introducing new vocabulary Strategies for recall and retention of vocabulary and concepts highly developed

Sustaining Improvement in City Schools A Is able to imitate the sounds of the foreign language B Is able to grasp grammatical concepts C Is able to perceive patterns quickly D Is able to relate new work to previous knowledge E Is able to identify familiar language in an unfamiliar context F Is a good guesser G Is willing to take risks H Shows initiative I Has speed and agility of thoughts J Is informed in areas beyond his/her years K Has an inquiring mind L Is articulate M Has a broad attention span Source: Hertfordshire LA

Sustaining Improvement in City Schools Session Activity What language are these texts in? What type of text are they all?

Sustaining Improvement in City Schools Presentation Practice Production versus Review Teach Practise Apply

Sustaining Improvement in City Schools Language Detectives Aimed at years 4 or 5 but adaptable for any language/year group Taught by teaching assistant Literacy/History

Sustaining Improvement in City Schools Language Detectives

Sustaining Improvement in City Schools Including an able linguist What are the problems? Often a lack of differentiation in the languages classroom. We tend to stretch the able by doing work more quickly or in greater density rather than unpicking the learning and making it a deeper experience. Acceleration, enrichment, extension Can often give an almost ‘photographic’ response in ‘parrot fashion’ but can’t apply new language – application is key to identifying able linguists Not necessarily logical learners – can be messy and tangential in thought processes and can find describing these processes challenging. Easily bored Time!! – they need just as much time as others to contextualise their thought processes. It is not necessarily being speedy to work things out which makes them able.

Sustaining Improvement in City Schools

What are we doing? ‘Tapping into a Zeitgeist’ The use of emerging technologies to motivate & engage learners using the Ipad and Ipod Four schools initially – Focus on Year 9 G&T, Years , Year 11 GCSE groups & SEN pupils. Our LinkedUp Project

Sustaining Improvement in City Schools What are we doing?

Sustaining Improvement in City Schools A quick recap... Findings from our LinkedUp Project: The use of emerging technologies... improves motivation helps pupils to monitor and improve their performance gives support to learners with additional learning needs who may otherwise underachieve presents work in different ways develops speaking and listening skills using appropriate & stimulating Apps enhances creativity Increases levels of curiosity towards language learning Adds challenge whilst having fun Changes the parameters of the classroom – ‘moving the walls’

Sustaining Improvement in City Schools Highlighting the importance of language learning where communication is instantaneous and the world is in our backyard

Sustaining Improvement in City Schools Providing for an able linguist Countering underachievement - Can depend on level of staff subject knowledge (primary) Level of Planning Pace Rigour/challenge/age appropriate learning opportunities VAK and good variety of activities across all the fwk/skill areas IU – pervades everything Use of KAL and LLS to profile learners at 7 and 11 (& maybe 14) The role of SEAL... Acceleration... enrichment... extension... How does ICT fit in with all of these huge issues?

Sustaining Improvement in City Schools In the words of someone else... David Hargreaves, Professor of Education, Centre for International Research on Creativity and Learning in Education (CIRCLE) Roehampton University

Sustaining Improvement in City Schools

Using new technologies Getting teachers learning (& talking): andpodcasts.asp Getting pupils talking:

Sustaining Improvement in City Schools Dale Hardy Primary & Secondary Languages Consultant, Nottingham City LA Tel: /4560 Don’t forget to keep an eye on the LinkedUp website..