gifted education in russia and a special programme at a ... · gifted education in russia 1...

The problems of child giftedness were

intensively investigated in Russia in the

first third of the 20th century. But from

1936 onwards research was forbidden

(especially in connection with IQ testing)

by the Soviet Government due to ideology.

However, an excellent "supplementary" (extra-curricular) educational system financed by the government was developed in the former USSR. It included a great variety of music, sports, arts, science clubs and studios, which admitted either children according to their interests or only gifted children on a competi-tive basis. This system collapsed in the 1990s due to crucial political and economic changes. At present some of these institutions are being restored by federal, regional and / or private organizations.

At the same time compulsory school education has been focused for a long time on so called "average" students. Only in the 1960s the system of specialized schools was started for advanced teaching in maths, science, foreign languages, and other subjects. These schools are still very popular. They usually admit stu-dents who show high achievement in entrance examinations after finishing elementary school or later, but they do not cater for most of the younger gifted children, children with general (non-specialized) giftedness, underachievers.

Finally in 1988, the Educational Committee acknowledged the importance of identifying and teaching gifted children. In 1996 the President's Programme "Children of Russia" and the sub-programme "Gifted Children" started to work. Nowadays there is a great variety of regional programmes for the gifted in Russia, and most of them deal with academically successful students, winners of competitions, contests in different subjects and Olympiads.

EUROPEAN COUNCIL FOR HIGH ABILITY MAY 2007

Gifted Education in Russia A Special Programme at a Moscow School

volume 21 · no 1

We would like to outline a curriculum of the first public school for gifted students founded by the Moscow Department of Education in 1992. This school named Sozvezdie (Constellation) is now divided into a pro-gymnasium (more than 260 students in grades 0-4) and a gymnasium (more than 300 students in grades 5-11). The distinguishing feature of the curriculum is the encouragment of the creative, intellectual, and personal development of children with general giftedness from entering till finishing school. The curriculum is based on the international principles of a differentiated curriculum for the gifted: (a) thematic interdisciplinary model, (b) global nature of problems, (c) problem solving approach, (d) development of self-directed learning, research skills and methods.

Many fruitful ideas about interdisciplinary learning were suggested by Russian educa-tors 100 or so years ago (e.g., P. P. Blonski), but those ideas were not put into educational practice. The collaboration with American edu-

ELENA SHCHEBLANOVA and

NATALIA SHUMAKOVA, Russia

cators, especially Dr. Sandy Kaplan, helped the school staff under the leadership of N. Shumakova to develop a thematic interdisci-plinary curriculum for the gifted on the basis of the Russian system of school education.

The curriculum integrates the following main components:

a thematic interdisciplinary course; basic (obligatory for all schools) subject courses of the Russian language and lit-erature, mathematics, science, computer science, history, sports, arts, music, etc.; advanced courses of the English and German languages.

The selection of a global theme as a focus of the yearly curriculum depends on the age (class) of the students and the content of the

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>>> page 3

The festive concert of 9th grade students (14-15 years) after the lessons

ECHA NEWSEditor ECHA NewsAnnette Heinbokel

PublisherECHA News is published by the European Council for High Ability

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ECHA members also receive:

HIGH ABILITY STUDIESThe Journal of the European Council for High AbilityEditor-in-ChiefProf. Dr. Albert Ziegler

Copy ECHA NewsPlease send contributions to:Annette HeinbokelRehmstr. 92k49080 OsnabrueckGermanyTel: +49 541 [email protected]

Published by:Carfax Publishing, Taylor & Francis Ltd.Customer Services DepartmentRankine RoadBasingstoke, Hants RG24 8PR, UKhttp://www.carfax.co.uk/has-ad.htm

EditorialANNETTE HEINBOKEL, Germany

volume 20 · no 2 · November 2006ECHA NEWS

22

Editorial

The next ECHA Conference will take place in Prague, so for the next issues of ECHA News I would like to focus on states from the so called former Eastern bloc. Therefore I’m really pleased to be able to present two articles, one from Russia and one from Romania. I do hope there will be other articles for the next editions of the news.

On the other hand I am just as pleased that I can also present reports from other parts of Europe, in this case France and Greece, where provisions for gifted children have improved considerably in the last couple of years.

Besides there are two examples of projects at schools: one from a German grammar school, another one from an Austrian school, plus an

Austrian project taking place in the holidays. The reports from the Russian and the German school show how differently the identifica-tion process can be handled, according to the specific needs and resources of the individual school. There is not one – and only one – cor-rect way of handling this matter.

If you have examples from any part of Europe, whether general information about new laws or changes for gifted children, or about practi-cal examples, either in school or in their free time, please send them in and I’ll be happy to publish them.

The examples from Russia, Romania, Greece and France show how things in east and west are moving in the right direction for gifted children.

Another big step in the right direction is presented by the executive committee: An "Outline Proposal for Comenius Network in

G&T Education". I do hope the network will be able to improve the situation for gifted chil-dren all over Europe.

You may have been wondering why this copy of ECHA News is slightly late. As for some of you, my work for gifted children is not part of my usual job, it is done in my free time because it interests me immensely. So other things – the job or private matters – can get in the way. Early in May our local gifted association, which I founded together with some parents, celebrated its 25th anniversary. In 1982 it was one of the first in Germany. In 2000 I handed the presidency over to some the parents, and they have done their job very well. However, I am still part of the executive committee of the local branch and I give advice or help out when it's necessary. One of the members, who had planned to prepare a book for our anniversary, had some private matters which had to be seen to urgently. So I offered to help with the book, and the anniversary had absolute priority over ECHA News. That’s why it’s late this time.

Suggestions for book reviews – and the reviews themselves – are always welcome.

PS Spelling: As this is a European magazine, British spelling rules will apply, except when it is a text from the US.

Gifted Education in Russia 1

Editorial 2

Gifted Education in Romania 4

Water – Gobal Challenge for the 21st Century 4

Gifted Education in France 5

The Revolving Door Model at the Weser-Gymnasium Vlotho 6

Gifted Education in Greece 7

Platon Youth Forum 06 Focussing on European Citizenship 8

Teachers’ Corner

ECHA Diploma News 9

Writing Workshop-SCHWEST 10

The FIRST LEGO League 12

Drama Club – “AMADEUS” 13

From Identifying the Potential Gifts to Facing their Actual Performances in the Classroom 14

Development and Revision of Screening Methods to Identify Creative Action in School Education for Children Aged 6 to 10 14

Home-Education: A successful Educational Experiment?– References 15

Book Presentation 16

News from the Executive Committee 17

ECHA National Correspondents 18

General Committee / Future Events 20

Contents

volume 21 · no 1 · May 2007ECHA NEWS

3

>> from page 1 Gifted Education in Russia: ...

basic courses. For example, children of 5-7 years (0-1 grade) usually study the themes "Origin" or "Structure", because it is the age of children's questions about the origin and the structure of different things in the world. The 16-18 year old students (10-11 grade) carry out independent research projects on the theme "Survival" or "Interrelation" under the supervision of teachers or researchers. They find, formulate, and investigate a problem connected with the global theme, suggest their own solutions, and present this project at the student's conference with the participation of professional experts.

It is important that the interdisciplinary cur-riculum enables the differentiation of the basic subject courses. It allows students to achieve higher levels of competence in various school disciplines, to develop a holistic scientific con-ception of the world, and to avoid "cramming" of many unconnected facts and rules.

The identification of the gifted at the Sozvezdie School is intended on finding children with actual and potential general giftedness. Before the beginning of the identification process, the school staff meets with parents who wish their children to enter the first class (age 6-7) of this school. The purpose of the meeting is to explain to the parents the features of the curriculum, as well as the goals, criteria and process of identification.

The school uses three main categories for iden-tifying the gifted:

1. intellectual abilities higher than that of age peers; advanced comprehension and generalization; a faster pace of learning;

2. creativity - high levels of ability in crea-ting unusual, unique, and meaningfulsolutions; a search for novelty through alternative and varied processes;

3. personal traits - high curiosity, task-commitment, open-mindedness, need for novelty and complexity, etc.

The identification process includes the follow-ing stages:

using a short cognitive ability test, a play lesson, an individual interview.

At the first stage a set of 20 items in the form of drawings is presented to groups of 5 or 6 children, who must select the drawing accord-ing to instructions. The testing is conducted by two psychologists to ensure that all the children understand the instructions.

The second stage involves a series of play exercises with groups of 5 or 6 children: "Ask and Guess", "Match a Couple of Things", "Comparisons", "Differences and Resemblances", "Unusual Uses", and "What Happens If ...". The purpose of the exercises is to reveal the abilities of each child to formu-late questions, find and use new information, make decisions, generalize, work with abstract ideas, synthesize diverse relationships. One psychologist leads the children in the play lessons. Meanwhile, 3-5 psychologists and teachers observe the children to evaluate their answers, activity, motivation, behaviour, coop-eration with peers, and other characteristics,

1.2.3.

according to previously determined criteria. During the interview the child and his or her parents can speak about abilities, interests, traits, and problems of the child, and dem-onstrate his or her products and achieve-ments. The teachers and psychologists can clarify matters in case they have questions. The entrance commission considers the results of all the identification stages, and makes the final decision regarding the child's entrance to the school.

The identification process described above has been used in Sozvezdie School for 14 years. It meets the requirements of multiple criteria of giftedness and includes a variety of instru-ments and situations to reveal both the actual and potential abilities of the children. It also permits a multidimensional assessment of the children's cognitive and personal development. Involvement of parents in the process enables the school staff to understand family condi-tions and clarify expectations. This three-stage procedure makes it possible to identify gifted children among a rather large population dur-ing a relatively short time, and to decrease the number of children inappropriately admitted to the school. All the stages of the identification process provide safe and favourable conditions for all children, including those who are not identified as gifted, because all of them enjoy the tasks and do not receive negative marks for their answers.

The follow-up study of the gifted students with standardized cognitive ability and creativity tests confirms the effectiveness of the curricu-lum described above. The students also exhibit great interest in the learning process on the interdisciplinary programme and demonstrate high school and out-of-school achievement during the period of study. Now the curricu-lum is being successfully used not only by the Sozvezdie School but by more than 30 schools in Moscow and other Russian cities.

Dr. Elena Shcheblanova, PhD, Psychological

Institute of the Russian Academy of

Education, Moscow, Russia

Contact: [email protected]

Dr. Natalia Shumakova, PhD, Psychological

Institute of the Russian Academy of

Education, Moscow, Russia


A lesson in the 3rd grade (8-9 years)

4


Gifted Education in Romania MONICA GHEORGHIU, Romania

IRSCA Gifted Education is the initiator

and founder of EDUGATE, the Romanian

Consortium for the Education of Gifted

and Talented Children and Youth which is

the initiating body to submit on the politi-

cal agenda the proposal of a bill of law for

the education of gifted youth, capable of

high performance, at the beginning of year

2006.

The law was developed with the help of Romanian experts in the field of gifted educa-tion and adapted to Romanian legislation. It was submitted by the conservative party to the Romanian Parliament on the 8th March 2006. The constitutional time for final debate and vote was 21st April 2006. The law went over this short period (one month) through succes-sive stages of approvals and rejections (first from the commission on Education and then from the Romanian Government). Under these auspicies, our organization made great efforts to promote the law and obtain the international official positions and com-ments on the subject. We obtained interna-

tional recognition for the law from some of the most representative bodies in the gifted edu-cation realm: ECHA - The European Council for High Ability; WCGTC - The World Council for Gifted and Talented Children; NEAG - Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development, USA and the University of Hannover, Germany.

Our efforts for a National Gifted Education Programme started as early as 2005, when we initiated the first Romanian Conference on the Education of Gifted and Talented Children and Youth. Since 2005 we participated in numer-ous panels and seminars on youth education in Romania, offering and supporting with our expertise the formation of a gifted education collaborative network (EDUGATE is the result of such a strategic effort, to coagulate the support of educational institutions, non-profit organizations and companies in order to form a gifted education consortium). We partici-pated in meetings of profile in the internation-al arena in order to draw attention to the law and the gifted education system and obtain the very necessary international support for it.

In 2006 we dedicated a special Gifted Education Forum with large representation, the first of its kind to gather around a table representatives of the civil society, the media and educational institutions to discuss that it was high time for a law on gifted and talented children and youth in our country.

Our transparency and media efforts (TV, news-paper articles and interviews, parliament expert panel meeting, internet activity – online petitions, youth conventions, online forums, seminars on gifted education, etc.) made a big difference and with the EU accession the political agenda included the final stage for its adoption around Christmas time in 2007. With a great delay since its initial constitutional deadline of adoption (21st April 2006) the law was adopted by both the legislative bodies on 13th December 2007. Finally, the law was made public by our President on 8th January 2007 to become Law 17/2007.

Monica Gheorghiu


Water – Gobal Challenge for the 21st CenturyHow to Involve Gifted Students in Global Goals by Promoting their Social Capital

The project “Water – Global Challenge for

the 21st Century”, presented at the 10th

Conference of the European Council for

High Ability in Lahti, Finland, is part of an

enrichment cluster in the school environ-

ments of BRG 6 Marchettigasse, a secondary

school in Vienna, Austria.

The goal of this school project, following the Operation Houndstooth Intervention Theory (Renzulli, 2002), is to encourage social capital by developing the six co-cognitive factors: optimism, courage, romance with a topic/discipline, sensitivity to human concerns, physical/mental energy, and vision/sense of destiny. These are traits that many gifted stu-dents already exhibit, and may adopt quickly. Different approaches and direct involvement

may contribute in varying degrees to positive growth.

To establish romance with the project’s topic, the importance of water for everyone, the students visited the “Wonder World of Water”. Discussions about value-laden issues based on philosophical quotations, texts and pic-tures make them sensitive to human con-cerns such as the global goal of worldwide drinking water supply. A powerful presenta-tion by Christian Maslo, project initiator of “Students help Students”, inspires the students to subsidize the building of rainwater tanks in Kenya. Immediately directly involved, the students – optimistic, courageous and full of physical and mental energy – produce paper drops of water featuring remarkable slogans

to raise money from students, teachers, and parents. One student displays very special moral courage: he even urgently asks the com-munity in his sister’s school for donations and writes a touching article with a convincing appeal for this fund-raising in a youth maga-zine. A vision becomes reality: 1350 Euros make it possible to finance a third of a rainwa-ter tank for an elementary school in Kenya!

The internalization of co-cognitive attitudes, values and behaviours in a new generation using their gifts in a socially constructive way is highly achieved through this project.


INGEBORG MAUTNER, Austria

5


Gifted Education in FranceFrance is Vigilant Towards its High Ability Children

ANNE MARIE VANDENWEGHE, France

After the publication of the book “The

Gifted” by Rémy Chauvin in 1975, the

French school system became more aware

of high ability children. It seemed that

they were unable to realize their poten-

tial. Indeed, some researchers say that half

of this population are underachievers and

develop a social inhibition.

In 1981 Jean Charles Terrassier wrote “The Gifted Children or Their Embarrassing Precocity”, in which he described the concept of “dyssynchrony” and brought to attention “The Negative Pygmalion Effect”.

The French Association for High Ability Children (AFEP) was created in 1993 by Mrs Sophie Côte, who is its actual president.

Different schools, private or public, are putting in place specific forms of education aimed at gifted children. The French minister of educa-tion has reacted positively in introducing a special curriculum for these children in 2002 to help them to succeed, and in 2005 a law was debated in Parliament to improve teaching for gifted children

What has the AFEP achieved?This association was given official status by the Ministry of Education on 5th July 2003. This recognition is the first acknowledgement of high ability children in France.

Since 1993 Mrs Sophie Côte has devotedly led this association. She is the initiator of many extra-curricular activities and set up a network of support for the parents and the teachers. The common goal is not to let the children’s motivation decrease.

At the moment there are 3000 families who are members of the association. Many volunteers with different areas of expertise created local branches of the association in many regions in France. These volunteers organize seminars and conferences on educational topics. They are also involved in the support provided to the parents and participate in many activities for the children.

AFEP has an annual conference with interna-tional speakers. They provide information on the latest research in their countries on dif-ferent topics concerning giftedness. The most recent conference was held on January 28th

2006 in Paris, in the famous amphitheatre of the Sorbonne.

AFEP is also involved in training young teach-ers during their studies in different locations.

Primary schools do not have specific classes for these students. An appropriate rhythm for these children is the only suggestion. Besides there is the possibility to skip one or two grades before reaching 6th grade.

Middle school offers more opportunities:

In an ordinary middle school, gifted chil-dren are grouped together in the same class. The teaching method is adapted to the fast learning process of these children, therefore the students feel more at ease and thus also improve their social rela-tionships.Some classes have been opened to offer a faster curriculum (3 instead of 4 years).

Other forms of classes are offered in which gifted students and regular stu-dents mix. The closeness of the two groups provides a better understanding of their differences.

3. Gifted students and regular students are together for only a few hours per week. These classes offer several extra curricular activities such as: how to do a research project on your own on the subjects taught at school, how to start and com-plete a project through the school-year, learning a foreign language (Chinese being one of the choices), as well as stimulating, creative and original activi-ties.

Team projects and how to look for out-of-school sources of information are also empha-sized.

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2.

Other areas of interest areTraining teachers how to handle these gifted childrenPreference of oral work, followed by writingOpening of scientific, literature and art workshops

At the beginning of the school year of 2002 official texts stated:“We have to be aware of the situation of gifted children. We may be able to reduce the cur-riculum of the Middle School by one year."

At the beginning of the school year of 2003 official texts stated:"At Primary or Middle School, the programme can be changed. Skipping a grade during the primary school years is now allowed."

At the beginning of school year 2005 two texts were presented:

article 4-1: In primary school only one grade can be skipped. Under specific conditions and with the agreement of the Regional Administrator another grade could be skipped as well.article 4-2: In primary school, readjust-ments of the curriculum could be offered if the child shows special skills and the ability to learn fast. In this case the children can move ahead faster in the pro-gramme.

AFEP gives support to gifted children and will continue to be active in developing its initia-tives, in informing the public and in training teachers.

Translation by Katy Bogin

Anne-Marie Vandenweghe is the Assistant

Director of the “Collège St Louis" in Le Mans.

She will publish an article about a special

project that her school is putting in place for

gifted children.


6


Richard (all names have been changed) has

just turned 14 and has been attending the

11th grade at the Weser-Gymnasium since

February 2007. His classmates are 17 or 18

years old. Altogether Richard has skipped

three grades, one already at primary school

level. He is doing extremely well since he

has proved able to always catch up with

his classmates and to establish himself in

the respective top students' group of each

form. As far as his being socially accepted

is concerned, one can say that he is neither

excluded nor truly integrated, as he is some-

what of a loner.

Linda (15) has been learning both Latin and French as her second respectively third foreign language for the past two and a half years - and very successfully. She never contemplated skipping a grade, since she was well integrated and liked being in her class.

Every week Stefan (10) leaves four of his regular lessons and during this time takes part in two courses of digital electronics and astronomy. He has only just started the 5th

form, neither he nor his parents have consid-ered skipping a year yet.

Florian (10) is very much in need of remedial help since he suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome. During lessons he is therefore accompanied and helped by an “integration teacher / assist-ant” who helps him organize his school work, do his chores and orientate. The place where his special needs are attended to is the Weser-Gymnasium.

The above-mentioned examples are not of pupils who attend a special secondary school designed for the needs of the highly gifted, but they all attend a regular state-owned secondary school in East Westphalia (part of the federal state of Northrhine-Westfalia, Germany) with a pedagogical focus on the gifted. The Weser-Gymnasium Vlotho is a secondary school of medium proportions with about 750 pupils and a staff of 53 teachers.

Preliminary work and decision-making in the attempt to support the gifted started in 1999. For the secondary level (5th - 10th form) a

‘revolving door’ model has been in progress since 2002 which is at the heart of the school’s gifted education programme with the school offering a variety of courses (current-ly Old Greek, Astronomy, Digital Electronics, Experimental Music and Japanese) that run parallel to regular lessons. If possible these courses are taught by lecturers from outside the school; for the participants their work is not relevant for their school reports. At the end of a school year their participation is certified by diploma.

In the various groups the pupils work together with other kids from different forms and there-fore of different ages, their taking part in the courses is possible between the 5th form and the 10th form. Any class work that they miss out on has to be seen to in the afternoons and is an extra workload on top of their homework. Currently about 30 students at secondary level are taking part in this special programme. Some of them, like Stefan, are taking two dif-ferent courses a week. Taking three courses is possible, yet at present there is no pupil who goes for that option. Class tests and written exercises have to be done by these pupils as well. Apart from attending parallel courses it is possible to learn the second and third for-eign language at the same time. That is what Linda chose to do. For other pupils skipping a class makes more sense as a way of getting their special intellectual needs attended to, as Richard’s example clearly shows. Four WGV teachers have got the ECHA-Diploma, with a fifth teacher on the way. So the WGV is well-equipped with respect to the qualification in teaching and counselling the gifted. These 5 colleagues work together in a workshop called “Gifted Education” along with other colleagues and parents.

The school’s special emphasis is on the iden-tification of (highly) gifted kids. How can we go about finding out about special skills and talents of children and young people? Who needs special support? A psychological test is not a prerequisite to be accepted for the special courses. The identification procedure at the school has been such as to make use of lots of different sources of information. It is based on the following:

The Revolving Door Model at the Weser-Gymnasium Vlotho

HELLA HAPPE, Germany

parental nomination self-nomination nomination by classmates (peer group) teacher nomination

Correspondingly, talks with both parents and the pupil prior to the acceptance at the school have been modified in as much as questions with regard to special gifts and talents are raised (with reference to diagnostic tests and skipping classes at primary school level). This initial talk may well prove to be the first step towards a proper assessment of giftedness in a child. In the process of self-nomination or peer group nomination the pupils state who among their classmates they think rank best with respect to certain fields of achievement. The questionnaire with a total of 22 questions is based on the various fields of giftedness that the “Munich Model of Giftedness” by Heller expounds. We also used an article on 'Peer Nomination' by François Gagné. The questions target various fields of high achievement (for example: "Who can paint / draw exceptionally well?" or “Who is the best at sports and can move swiftly?”) and general characteristics of intellectual giftedness” (for example: "Who among your classmates is a ‘walking diction-ary’ and knows a lot of very different things?" or “Who can remember lots of things excep-tionally well?”).

This questionnnaire is filled in by every 5th

former at the end of his first year at second-ary school. – Furthermore, the questionnaire is – in a slightly modified form – completed by all the teachers of the class. For that purpose they receive lists with characteristic features of gifted children that help to identify not only high achievers but also possible underachievers in each class. Questionnaires do not substitute individual testing. They provide hints, but they do not prove anybody to be particularly gifted.

There are highly gifted pupils not being iden-tified by this nomination procedure as well as kids of average potential who stand out very positively throughout nomination. Pupils with many nominations are asked to consider taking part in the ‘revolving door’ model in the following school year or go for other options (like skipping a grade or taking two foreign languages at the same time). Of course, all this requires close cooperation with the parents and the form teacher alike. The procedure does not qualify as being strictly scientific, yet it has proved to be very practical and effective in the school context.

7


Gifted Education in GreeceAIKATERINI GARI, Greece

For Greece, the last three and a half years

have been a fruitful period of new activities

and perspectives in the education of the

gifted. The most important issue has been

a new legislative regulation. In autumn

2003, a legislative regulation has been

included in the Special Education Law (Law

2817/2000) in reference to the foundation

and organization of “Centres of Diagnosis,

Evaluation and Support” (article 1, para-

graph 2): “Special education may be offered

to those individuals who have special mental

abilities and talents”1. Since then, this line

of the law seems to function as an initiative

for the Greek school community and the

academics who are interested in the promo-

tion of education for the gifted.

Taking as a starting point the 8th ECHA con-ference, on the Greek island of Rhodes (9-13 October 2002), the non-profit association con-sisting of almost 30 persons that was estab-lished in 2003 by academics, psychologists, pedagogues and educators, named “Hellenic

Association for the Educational Provision

of Creative/Gifted/Talented Children and

Adolescents”, promoted its framework. Since December 2005, a temporary Executive Committee implemented some of the asso-ciation's activities, such as the design of the association's web-site (www.gifted.gr) and its e-mail address ([email protected]), the con-nection of the association with parents’ asso-ciations such as the “Society of Parents and Guardians of Gifted and Talented Children” in Greece ([email protected]) and the “Society of Parents and Friends of Gifted Children in Cyprus” (www.giftedchildrencyprus.org, e-mail:

[email protected]).

The first stage of the association's activities was integrated with a symposium organized jointly with the “Association of Mental Health and Children’s Neuropsychiatry”, on 10th

December 2005, under the title “Gifted and

talented students’ development and educa-

tion: dilemmas and perspectives”. Five estab-lishing members of the association presented their contributions on various topics, such as “The neuropsychological approach of talent”, “Greek teachers’ values and attitudes on the education of the gifted”, “The Greek primary education teachers’ difficulties in understand-ing the gifted students’ educational needs” and “The necessity for teachers’ in-service training regarding the education of the gifted”. At the amphitheatre of the symposium more than 180 registered individuals, mainly psy-chologists, teachers and parents, were active participants of the symposium with their ques-tions and comments. After the symposium had ended, the General Assembly of the association elected the first General Committee (G.C.), for the next two years (2005/2007).

President : Aikaterini Gari, ([email protected]), Secretary: Maria Michaelidou, ([email protected]) , Treasurer: Nassos Tsiamis, ([email protected]), General Committee Members: Kostas Mylonas, Polyxeni Paraskevopoulou, Chrissi Hatzichristou, and Theoni Velli.

Thinking that the Greek public educational sys-tem meets - for the first time - the challenge to provide support, not only to disabled but also to gifted and talented children, the “Hellenic

Association for the Educational Provision

of Creative/Gifted/Talented Children and

Adolescents” intends to initiate collabora-

1 “ Gifted Education in 21 European Countries :Inventory and Perspective”, Survey conducted on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Mönks, F.J. & Pflüger, February 2005, Chapter Greece, p.p. 68-71, Dr. Aikaterini Gari, reporting.

For the upper secondary level (11th to 13th form) cooperation with Bielefeld University was initi-ated in 2003/ 2004. Once a fortnight students work on interdisciplinary topics like ‘Close-Up on Europe’, ‘Networks in Nature and Society’ and ‘Dynamic Processes in Nature and Society’, partly during lesson times, assisted by lectur-ers and professors from Bielefeld University. In 2006 another secondary school in the vicinity of Vlotho joined the cooperation (Ravensberger Gymnasium Herford). The students must apply

for participation, catch up on the school work they missed and present a written paper at the end of the course. Participation in the project is certified.

There is no such thing as the gifted pupil. Rather, talking about gifted education at school means individual support for children and youths. Richard, Linda, Stefan and Florian are examples of a successful support in an educational environment that gives them the

chance to unfold and explore their very differ-ent potentials.

Translation: Heidi Wenta

Hella Happe and Heidi Wenta are both teach-

ers at the Weser-Gymnasium, Vlotho and

have got the ECHA-Diploma


tion with European institutions and scientific groups that develop relevant activities. As a first step, in spring 2006, necessary information for the education of the gifted in Greece was provided to the Eurybase so as to be integrated into the national education system of Greece http://www.eurydice.org/portal/page/portal/

Eurydice.

The association is further interested in par-ticipating in cross-cultural research projects concerning students with high abilities at all levels of education, as well as in European and International Educational Networks, which aim to promote innovation and supportive measures for the gifted and talented. In addi-tion, design and implementation of training programmes on giftedness for Greek teachers and parents is one of its principal goals. Some members of the association are familiar with the yearly calls of the European Commission, e.g. Socrates and/or other relevant educa-tional European programmes and represent the “Greek Ministry of Education and Religion” to European agencies.

Aikaterini Gari, the ECHA National

Correspondent for Greece, is an assistant

professor of social psychology at the Depart-

ment of Psychology of the University of

Athens, Greece, and President of the “Hellenic

Association for the Educational Provision of

the Creative/Gifted/Talented Children and

Adolescents”.


8


The European Union attributes shared val-

ues as the basis of the community. Values

form the background of any decision and

they determine action in daily life. Before

answering the question “Are you in favour

or are you against it?” a vast number of

thoughts are rushing through a person’s

mind. With more or less awareness these

thoughts are evaluated by reflecting the

situation, taking into account the personal

experience, anticipating the consequences,

and weighing the ability to bring the deci-

sion into action. These components of the

decision-process reflect considerations on

a superior level of thinking: the questions

“Who am I?” and “What ought I to do?”

With many measures the European Union is pushing awareness of European citizenship. The slogan “all different – all equal” is guid-ing initiatives of the programme Youth for Europe.

Platon Youth Forum aims to put these ideas into practice. Gifted young girls and boys, who show high motivation to work on complex issues, are invited to have a critical look at topics of importance for the European Union. Stories describing concrete incidents are pre-sented; the students have to find their point of view, and they have to argue the standpoint during several discussions. In the course of argumentation new aspects are found and brought in. Very soon the students experi-ence that their knowledge isn’t sufficient for defending their position. New facts have to be taken into consideration. Very often this proc-ess ends up with changing the first opinion

The challenge is also given for the personal development. Several aspects of self aware-ness are subjected to reflection. Educational and cultural idiosyncrasies become percep-tible, and contribute to the specific role as a discussant. Cognitive and emotional abilities are enhanced, because critical thinking, moral sensitivity, empathy, emotional involvement, and cooperation are needed for an interesting and effective discussion.

Platon Youth Forum 06 was supported by the Youth Programme of the European Union

Action 1. Additional financial support was given by Bildung und Begabung e.V. / Germany, the local Government of Salzburg, the Red Cross Youth Organisation of Austria, and the University of Salzburg.

A special didactical approach, VaKE (Values and Knowledge Education), was used to work on five topics. The application of VaKE in learn-ing environments for gifted children and stu-dents is the central thesis of a research-project financed by the Jubiläumsfond of the Austrian National Bank (Project number: 10946).

From 20th to 27th of August 2006 65 stu-dents from Austria, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Lithuania, Hungary and Romania met in a youth-hostel in the lovely lake-district north of Salzburg / Austria. For one week they worked on questions such as:

Do you vote for or against the proposed European constitution? Is our life-style increasing the risk of allergies?How should a Muslim young woman decide on being involved in an economic and cultural conflict? The question of guilt in times of revolu-tion.Europe – closed for refugees and immi-grants?

The communication was in German, but not all the participants had enough language-competence to follow and to participate in the discussions. So a real “European” challenge was given: not to be separated by different “tongues”, but to find a solution for this prob-lem of understanding each other.The former governor of Salzburg, Dr. Franz Schausberger, gave a lecture on Europe and its constitution. He especially pointed out the historical background of the relationships between the member-states. It came to the students’ mind, how difficult the process of finding consent for the confederation is.

Discussions, lectures and preparing presenta-tions were one part of the summer camp; games, sports, singing and dancing as the activities during leisure time joined the par-ticipants together in deep friendship. Especially

during the dancing lesson for the Viennese Waltz the last restraints were given up, and language-barriers were overcome. The close-ness between the participants made apparent that Europe as a community of shared values is on a good way towards realization. For further impressions and details see also http://platon.echa-oesterreich.at

Platon Youth Forum 07 will be realized from 18th to 26th of August, 2007. Young people from ten European countries will meet in Obertrum near Salzburg / Austria. Six workshops will be offered, in which different dilemma-stories addressing several problems relevant for the European community will be presented. Beside the workshops the participants will enjoy the countryside (lake, hills, Salzburg), the culture (dancing, singing, playing) and healthy meals. Some additional applications can be accepted.


Platon Youth Forum 06 Focussing on European Citizenship

SIEGLINDE WEYRINGER, AUSTRIA

Gifted Education Quote

If they learn easily, they are penal-ized for being bored when they have nothing to do; if they excel in some outstanding way, they are penalized as being conspicuously better than the peer group. The culture tries to make the child with a gift into a one-sided person, to penalize him at every turn, to cause him trouble in making friends and to create conditions con-ducive to the development of a neu-rosis. Neither teachers, the parents of other children, nor the child peers will tolerate a Wunderkind.

Margaret Mead, 1954

9

volume 21 · no 1 · May 2007volume 21 · no 1 · May 2007ECHA NEWS

ECHA Diploma A NewsINGEBORG MAUTNER, Austria

Another year has gone by – high time again

to give an overview of recently awarded

ECHA Diploma holders. A Only a few courses

finished in 2006, but produced new ECHA

Diploma holders – some of them cum

laude.

Some ECHA Diploma courses will continue and not end before 2007. So the ECHA Diploma course in Upper Austria will finish in 2007 ([email protected]). In Lower Austria [email protected]@pi-linz.ac.at

another course started in September 2006. This course has been adapted by Dr. Bernhard Seyr ([email protected]) according [email protected]@lsr-noe.gv.at

to the ECHA guidelines previously published on the website www.echa.ws. Those guidelines describe the aims, contents, methods of assess-ment and prerequisites of the ECHA Diploma training programme. Teacher training pro-grammes that wish to be recognized by ECHA should meet these guidelines and – as pointed out in ECHA News, volume 19 no. 2 – have to

be approved by Prof. Dr. Franz Mönks and Dr. Willy Peters, the Programme Director of the course “Educating the Gifted”. This has recently happened in Lower Austria – Dr. Bernhard Seyr got the renewal of the ECHA President’s agreement for the next four years. Prof. Dr. Franz Mönks accepted the required standards, which define this ECHA Diploma course lead-ing to the diploma entitled “Specialist in Gifted Education”. In Vienna an ECHA Diploma course leading to the diploma entitled “Specialist in Pre-school Gifted Education” started in 2006 and is still continuing. You can get further information from: [email protected].

In Switzerland an ECHA Diploma course led by Joëlle Huser will begin in March 2007, another one in September 2008. For detailed informa-tion please contact: [email protected]

or see the website: www.echa-switzerland.ch

Country Number of diplomas Cum laude Contact

Austria 68 5Lower Austria 32 4 [email protected] 8 1 [email protected] 28 [email protected] 5 [email protected]

ECHA Diplomas 2006/07A

Would all instructors of ECHA Diploma courses kindly ask those ECHA Diploma candidates awarded a cum laude for articles to be pub-lished in ECHA News next year and send those to me by 31st January, 2008? You would strongly support my work.

In this issue, five impressive ECHA Diploma theses are presented by five Austrian ECHA Diploma holders (four of them cum laude): Ursula Potakowskyi’s “From Identifying the Potential Gifts to Facing their Actual Performances in the Classroom”, Monika Kolovos’ “Drama Club AMADEUS - an enrich-ment programme for the advancement of gifted pupils in English through the analysis and production of a literary play”, Marion-Linda Paternostro’s “Development and Revision of Screening Methods to Identify Creative Action in School Education for Children Aged 6 to 10”, Anita Kofler-Neumayr’s “The FIRST LEGO League”, and Andreas Mikula’s “Writing Workshop SCHWEST – a pilot project for chil-dren and youth, that are talented at writing, yet have a literary weakness in reading and spelling”.

Let’s enjoy reading!

Ingeborg Mautner, Mag.rer.nat., is a teacher

and consultant of the özbf in Salzburg and

in other institutions with further training

courses for teachers. She has got the ECHA

Diploma cum laude.



I"The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature born abnormally, inhumanly sensitive.

To him...a touch is a blow,a sound is a noise,a misfortune is a tragedy,a joy is an ecstasy,a friend is a lover,a lover is a god,and failure is death.

Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create - - - so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, his very breath is cut off from him. He must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency he is not really alive unless he is creating."

Pearl S. Buck

10


Writing Workshop-SCHWESTA pilot project for children and youth, that are talented at writing, Ayet have a literary weakness in reading and spelling

ANDREAS MIKULA, AUSTRIA

The inception of the idea to create a writing

workshop comes from the author and writer

Michael Köhlmeier, who has made a name

for himself by winning numerous awards in

literature. In 2005 he labelled himself, for

the first time publicly, as a dyslexic. He of

course is not the only author to have this

disability. He is accompanied by such writers

as Thomas Mann, John Irwing and others,

who found their life’s calling in writing,

despite their respective disabilities in read-

ing and writing.

Speaking at a public reading this gifted, dys-lexic writer shared about the courage that it took to write, and called himself a teachable failure. The media reported the author’s com-ments and received an overwhelming response from the public on this subject. Even in my own educational Practise “PÄP” I work with people that have extreme writing disabilities, however they possess a high ability to express themselves verbally. As a counsellor with LEGA, a non-profit organization for developing people with scholastic weaknesses, I often encounter parents who do not understand the discrep-ancy between their child’s high intelligence and writing difficulties. They feel helpless and are desperately searching for answers. Stress in school, the pressure of getting good grades and the daily frustrations of school tend to come full circle to make it near to impossible to get out of this cycle.This need was the driving force behind an experiment to create advancement possibili-ties for gifted writers with reading/writing disabilities. Out of this vision came the concept of a writing workshop in cooperation with the

organization “Initiative LEGA Vorarlberg” and the State library of Vorarlberg, under the lead-ership of Ing. Andreas Mikula.

Conceptual Design

The writing workshop serves as a type of self-help model for young people who have literary skill deficiencies, yet still experience joy in writing, to give them the opportunity to real-ize their giftedness and use their full writing potential.

The educational boundaries were set with the following criteria:

Writing should be fun, the participants (PT) have the opportunity to further their skills and also deepen their interest inliterary works of art and verbal commu-nication forms. The personal creation of a text is to be primarily hands-on and of their own choice without the pressure of having to get good grades. The correctness of spelling is hoped for, however it is not necessary. Joy in the process of writing is what is in view. In addition to self-created texts, other creative arts of expression can also be explored, such as spoken art forms, visuals and sounds. Various books, biographies and magazines are also used to give insight into litera-ture. How do authors conduct their work; what type of literature is found in these pages, etc.? An exchange between the “writer” and the “teller” is to be accom-modated at various meetings. PT are to receive an opportunity to

present their work, or have their work pre-sented for them publicly. The continuation with a core group of writing workshop participants is being considered. In an effort to minimize spelling difficul-ties, the PT is assigned a mentor. This mentor assumes the responsibility in orthography, clean copy and accompanies the PT through the whole process.

Criteria for Participation

A criterion for selection is having been diag-nosed by an expert as a dyslexic as well as an intellectually gifted person. The nomina-tion by faculty also plays a significant role in the selection process, in which students are attributed a high ability to express themselves creatively, despite dyslexia. Self-nomination is also a valid cause for consideration, in which the student expresses their personal desire to participate on the grounds of seeing them-selves as gifted writers.These participants are accompanied by experts in the field of orthopaedagogy, journalism, educational science and dyslexic therapy. These individuals comprise the Project Team.Their job is to accompany the peer-groups in a professional manner and to take responsibility for the lectures.

Implementation

The writing workshop was advertised under the heading of: “I schrib so, wie mirs gfallt!” (I write as I wish), and was conceived as a three months project.

11


Twenty students, diagnosed with dyslexia, between the ages of 10 and 16 participated in this pilot project. Three groups of children were created, one of those being a boys group and two girl groups, as well as two gender specific youth groups. The meeting place was at the State library in Bregenz in the Kuppelsaal. There were six bi-weekly verbal exchange meetings that took place all together.

The small groups of peers encouraged each other to write, engaged in creative exercises and presented their works of art, which had been created in the meantime, to each other. They also searched for ways to communicate creatively through word, sound and picture. These individuals were accompanied by the expert Project-Team. The results of this project were then presented at a final public gather-ing, along with a folder including the literary works of art for all consenting young partici-pants. The feedback from participants served as the foundation to a written summary and statement for considering the extension of this project according to its respective success.

The highlight of this project was the final meeting, which was a publicly announced event to which parents, teachers, sponsors, generally interested persons and politicians were invited. To begin with, the Project-Team, as well as the individual peer-groups, were introduced, which was followed by selected readings from the compiled works folder of the PT, self-composed songs and as highlight a PowerPoint Presentation of one of the par-ticipating youths. The organizers, sponsors, PT and the Project-Team were honoured at the close with a special writing-workshop CD as a thank-you. The positive responses mirrored

the success of this project and the organizers expressed their desire to continue this promo-tional model – writing workshop.

Due to the positive reaction at the close of the pilot project considerable thought was put into the idea of continuation. As a result further project ideas have been created under the synonym SCHREIBW.

SCHREIBW Core-group

On the basis of enrichment, a core group of dyslexic, writing youths was established, in cooperation with the self-help organisation “Club Antenne Vorarlberg”. Since April ’06 some of the PT from the writing workshop have been meeting on the premises of Club Antenne in Dornbirn, to exchange their experiences with each other.

The group sees itself as an open, autonomous unit with self-responsibility as a means to self-help. The goal is sharing with each other to further creative writing. Any works of art that might be created through this group are cor-rected by the lecturers and brought to print.

Writing-workshop SCHREIBW in the con-

text of school

How can the positive experiences of this pilot project writing workshop be brought into the context of school? This model for advance-ment was discussed together with elementary school teachers and parents, and was made a topic at schools generally. There is the pos-sibility in elementary school to start offering an advancement class for gifted students once a week, in connection with extracurricular classes. The target group is children who have joy in writing, and/or are invited by their

teachers. Throughout the school year they col-lect their reading and writing experiences and discuss them together as well as present them to each other. Through this extracurricular class the children are expected to receive tools to aid their reading and writing techniques. This all takes place under the heading: The how to’s of reading and writing. Next to the expert faculty, a team of trainers is needed along with parents to help mentor the children through-out the school year.

In the autumn of 2007 this school advance-ment model writing workshop is going to be announced in cooperation with the Freie Montessori Schule in Altach.

Continuing Projects of writing workshop

SCHREIBW

For the autumn of 2007 a continuing writing workshop SCHREIBW is expected to be started in the Montafon. The Folk Museum team in Schruns, as well as known artists and thera-pists are looking forward to the possibility of joining this project and continuing the idea of having a writing workshop for “alternatively perceiving” talented writers.

Andreas Mikula; Ing., Dipl.Päd., ECHA-

Specialist in Gifted Education, teacher in VS

Bregenz-Schendlingen; has his own practice

"learn-club päp" for people with dyslexia

(www.paep.at); project-management for

Initiative "LEGA Vorarlberg" (www.lega.at)

Contact: [email protected], www.paep.at

12


The FIRST LEGO League

According to Renzulli, Reis and Stedtnitz

creativity, inventive genius, entrepreneur-

ship and consideration for the social welfare

determine which nations, as well as their

ideas and productivity, are going to play

an important role (cf. 2001). That’s why

we should work with the gifted ones using

measures which increase their willingness to

learn as well as their motivation.

The aim of my thesis will be to show how use-ful investing into high-quality learning is. With the help of demanding learning processes the pupils were challenged according to their abili-ties. This activity helped to create a community feeling. Additionally, each pupil’s human and social abilities were even more challenged.

The project team took part in the FIRST LEGO League, which is an international competition. The aim of this competition is to make the future generation feel enthusiastic about sci-ence and technology. Children and teenagers from 10 to 16 are encouraged to find creative solutions to complicated tasks. The pupils and their coach have eight weeks to prepare their project for the regional competition. The team needs witty ideas as well as creative tech-niques to solve the robot-games and to present its research.

ANITAITIT KOFLER-NEUMAYR, AUSTRIA

The team’s robot has just started doing its missions. While the team members are watching the start of the NoLim-Robostorms, a member of the jury is checking and grading its performance.

On November 15th, 2004 the “NoLim-Robostorms” won the first prize in the finals in Schwaz, Austria. Their diligence and their knowledge were awarded. Manuel, Gerald and Hermann test the genuineness/authenticity of the medal. Because of this victory the team was allowed to take part in the European finals in Tauberbischofsheim, Germany.

The “No Limits” – project

The task of this project was to help people with physical problems.

1. The robot-game

The instructions for this game said “Design, build and programme a robot to accomplish the Challenge Missions on the field”. The robot had to accomplish nine tasks, for example it had to put away a CD, play basketball, climb some steps, … . The team used legomindstorms for schools to construct this robot. Lego means

learning by doing and the fact that the pupils can construct something themselves motivates them enormously. During this process there was a specific encouragement in the fields of technology, construction and mathematics. Every person’s natural exploratory urge was questioned and close collaboration with the programming team was essential to be suc-cessful.

The pupils worked with the so-called ROBOLAB-software, which was elaborated by profession-als. The pupils then worked out programmes on the computer and after sending them to the RCX, the revolutionary microchip which is the most important part of every robot, they had the chance to realize how the robot reacted. Because of this they could ana-lyse working processes, deduce navigational processes and carry them out. Logical thinking was mainly trained. The most motivating fea-ture of the whole project was the optimizing task because the pupils were able to extend their experiences.

In addition to the robot game the pupils had to fulfill a scientific task.

2. Research assignment

The instructions for this assignment said “Learn more about people with disabilities,

13


Drama Club – “AMADEUS”An Enrichment Programme for the Advancement of Gifted Pupils in English through the Analysis and Production of a Literary PlayMONIKA KOLOVOS, AUSTRIA

The first part of my diploma thesis lays

out the theoretical framework necessary

for understanding the importance of the

research of giftedness, the relevant conclu-

sions drawn for school programmes as well

as the specific implications on the project

“Drama Club” executed in my school. I want

to show that Gardner´s theory of Multiple

Intelligences can be applied to a project

combining language learning with elements

of drama and music, which demands in a

high degree different aspects of intelligence

from the students.

The criteria for the recognition of exceptional abilities are discussed, especially in regard to giftedness in the field of visual and performing arts. In addition, different ways of developing gifted programmes for schools are presented, with an emphasis on Renzulli´s Revolving Door Model, which has proved advantageous for our project.

The second part of my paper describes the development of the project “Drama Club”, which took over four months of analyzing the text of “Amadeus” by Peter Shaffer and its movie adaptation followed by rehearsing and staging the play. The participants were all students in their fourth year of learning English at our school and had been nominated by their English teachers. Additional activities

in connection with Mozart and his period are commented on and suggestions for the prepa-ration, execution, and evaluation of a theatre project are presented.

In the attachment I have added a DVD with the 90 minutes´ performance. Representing an excellent form of enrichment for highly able students, the teaching of a foreign language through drama techniques is also shown to be very useful for inner differentiation in the classroom.

It is concluded that theatrical productions present an effective means of fostering inter-disciplinary, holistic foreign language learning and of enhancing the potential of highly able students. This potential is not merely to be interpreted in an academic sense but also in the area of emotional and social growth. My final conclusion is expressed in the hope for a greater flexibility in the curriculum of schools to ensure the institutionalization of special programmes for talented and gifted students for their benefit as well as our society´s.

Monika Kolovos, Mag.phil., high school

teacher of English and French at BG/BRG

Perchtoldsdorf, Austria


your community, technology and accessibil-ity by completing the No Limits Project”. To complete this assignment the pupils had to be detectives, specialists and marketing experts. Only by playing these roles could they uncover obstacles for disabled people and find suitable solutions. The pupils found out that obstacles are things which prevent people from doing certain activities. Furthermore, it became clear that our surrounding is full of obstacles. That’s why the pupils and their coach decided to examine closely their route to school, the school building and one favourite weekend destination. Many interviews were done in order to find out about the status quo. The pupils mainly talked to handicapped people. Together they tried to find realistic solutions to the various problems. All these solutions were presented in contrast to the status quo. During this process the pupils invented the “Digi-Ich” which is an ornament with an integrated microchip.

The presentation of the pupils’ research impressed the jury of the regional competition and the pupils’ commitment was honoured as the “NoLim-Robotstorms”, which was the name of this project team, won one part of the FIRST LEGO League (FLL). Because of this the project team was allowed to take part in the finals of Central Europe in Tauberbischofsheim.

With the help of this project the pupils became aware of their abilities and talents and from this point of view the project was very valu-able for them. It showed that our children can turn into little geniuses if we only foster their abilities and talents. For me as the coach this experience was an enormous enrichment.

The project team consisted of small groups which were formed according to the pupils’ abilities and interests. Furthermore, the pupils came into contact with learning by doing because they simply collected information and made their own experiences. This kind of learning is called “Just-in-time-learning”. The “NoLim-Robotstorms” managed to solve a complex task by concentrating their commit-ment, creativity and abilities onto this task. The competition corresponded to the characteris-tics of process- and product-orientation.

Anita Neumayr-Kofler, teacher at the HS

Lienz-Nord; school librarian; teaching quali-

fication for PTS (polytechnical school); ECHA

Diploma;



Unfortunately some people deny the fun-damental role of acceleration in a program for the gifted. In so doing, they are in effect denying who and what defines the gifted at any stage of development - chil-dren who exhibit advanced intellectual development in one or more areas.

Joyce VanTassel-Baska, 1992

14


From Identifying the Potential Gifts to PP Facing their Actual Performances in the ClassroomPPURSULA POTAKOTT WSKYI, AUSTRIA

The principal aim of this thesis is to focus

on the long and decisive way from identify-

ing the potential gifts of lower intermediate

students of English to facing their actual

performances in the classroom. In this con-

text the multidimensional approaches to the

concepts of intelligence and giftedness have

been preferred, as they convey those terms

within a wider scope of various aspects such

as intra-personal and environmental fac-

tors, which are of major importance in the

transformation process from above average

abilities to superior performance.

Thus the first part of this paper deals with those concepts and their implications on the process of talent development in the class-room. As the emphasis has been laid on the process of learning as the decisive part in the transformation from above average abilities to superior performance, theories of what can be understood by ”learning” have also been a main focus.

The second part of this paper describes actual teaching by involving all those multidimen-sional models as well as theories of learning. The main focus has, however, been laid on Gardner’s concept of Multiple Intelligences and their applicability in the “English as a foreign

language”-classroom. In addition, the process of learning has been concentrated on by deal-ing with major aspects such as the compilation of portfolios or the involvement of learning strategies.The final evaluation is to prove the importance of making the gifted students aware of their potentials and encouraging them to develop them by actively using them and also reflect-ing upon them in the course of the learning process.

Ursula Potakowskyj, Master of Arts, teacher of English and History, Bundesgymnasium Purkersdorf / Lower Austria


Development and Revision of Screening Methods to Identify Creative Action in School Education for Children Aged 6 to 10MARION-LINDA PAPP TERAA NOSTRO, AUSTRIA

Starting from the assumption that creativity

has to be viewed in close connection with

giftedness, two screening methods have

been developed which should test the sub-

ject's willingness for creative action.

The method SST-P (Skala Schöpferische Tätigkeiten – Primarstufe / Scale of Creative Action – basic level) figures out the basic will-ingness of the subject to undertake creative action but does not test actual performance of the task. First a basic version with 54 items was developed and tested on 106 students. Next the index of difficulty and selectivity of each single item was determined and the 33 items which were statistically significant were

included in the final version. The next step will be to approve this final version.

The idea of creating the method HST-P (Handlungsverfahren Schöpferische Tätigkeiten – Primarstufe / Procedure for initiating crea-tive actions – basic level) was to test actual creativity and not just willingness to act in a creative way. Again a basic version – including 14 pairs of tasks - was developed and tested on 71 subjects. Following statistical analysis, the final version contained 13 pairs of tasks.

The correlation between the two methods was low in relation to the group as a whole. However, when the 18 subjects with the high-

est scores in the SST-P method were taken, the correlation increased significantly.

The interpretation of the results showed that high scores in both methods, but particularly in HST-P, allows us to draw conclusions relating to giftedness and therefore supports identifi-cation of the highly gifted.

Marion-Linda Paternostro, Dipl.Päd.,

Specialist in Gifted Education and Montessori

at Groß-Enzersdorf elementary school,

language didactics at the teacher training

college in Baden/Wien;


15


Home-Education: A successful AEducational Experiment? – References

In ECHA News vol. 20, no. 2 we published an article on home-edu-

cation by Simone de Hoogh. There was not enough room for the

references, so they are published here

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Shyers, L. 1992). Comparison of social adjustment between home

and traditionally schooled students. Ph.D. dissertation, University of

Florida. [UMI DA8624219]

Smedley, T. C. (1992). Socialization of home schooled children: A

communication approach. Unpublished Master of Science thesis.

Radford, VA: Radford University.

Sperling, J. (2005). Thuisonderwijs in Nederland: een buitenbeentje in

Europa. NL: School en Wet, april 2005, p. 9-12

Taylor, J. (1986). Self-concept in home schooling children. Ann Arbor,

MI: University Microfilms International.

Thomas, A. (1998). Educating children at home. London, New York:

Continuum.

Verloop,VV N. & Lowyck, J. (2003). Onderwijskunde. NL: Groningen/

Houten: Wolters-Noordhoff

Wakelkamp, A. H. N. (1996). Een ongehoorde keuze: Huisonderwijs

als alternatief naast Schoolonderwijs. Afstudeerscriptie Hogeschool

Arnhem Nijmegen.

Woolfolk, A. (2004). Educational Psychology. Boston, U.S.: Allyn and

Bacon.

Simone de Hoogh has been home-educating daughter Noah, 12,

and son Jorman 11, since 1999, together with her husband Nic van

Grunsven. She combines home-education with studying for the ECHA

Diploma

[email protected]

SIMONE DE HOOGH, THETT NHE EDERLANDS


Values and Foundationsin Gifted Education

Bern, Berlin, Bruxelles, Frankfurt am Main, New York, Oxford, Wien, 2007. 206 pp.

ISBN 978-3-03911-302-6 / US-ISBN 978-0-8204-8940-7 pb.

Kirsi Tirri, Finland

The educational system in each country reflects the values and talents that are considered important in that particular culture. Most of the cultures build their educational system on a concept of an intelligence, which is defined in Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences as the ability to solve problems, or to create products, that are valued within one or more cultural settings. Researchers and educators are chal-lenged to identify the values and foundations underlying their prac-tice. This book brings together recent work by leading international researchers in the fields of education, philosophy and psychology. It consists of thirteen chosen articles from the 10th Conference of the European Council for High Ability. The book is divided into four parts. While the first part deals with the values, virtues and gifts, the second part contains empirical studies on giftedness in the life-span. The third part is about science and high ability students. The fourth part discusses holistic education for high ability students.

Contents: Kirsi Tirri: Introduction – Ilkka Niiniluoto: Ethical Issues of Research and Education – Risto Saarinen: Virtues, Gifts and Talents: Protestant and Catholic Traditions – Jane Piirto: Understanding Visual Artists – Joan Freeman: What Happens when Gifted and Talented Children Grow Up? – Risto Hotulainen/Kristiina Lappalainen: Correlation Between Identified Academic Potential and Talent Development: Results from the 15-Year Study – James Reed Campbell: Parent-Teacher Partnerships: Maximizing Parental Influence – Helga Joswig: Supporting Highly Gifted Pupils in Lower Elementary Classes – Seokhee Cho/Minhee Kang/Doehee Ahn: Effects of Science High Schools on the Development of Talent in Science for Korean Gifted Students – Heidrun Stoeger/Albert Ziegler/ Diana Schimke/Carolina Cozacu: Empirical Examination of a One-Year Mentoring Program for Gifted Girls in the Fields of Mathematics and the Natural Sciences – Joseph S. Renzulli/Sally M. Reis: A Computerized Strength Assessment and Internet Based Enrichment Program for Developing Giftedness and Talents – Jean-Luc Patry: VaKE - Introduction and Theoretical Background – Wilma Vialle: Spiritual Intelligence: An Important Dimension of Giftedness – Kirsi Tirri/Petri Nokelainen/Martin Ubani: Do Gifted Students Have Spiritual Intelligence?

Book Presentation

16

The Editor: Kirsi Tirri, PhD., M.Th. is a Professor of Religious Education at the Department of Practical Theology at the University of Helsinki, Finland and a Visiting Professor at the Department of Education and Professional Studies at King’s College, London. Her research interests include moral and religious education, gifted education, teacher edu-cation, and cross-cultural studies. She has published several books and journal articles related to these fields.


17

News from the Executive Committee

Outline Proposal for Comenius Network in G&T Education

At the end of March a meeting was held

at the Gifted and Talented Education

Unit, Department for Education and Skills,

London, to look at possible collaboration

across Europe for Comenius Projects.

The meeting was hosted by GTEU

and Chaired by the Secretary of ECHA. All

English Government Agencies involved in

A, G and T, representatives from all the

other UK countries, National Associations,

Regional Groups and interested Universities

were invited. Kirsi Tirri, President Elect of

ECHA, was also able to attend.

1. ECHA and the Gifted and Talented Education Unit at DfES is interested in co-ordinating a bid for a Comenius Network in G&T education.

2. Guidance for the submission of 2008

bids is unlikely to be released until late

2007 for submission by end March 2008.

Using 2007 guidance as a guide, such a

network would need to meet the following

requirements:

Include at least 10 partners from different countries

Provide a 3-year work programme (with sustainability beyond) starting in October 2008

Have a maximum EU contribution of 75% of total funding and a ceiling of Euros 150,000 (so requiring a maximum contribution of Euros 50,000 from other sources)

3. The planned G&T Network would

include:

GTEU as core partner

At least 5 (and ideally 9) main partners geographically spread across Europe com-prising leading G&T organisations in:

a.

b.

c.

a.

b.

Large and small countriesRelatively rich and relatively poor countriesCountries with national systems and those with federal systems‘Old’ EU countries and those that have joined recently

c. ‘Associate partners’ in as many as possibleof the other EU (and other eligible coun-tries

4. The purpose of the network would be

to:

Support information-sharing and collabo-ration between EU countries in the field of G&T education

Refine and implement the draft action plan for European collaboration drafted in2006

Support other successful bids for EU funding in the G&T education field, whether submitted in 2008 or in succeeding years

So meet overarching objectives for the LLP, especially in relation to:

Securing high-quality provision for learners from disadvantaged back-groundsImproving the quality of education andtraining staff

To meet objectives identified as priorities for Comenius Networks in 2008. The key priorities could include:

Parental involvement and engagementSpecial education needs Intercultural education and combating racism and xenophobia (ie support for G&T learners from minority back-grounds including economic migrants,refugees, asylum-seekers etc)Physical education (ie sporting talent)Early years education

To meet other objectives identified by the core partners during development of the bid.

i)ii)

iii)

iv)

a.

b.

c.

d.

i)

ii)

e.

i)ii)iii)

iv)v)

f.

5. The main outputs would be:

A thriving European network of G&T educators with a virtual infrastructure and a sequence of face-to-face events to support collaboration and joint working, linked to the existing conference schedule;

A mechanism for partners to actively support the development and improve-ment of G&T provision in all member countries; A basis for bringing research and innova-tion to bear on national and international policy problems

A mechanism for maintaining other EU projects and for developing new ones;

A base from which to engage other pan-European education projects and secure effective collaboration;

Improved life chances for G&T learners from disadvantaged backgrounds

A cadre of teachers and educators bet-ter equipped to respond to the needs of their G&T learners

A mechanism for achieving a morecoherent Europe-wide approach to G&T education that nevertheless allows countries to pursue their own priorities

A synopsis of the meeting follows. We would

like to hear from any country, organisation or

university that would be interested in these

projects. Further details are on the www.

lgtinternational.org/collaboration/user/5/edit

Tim Dracup, GTEU

Johanna M. Raffan, Secretary ECHA


[email protected]

a.

b.

c.

d.

e.

f.

g.


Australia

Dr. Wilma VialleFaculty of EducationUniversity of WollongongWollongong NSW 2522tel: +61 - 24221 4434fax: +61 - 24221 [email protected]

Austria

Mag. Ingeborg Mautner Florianigasse 65/10 A-1080 Wien tel: +43 / 1 / 405 65 71 [email protected]

Belgium

Carl D‘hondtMinister Tacklaan 23B-8500 Kortrijktel: +32 - 56 214613fax: +32 - 56 [email protected]

Brazil

Christina CupertinoRua Havai, 533 apt. 5B01259-000 San Paulo - [email protected]

Canada

Prof. Bruce M. ShoreFaculty of EducationMcGill University3700 McTavish StreetMontreal H3A [email protected]

Croatia

Jasna Cvetkovic Lay Center for Gifted Child DevelopmentNikole Pavica 5,10000 Zagrebtel: +385 1 3878422fax: +365 1 3878421 [email protected]

Cyprus

Zena PoulliStavraetou 23StrovolosNicosia [email protected]

Czech & Slovak Republics

PhDr. Eva VondrákováBellusova 1827/5315500 Praha 515tel: +420 [email protected]

Denmark

Dr. Ole Kyed18 Caroline AmalievejDK-2800 Lyngbytel: +45 - 4588 1800fax: +45 - 4593 [email protected]

England

Johanna M. RaffanNACE, National CentreP.O. Box 242, Arnolds WayOxford 0X 29FR, UKtel: +44 1865 861879fax: +44 1865 [email protected]

ESTONIA

Viire SeppPikk 84 - 64Ee - [email protected]

Finland

Risto HotulainenUniversity of HelsinkiP.O. Box 26 (Teollisuuskatu 23)FI-00014 HelsinkiFinlandtel: +358-9-191 [email protected]

France

Sophie CôteAssociation Française pour lesEnfants Précoces13 bis, rue Albert Joly,F-78110 Le Vesinettel: +33 - 1 34 80 03 90fax: +33 - 1 30 53 68 [email protected]://www.afep.asso.fr

Germany

Prof. Dr. Horst DrewelowBlücherstraße 5818055 Rostocktel: +49 - 381 4934782fax: +49 - 381 [email protected]

Greece

Aikaterini D. GariAssistant Professor of PsychologyUniversity of Athenstel: +30 - 210 7277555fax: +30 - 210 [email protected]

Hungary

Kate OppeltCounty Pedagogical Institute1, Sosztakovics Str.H-6000 Kecskeméttel: +36 - 76 411 066fax: +36 - 76 327 [email protected]

Ireland

Dr. Sheila GilheanyIrish Center for Talented YouthDublin City Univ., Dublin 9tel: +353 - 1700 5634fax: +353 - 1700 [email protected]

Jordan

Dr. Taisir Subhi YaminP.O. Box 4237 Al-MahattaAmman - 11131 -Jordantel: +973 - 39916262fax: +973 - [email protected]

The Netherlands

Greet de BoerProject "High Ability Learners"CPS, Educational Dev. & AdviceP.O.Box 15923800BN Amersfoorttel: +31 - 334534268fax: +31 - [email protected]

Peru/Latin America

Dr. Sheyla Blumen de Pardo146 Pasaje PrescottSan Isidro, Lima 27tel: +511 - 470 0253fax: +511 - 265 [email protected]

Poland

Prof. Dr Andrzej SekowskiDept. of PsychologyUniversity of LublinAleje Raclawickie 1420-950 Lublintel: +48 - 81 445 34 38fax: +48 - 81 533 04 [email protected]

Portugal

Margarida MartinsRua Manuel M.B.du Bocage 41P-2955 Pinhal-Novotel/fax: +351 - 1 2361 524

Romania

Dr. Carmen M. CretuUniv. "AI.I.Cuza"- Iasi11, Copou Bvd.RO 6600 lasitel/fax: +40 - 32 [email protected]

Russia

Dr. Ludmila PopovaMiklukho-Maklai Str., 39-1-191 Moscow, 117485 [email protected]

Slovenia

Dr. lvan FerbežerMirna Ulica 6 SL-2345 Bistrica ob DraviSloveniatel: +386 - 2661 1931fax: +386 - 2661 1932ivan.ferbezer@siol. net

Spain

Marta ReyeroDept. of EducationUniversity of Pamplona31080 Pamplonatel: +34 - 948 425600fax: +34 - 948 [email protected]

Switzerland

Dr. Silvia GrossenbacherNetzwerk Begabungsfoerderung / SKBFEntfelderstrasse 61CH-5000 Aarautel: +41 62 835 23 92fax: +41 62 835 23 [email protected]://www.begabungsfoerderung.ch

United Arab Emirates

Arif Al FalasiHamdanBin Rashid al Maktoum AcademyHor Al Anz - EastDubai 88088United Arab [email protected]

Wales

Val ScottNACE CymruPO Box 242OxfordOX2 [email protected]

ECHA National Correspondents

18

Payment from all EURO countries can also be made by

bank to bank transfer (no Banker's Order and no cash) to:

Sieglinde Weyringer – ECHA,

Bank Account Number 0700270306, Salzburger Sparkasse,

Bank Branch Number 20404

(IBAN: AT 222040400700270306; BIC: SBGSAT2S)

Membership Application Form

Personal information:

European Council for High AbilityTreasurer: Sieglinde Weyringer, University of Salzburg, Akademiestr. 26/1, A – 5020 Salzburg, AustriaTelephone: +43 650 4893106; Email: [email protected]

Please send to:

Mag. Sieglinde Weyringer Fax (private): +43 6216 8040 18

Title

Surname

First Name

Telephone

Fax

Email

Institution

Street

City

Postal Code

Country

Full membership (60 )

Corporate membership (110 )

Credit card number

CVC (last three digits on the reverse side of the credit card)

Expiry date

Signature


PPresidentresident

Franz MönksFranz MönksCenter for the Study of GiftednessCenter for the Study of GiftednessRadboud University NijmegenRadboud University NijmegenP.O. Box 9104 · 6500 HE Nijmegen · The NetherlandsP.O. Box 9104 · 6500 HE Nijmegen · The Netherlandstel: +31 243 612 526tel: +31 243 612 526fax: +31 243 615 480 · fax: +49 2823 961395fax: +31 243 615 480 · fax: +49 2823 [email protected]@psych.ru.nl

SecretarySecretary

Johanna RaffanJohanna RaffanNACE National Office NACE National Office PO Box 242 · Arnold's Way PO Box 242 · Arnold's Way Oxford OX2 9FR · United KingdomOxford OX2 9FR · United Kingdomtel: +44 1 865 861 879 · fax: +44 1 865 861 880 tel: +44 1 865 861 879 · fax: +44 1 865 861 880 [email protected]@nace.co.uk

Treasurer Treasurer

Sieglinde WeyringerSieglinde WeyringerUniversität Salzburg Universität Salzburg Akademiestrasse 26/1 · 5020 Salzburg · AustriaAkademiestrasse 26/1 · 5020 Salzburg · Austriatel: +43 662/8044-4212 · fax: +43 662/8044-141tel: +43 662/8044-4212 · fax: +43 662/[email protected]@sbg.ac.at

General Committee MembersGeneral Committee Members

Christian FischerChristian FischerUniversität MünsterUniversität MünsterGeorgskommende 33 · 48143 Münster · GermanyGeorgskommende 33 · 48143 Münster · Germanytel: +49 251 832 9306tel: +49 251 832 [email protected]@uni-muenster.de

Joëlle HuserJoëlle HuserPraxisgemeinschaft LichtBlickPraxisgemeinschaft LichtBlickToblerstrasse 60 · 8044 Zürich · SwitzerlandToblerstrasse 60 · 8044 Zürich · Switzerlandtel: +41 1 251 46 23 · fax: +41 1 251 46 23tel: +41 1 251 46 23 · fax: +41 1 251 46 [email protected]@bluewin.ch

Elena ShcheblanovaElena Shcheblanova2d Dubrovskaja 10/8 kv302d Dubrovskaja 10/8 kv30Moscow 109044 · RussiaMoscow 109044 · [email protected]@mail.ru

Kirsi TirriKirsi TirriUniversity of HelsinkiUniversity of HelsinkiP.O. Box 33 (Aleksanterinkatu 7) · 00014 Helsinki · FinlandP.O. Box 33 (Aleksanterinkatu 7) · 00014 Helsinki · Finlandtel: +358 9 191 23710 · fax: +358 9 191 23855 tel: +358 9 191 23710 · fax: +358 9 191 23855 [email protected]@helsinki.fi

General Committee 2006/2008General Committee 2006/2008General Committee 2006/2008

18-26 August 200718-26 August 200718-26 August 200718-26 August 2007PPlatonlaton YYouthouthYYYY FForumorum

OObertrumbertrum

AAustriaustria

http://platon.echa-oesterreich.at/http://platon.echa-oesterreich.at/(see page 8)(see page 8)

05 - 10 August 200705 - 10 August 200705 - 10 August 200705 - 10 August 200717th Biennial World Conference 17th Biennial World Conference

on Gifted and Talented Children on Gifted and Talented Children

"Gifted and Talented in the "Gifted and Talented in the

21st Century", 21st Century",

Warwick, Warwick, UUnitednited KKingdomingdom

[email protected] [email protected] www.worldgifted2007.com www.worldgifted2007.com

17 - 20 September 200817 - 20 September 200817 - 20 September 200817 - 20 September 200811th ECH11th ECHAA Conference Conference AA

""FFrom Giftedness in Childhood to rom Giftedness in Childhood to

Successful Intelligence in Successful Intelligence in AAdulthood"dulthood"

PPrague, Czech Republic rague, Czech Republic

www.echa2008.euwww.echa2008.eu

Future Events

Deadline for volume 21 no 2:

15th August 2007

STOP PRESS"Meeting the needs of Gifted Children and Adolescents: Towards a European Roadmap"

8th and 9th October 2007 in Brussels, BelgiumOrganized by Dr Julia Stamm of COST* on behalf of the EU ParliamentIt is the first time that gifted research and education is included in the intentions and activities of the EU Parliament. This gives the field of gifted education a new and promising perspective.

For further details contact the ECHA Secretary

[email protected]

*COST is an inter-governmental framework for European Co-Operation

in the field of Scientific and Technical Research

gifted education in russia and a special programme at a ... · gifted education in russia 1...

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