Gifted and Talented

The purpose of defining and identifying giftedness is to recognise individual and group abilities, qualities, and interests. Gifted education is about ensuring gifted potential is realised, gifted learners discover their strengths and follow their passions, and barriers to success are minimised. Students in the Preparatory School who have been identified as Gifted and Talented are monitored and placed on the Learner Needs Register on the school’s student management system, Synergetic.

In the Preparatory School staff provide responsive learning environments in which students are encouraged to become adaptive, creative, and resilient.

Curriculum differentiation is a strategy used by staff to cater for the wide range of abilities in classrooms. Differentiation greatly enhances the educational experiences of gifted and talented students. When gifted learners are active participants in their learning and experience appropriately differentiated teaching and learning, well-being is promoted, and achievement and progress is accelerated.

The underlying principles guiding differentiation for gifted and talented students are to:

• present content that is related to broad based issues, themes, or problems;

• integrate multiple disciplines;

• present comprehensive, related, and mutually reinforcing experiences;

• develop independent or self-directed study skills;

• develop productive, complex, abstract and/or higher order thinking skills;

• focus on open ended tasks;

• develop research skills and methods;

• evaluate student outcomes by using appropriate and specific criteria through self-appraisal.

Curriculum enrichment is also used widely across all year levels of the Preparatory School. Curriculum enrichment refers to ‘learning activities providing depth and breadth to regular teaching according to the child’s abilities and needs’ (Townsend, 1996). Curriculum enrichment is taught by specialist teachers and includes Physical Education, Religious Education, Spanish (Years 1–7), French (Year 8), Music, Dance and Drama, Art, Food, and Materials Technology (Years 7–8).

The provision of appropriate opportunities for all students is at the heart of learning in the Preparatory School.

In 2022, COVID-19 continued to impact directly on several enrichment activities in the Preparatory School. Many competitions were postponed or changed to virtual or online events. However, even despite this, many opportunities for enrichment still went ahead and excellent results were achieved.

In 2022 the following areas were provided:

Kerrin Davidson worked in the Preparatory School as part of a Writing Enrichment programme. Kerrin is a published author and was Victoria University’s Creative Writing Teacher of the Year 2008. 2022 saw the Writers’ Enrichment programme in the Preparatory School continue to grow from strength to strength, with an increase in classes and two writers’ master classes running for Years 3–7. The purpose of these classes was not only for the students who require extension in literacy, but also for those students who have a passion for writing. Kerrin’s classes provided an open-ended platform for students to write creatively with no barriers. She encouraged all students and guided them positively in their learning.

Sessions were run on a Monday and Thursday afternoon, as well as Wednesday lunchtime, with a variety of competitions entered including New Zealand Poetry Box, Sea week Competition, Royal Commonwealth Queen’s Essay Competition, New Zealand Poetry Society International Competition, Vancouver International Competition, Gifted Association Competition, and the Otago Daily Times competition.

The following students have had their writing published in 2022.

• Emma Geddes – Winner Elsie Lock Prize, also published in Toi Toi;

• Ben Edward – Published in Toi Toi;

• Isabelle Harrison – Third place NZ Poetry Society, also published in British Anthology, illustrated by Quentin Blake;

• Radha Gamble Committees Choice Waitaha NZ English Teachers Association Flash Fiction;

• Anel Bartlett – Bronze Medal – Queens Essay Competition (international).

The year concluded with a Creative Writing Competition held in the Preparatory School for Years 3–5 (Anel Bartlett) and Years 6–8 (Emma Geddes). Winners received a cup at the End-of-Year Assembly.

Future Problem Solving: To dream and to plan, to be curious about the future, and to wonder how much it can be influenced by our efforts are important aspects of being human.

– Dr E Paul Torrance, founder of FPSNZ

This year 42 students from Years 5–8 engaged with the internationally renowned Future Problem-Solving Programme (FPS) twice a week. The programme is designed to provide intellectually gifted students with a problem-solving model to think critically and analytically about significant global issues. Further, it enables these students to develop creativity and vision to explore scenarios with originality and flexibility and the ability to work as a team to achieve goals. Throughout the year, students have wrestled with issues surrounding Water Supply, Building Green, Insects and Mining. During Terms 1 and 2 the students learned and applied the highlevel skills and competencies of creative, critical, and ethical thinking within a well-researched framework of the current topic.

In Term 3 the challenge increased as students prepared for the ‘Qualifying Problem’ which included responding to an unseen futuristic scenario about Insects and applying the 6-step problem solving model within a two hour 15 minute time limit. This phenomenal effort resulted in four teams and 2 individuals qualifying for the National Finals on Friday 4 November.

The National Final preparation began with two ‘Focus Days’ during the holidays, 13–14 October. Researching a new topic, Mining, while honing FPS skills in just three weeks, provided these elite students with further intense fun and challenge.

The ‘Focus Days’ where intellectually comparable students investigated elements on the periodic table and researched global mineral deposits with excitement, was an unparalleled learning environment. Industry experts from across Australasia provided valuable insight and knowledge about the topic. My sincere thanks to: Dr Darlene Heuff, computer modelling consultant

– Australian Mines, Mr Ray Mudgway, Managing Director of Westland Mineral Sands, Mr Craig McGregor, Canterbury geologist, and Mr Roger Dennis, Futurist and St Andrew’s College parent. The FPS year was celebrated with impressive National Final Results:

National Champions:

• Year 8 Individual: Lauren Li;

• Year 5–6 Team: Ben Edward, Louis Hyland-Cook, Emmett Lawler, Rhys Lawler;

• Runner Up – Year 9 Individual: Hannah Withers;

• Third Place: Year 5–6 Team –Presentation of Action Plan;

• Top 10 Placement: Year 7, Year 8, and Year 9 Teams.

I wish to acknowledge the mentoring from Julie Rogers, and support from UC expert speakers, classroom teachers and the parents who all contribute to the stimulating learning FPS offers these leaders of tomorrow.

Other enrichment opportunities offered in 2022:

• Rotary Speech Competition;

• Kids Lit Quiz;

• Extension Mathematics class Years 7–8;

• Otago Problem Solving Years 7–8;

• Code Club;

• 3D Design and Printing Club;

• Chess Club Terms;

• D-Squared Drama Group;

• VEX IQ Robotics Club (Year 7);

• ICAS Examinations;

• Speech and Drama.

New Enrichment Programmes introduced in 2022:

Philosophy:

Ten Year 4 students were introduced to the greatest philosophical thinkers of the Western World: Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Learning about and from these philosophers began a journey into the Socratic method of inquiry where types of questions were analysed for depth and complexity.

Debating:

Despite being a lunchtime option, 10–20, mainly Year 8 students, gathered to enjoy and learn about the intricacies of presenting a well-reasoned opinion and a valid rebuttal. The contributions of Meg Longley (Old Collegian) and Ethan Adams (Head of Debating) were central to the success of this intellectually interesting club.

Another exciting year with our department functioning at full capacity, ensured opportunities for children to fully explore the Key Competencies by: working in teams across the department, engaging in activities that acknowledged their thinking and the ideas of others, prioritising communication skills through professional learning and explicit teaching of self-management skills using programmes such as the Mindful Movers.

An ongoing indicator of the dedication and commitment to self-improvement of the teaching team, was evident throughout the year as teaching inquiries were recorded and shared with peers using the Appraisal Connector platform. Our shared theme this year was a focus on Structured Literacy. All Junior Department staff introduced an aspect of this programme to their practice and the New Entrant classes were fully engaged with the Little Learners’ Love Literacy resources. New learning and student success has been shared and discussed across the team using Appraisal Connector.

A common theme across the Preparatory School is the StAC-UP programme. The Junior team have been creative in linking StAC-UP to class programmes and inquiries. The language of StAC-UP was shared through acts of explicit teaching to ensure our young students developed successful learning and behaviour strategies. Students have been reflecting on their actions around three key areas: Be Ready, Be Safe, and Be Respectful. This cycle of reflecting and linking actions to StAC-UP through guided conversation and implementing change has become part of our daily practice.

The highly successful Restorative Practice approach to conflict resolution supported our StAC-UP programme. Restorative Practice conversations in the classroom and the playground ensured the children were supported in developing the necessary language skills to reflect on and resolve the issues at hand. Links were always made to the key elements of StAC-UP: Be Ready, Be Safe, and Be Respectful.

The Junior Department attended professional learning on the Aotearoa New Zealand Histories curriculum which prompted team discussions and inclusion of the Level 1 focus on Myths in our annual Matariki celebrations. The Te Reo Māori teacher has had a very successful year teaching the Year 3 classes and supporting ongoing staff development with the use of te reo in everyday conversation. Her availability and resourcefulness have benefited us all.

Reading, Writing and Phonics were timetabled with priority across the Junior Department. Daily Reading and Writing lessons guaranteed explicit teaching of scope and sequence relating to each subject. A structured phonics programme provided a beneficial link across the curriculum. Children who required extra help to get underway were given one-to-one support with a skilled teacher. A strong foundation in Literacy across its disciplines was a priority in our department, with high levels of achievement reflecting our commitment to this goal.

The New Entrant teachers introduced the Structured Literacy approach to their teaching programme. This started in Term 1 with Greta Henley and was picked up in Term 2 by Heather Orman. This scientific and extremely precise programme has strong merits which we have seen the benefits of in our classrooms. The Junior Department team welcomed this approach and are participating in considerable ongoing professional learning to ensure the deepest understanding and therefore the best results for our young learners.

Prime Mathematics was the core of our teaching and learning programmes and will remain so in 2023. Our Prime programmes ensured a balanced exposure to the three dimensions of Mathematics: Procedural and Computational Skills, Conceptual Understanding, and Problem Solving. Our team of passionate teachers willingly shared their knowledge with others.

This is also evident during Mathematics interchanges undertaken across some year levels providing an opportunity for in depth, targeted teaching, meeting the learning needs of small groups of children. The Prime Mathematics review chapters have provided evidence of progress and next learning steps.

Full New Entrant classrooms with happy and settled children reflected the successful Transition to School programme operating in 2022. Strong connections and an inclusive relationship between the Pre-school and our Junior Department ensured the childrens’ needs were the first consideration in all planning. Children who came in from other pre-schools benefited from this wealth of knowledge, crucial for a student arriving without a network of friends. We continue to be proud of the programme and its positive results.

Digital Technology presented some exciting learning opportunities under the expertise of specialist teacher Anneke Kamo. The students in Years 1–2 have become very confident in coding our BeeBot robots. BlueBots were also introduced, a step up from the Beebots. The BlueBots allowed the students to write code on the iPads and transfer this code and control them through Bluetooth. During this unit the children learnt to use their decomposition skills to break down simple tasks into stepby-step instructions, whilst also working co-operatively.

The Year 3 students began with lessons centred around digital literacy and cybersafety. As they began using laptops for the first time in Year 3, it was important to teach the children the skills they will need to be safe and responsible online. Later in the year, the Year 3 students learnt how to code using the online program `Scratch’, and created a range of projects that they were very proud of. They also made PowerPoint presentations to support their Inquiry about the estuary, which they shared with their parents at a celebration afternoon.

The Year 3 students completed an Inquiry unit around the theme of ‘Protecting our Estuaries’ in Term 2 and 3. The stunning Avon-Heathcote/Ihutai Estuary provided a real-life context for the students learning. A variety of engaging activities were planned which followed the four stages of the St Andrew’s College Inquiry Pathway. The activities were designed to develop the children’s knowledge and understanding of New Zealand’s estuaries, the plants and animals found there, and ways to help protect them. A visit to the Canterbury Museum to learn more about some of the birds found in our local estuary was a highlight in Term 2. Some literacy activities related to the Inquiry were also integrated into the classroom programme. For example, the students enjoyed researching an animal found in the Avon-Heathcote/Ihutai Estuary and they wrote and published an Informative Report on devices and shared these with families via Seesaw

Raising awareness of the current situation for our local estuary and marine environment, meeting people involved in estuaries, and contributing to a positive future for our waterways were major areas of focus during the Inquiry learning in Term 3. The students had a wonderful field trip to the Charlesworth Wetland Reserve in Ferrymead at the end of Term 3. Tanya Jenkins, the Education Officer for the Avon-Heathcote Estuary Ihutai Trust, led the students on a fun trail quiz around the Reserve. The children noticed many of the New Zealand plants and animals they had learnt about earlier in the unit. A highlight from the outing was when the students got to put on their gardening gloves and they assisted Tanya with the pulling out of stubborn weeds, and picked up litter from around the native trees, shrubs, and saltmarsh plants at the Reserve. The small actions of the students in targeting the environmental issues of pollution during the field trip, helped to contribute to a positive future for our local Avon-Heathcote Estuary/Ihutai, and it was a wonderful way to finish their Inquiry learning.

Each Friday the students in Years 1–2 have traditionally participated in Tūhura Time, Discovery Time, which encourages active engagement from students, promotes motivation, autonomy, responsibility, independence and develops creativity and problem-solving skills. For many students it has been a highlight of the week and they are sorry to leave it behind as they move to Year 3. During 2022 we decided to offer an extension to our traditional Tūhura Time and ran a programme that would meet the needs of Year 3 students. They have been able to join in all the stimulating activities with the rest of the Junior Department and have also had the opportunity to extend their learning with activities designed especially for them, based on their own interests and ideas they generated themselves.

Helen King was excited by this challenge and ensured the options offered were challenging and included the students’ interests. They started by looking at the early development of cartoons and movies; this soon transferred into stop motion and the students all created their own stop motion films including title, background, and credits.

In Year 3 the students were writing narratives and they decided it would be fun to make their own puppets and create a story around them. They looked at a range of different puppets and went through a design process to create their own before finally beginning the long process of making them. A variety of stick, hand sewn, and marionettes were created, and the students enjoyed acting out their narrative scripts using their own puppets at the Year 3 Celebration of Learning.

Heather Orman Years 1–3 Team Leader