More Able Students at The Downs School Year 7 30 September 15 Welcome!

Mrs Preston : Deputy Head Teacher for Learning Mrs Seath: Able Pupil Co-ordinator

Why were you invited? All upper ability students – Based on KS2 and CAT data CAT tests: Verbal Non-verbal Spatial Quantitative

What is intelligence? Growth mindset

Nature of intelligence Innate or acquired? Fixed or flexible? How we define intelligence will make a difference to how we provide for it.

Current research suggests that intelligence can be acquired and is flexible. What implications does this have for the teaching, learning and assessment of the ability of pupils?

Teachers should be constantly aware of the need to look out for the emergence of new abilities in students.

Most provision for able pupils must be inside the classroom rather than extra-curricular. Provision should be inclusive.

Teaching of more able students is about good teaching for all. All pupils will benefit, not simply the most able.

What are the principles of teaching more able students at The Downs? Flexible intelligence – we can learn to be brighter – the growth mind-set Inclusion – not exclusive opportunities for some Nurturing of latent / emergent ability Prevention of underachievement

Continuous cycle of provision – identification – provision The G&T register is one of the tools used by teachers to help them provide appropriate challenge for their students

Provide for the most able in lessons Extra curricular provision open to all students All lessons should seek to challenge and inspire all students, including the most able, and should be differentiated to allow for all students to achieve their best

Connections between subjects Departmental responsibility for identification and provision Value and nurture different types of intelligences and skills What we believe about learners can affect their performance

How do we define G&T at The Downs School? -in general -in specific subjects - school website

Renzulli’s Three Ring Model Above-average ability Creativity Task commitment

Renzulli’s Three Ring Model ‘Giftedness’ would only occur in the central overlap between high ability, task commitment (ability to lock onto details and become absorbed in the work – experiencing ‘flow’ – not mere conscientiousness or hard work) and creativity (ability to think sideways and make unusual / original connections between ideas).

Downs School G&T categories Sliding scale of G&T categories to help teachers consider emerging intelligences, not just who’s getting the best marks EA Exceptionally Able AA Able Achiever AU Able Underachiever SA Specific Aspect SE Soft Evidence

Exceptionally Able Typically, EA could be top 10% nationally in a subject – Oxbridge standard, professional musician or sportsman Subjects have agreed what they would look for to identify a student as EA: intelligences / skills / abilities / attitudes / knowledge / thinking / habits

AU : Able Underachievers Can do better in tests than class work Often get their sense of achievement from areas outside academic prowess Often know how they could improve their work but do not consider it worth the effort Are self aware and articulate Often do not take personal responsibility for their own progress Intervention required if not already in place – teacher / departmental responsibility

SA: Specific Aspect Shows ability in a specific aspect of the subject but not across the whole subject. This might be indicative of latent or emerging ability. Recognition of high ability in a specific aspect of the subject might lead to setting work which would encourage development in other areas, or to increased confidence in the child leading to higher motivation

SE: Soft Evidence A mismatch between the qualitative (soft) evidence and the quantitative (hard) evidence, eg a child might show high level thinking in discussion which is not matched by their written work. (If there are SEN the teacher would have to discern whether this was the cause of the mismatch.)

What to expect from The Downs: classroom provision

Challenge and Inspire Our goals for the students Students take responsibility for their own learning: they devise their own questions; they organise themselves effectively in groups; they construct tasks themselves to meet learning outcomes; they respond to feedback so that their work improves; their work is well organised; they can explain their level or grade and what they need to do to improve; they can explain the purpose of their work; they can talk about how they are learning (learning habits and skills).

Challenge and Inspire Targets for the classroom Students are challenged at their different levels and work matches ability: questioning is informed by an understanding of the hierarchy of thinking skills; opportunities to support reading, writing and communication are taken in order to develop literacy, especially with weaker students; there is opportunity for creativity, deep- thinking, choice and extension within tasks; all students are involved and contribute.

Choice Choice puts students at the centre of their own learning. It creates ownership and engagement which leads to motivation and success. Clear parameters are needed: explicit purpose, the learning objective, the level students should be learning at and how this will be assessed. Some students and classes will cope better with choice than others; level of choice will be varied.

Ability and the GROWTH MINDSET Ability is the result of learning. Focus on students’ ability to grow. Through effort, motivation, hard work, perseverance, challenge and support, students can become more able. Students who believe in the growth mindset are more likely to progress Students who have fixed mindset will not value effort and will make less progress.

Teachers.. Encourage a growth mindset in our students Be vigilant for those whose ability emerges late and who can progress rapidly Ensure all students progress to their full potential, ensuring that at times they struggle and have to tackle obstacles Ensure that challenge is always provided and that those who are motivated and ready to do so can access more demanding work

What to expect from The Downs School: -and what you can support at home... We seek to develop learning character: motivation self esteem resilience learning to learn thinking skills

How can we and you support your child’s development Praise and encouragement Help them develop self esteem Help them develop resilience

Strategies to help students with low self esteem Montgomery: catch them being clever - comment positively on pupils’ learning processes. Dweck – praise effort and strategy rather than intelligence – resilience and motivation would then not be bound up in self image. Success to do with effort rather than personal qualities.

Personal Learning and Thinking Skills Independent inquirers Creative thinkers Reflective learners Team workers Self managers Effective participators

Other aspects of the school’s provision for G&T

NACE - National Association for Able Children in Education Whole school commitment to G&T Identification of high ability / talent School self evaluation and targets Provision: teaching and learning, curriculum, pastoral care Support for underachieving / disadvantaged students Staff training Support for exceptionally able students Effective use of resources inc ICT Student voice and responsibility Links with parents and stakeholders Monitoring and evaluation of provision for G&T

Examples of current practices Exceptional Education Plans – years 8 and 9 EA students Celebrate Success! assemblies for all years G&T challenge days led by students Student voice – interviews and council G&T page on website Faculty G&T rep teachers Information about opportunities outside school Learning walks to audit different aspects of classroom practice, eg extension opportunities, adequate challenge Support for able underachievers AUs The Brilliant Club

Developing practices Support less advantaged able students – special focus on identification of ability Students plan enrichment activities Use of enrichment for identification of untapped potential Peer mentoring: older / younger students; within faculties; links to primary Using student expertise in creating subject specific websites Students to be involved in action research G&T register : self nomination, leadership, enterprise ‘G&T community’ to have higher profile

G&T page on school website: How G&T is defined by subject teachers How specific subjects provide for their most able students Websites recommended by subject teachers Parent site / General Info / scroll down to Gifted and Talented.

Outside agencies you could investigate International Global and Gifted Youth Children’s University MENSA Potential Plus

Key message: Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard