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Glossary
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Ability Grouping
Placing students of similar ability in the same class or group for purposes of instruction. Research shows that when students are able to work with like minded peers, and the pace of instruction matches their ability, they experience fewer negative social-emotional issues and academic achievements are heightened.
Able
A general term for someone showing above average achievement.
Acceleration
Faster presentation of content to more closely match the speed at which gifted students learn. This can occur within the students' class in one or more subject areas; OR the child may need to work in one or more subject areas with a higher year group; OR the child may need to move forward a whole year (if this is necessary the school or Local Authority will have a set format that needs to be followed to facilitate the move).
Advanced Learning Centres
classes held on Saturdays for primary-aged children. Set up by the National Primary Trust (NPT) and concentrates on core subjects such as English, maths and science.
Advocacy
Urging support for someone, something or a specific course of action.
Affective Education
Study of emotions, identifying and dealing with them.
Alternative Schools
Schools designed with more flexible programmes for exceptional learners or with an educational philosophy different from regular state maintained education.
Aptitude
Undeveloped potential or ability.
Asynchronous Development
Differing rates for physical, cognitive and emotional development. If you tell a gifted child to "act your age!" s/he may legitimately respond, "which one?" The gifted child may have a chronological age of 8 years, a mental age of 12 years and an emotional age of 5 years.
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Barriers to learning
Reasons why a child is not achieving their full potential.
Battery
Multiple tests to assess functioning in a variety of psychological areas such as intelligence, achievement, personality and self-esteem.
Bloom's Taxonomy
Benjamin Bloom created this taxonomy in the 1950s as a means of expressing qualitatively different kinds of thinking. This work was revised by Lorin Anderson, a former student of Bloom. Original Taxonomy: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, Evaluation; Revised Taxonomy: Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analysing, Evaluating, Creating.
Brain Gym
A series of exercises that involve both physical and mental activity aimed at connecting the left and right sides of the brain; helps improve motor co-ordination.
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Ceiling effect
Compression of top scores on a test. That is, if an assessment item only scores to a certain level and the student is capable of performing at a higher level her/his real ability will not be recorded.
Challenge
Challenge occurs when an individual has to strive for success. The level of challenge may be varied by altering the pace, style of questioning, degree of independence, the task, and so on.
Characteristics of Gifted
Whilst there are lists of character traits that describe gifted children it must be remembered that, like all children, the gifted child is a unique human. Such lists give characteristics (both positive and negative) that are common NOT universal.
Cluster Grouping
The practice of identifying the top 5-10% gifted and talented students at a grade level and placing them in the same classroom at that grade level with a teacher best suited and qualified to work with gifted students.
Cognitive Ability
The ability to think and understand.
Compacting
Eliminating repetition, minimizing drill, and accelerating instruction in basic skills so that gifted students can move to more challenging material.
Constructivism
The theory that new knowledge is an active product of the learner integrating new information and perceptions of prior knowledge. Educational philosophies based on constructivist ideas stand in contrast with behaviourist teaching techniques, such as direct instruction.
Content
The academic subject matter studied in an educational program or class.
Convergent Thinking
Thinking which results in conventional or expected solutions and answers. Contrasts with divergent thinking.
Counselling the Gifted
Gifted students can benefit from talking with counsellors educated in the characteristics of the gifted.
Creative Thinking
The ability to think and approach a problem, in any subject, in an original and/or flexible way.
Criterion-Referenced
Measurement is compared to an acceptable standard.
Critical Thinking
Using higher order thinking skills, eg analysis or evaluation, to gain understanding of complex problems or ideas.
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Depression
There is some research evidence and considerable anecdotal evidence that the gifted are at a significantly higher risk for depression and suicide than the general population.
Deviance
Behaviour outside a norm.
Diagnostic Test
An assessment prompted by a perceived problem in order to determine current level of functioning. Test results are then used to prescribe a solution.
Differentiation
Refers to a systematic approach to planning curriculum and instruction for academically diverse learners. Is thinking about the classroom with the dual goals of honouring each student's learning needs and maximizing each student's learning capacity.
Divergent Thinking
Thinking which results in novel, unique, or creative solutions or answers.
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Early Achievers
Children who achieve in advance of their year group.
Early Entry
When a pupil is entered for an exam before the usual age of entry.
EiC
Excellence in Cities is the government initiative to raise standards in inner city areas; it contains a gifted and talented strand.
Emotional Shutdown
A psychological defence mechanism characterised by withdrawal. A gifted child in a hostile or anti-intellectual environment may react this way.
Empathy
Understanding and feeling from the point of view of the other person.
Enrichment
Deeper coverage of content often provided for gifted students (not to be confused with differentiation or acceleration).
Excellence Clusters
Groups of primary and secondary schools in rural areas who are part of the EiC initiative.
Extension
using higher order thinking skills to develop deeper understanding.
Extrinsic Motivation
Reinforces, rewards, or incentives used by one person to bring about desired behaviour in another person. (Contrast with intrinsic motivation).
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Fast Tracking
Any system that enables pupils to take qualifications earlier than other children in their year group.
Flexible Grouping
Students are part of many different groups - and also work alone - based on the match of the task to student readiness, interest or learning style.
Frustration Tolerance
Ability to continue working to solve a problem even when setbacks are encountered or little progress is made.
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Genius
A popular term for extraordinary intelligence which has no fixed meaning in education.
Gifted Child
A child with high achievement or potential for high achievement in mainstream academic subjects, usually falling within the top 5-10% of the ability range (DfES definition).
Gifted Programmes
Special academic and social opportunities which try to meet the needs of gifted students. (see acceleration, ability grouping, enrichment, independent study, pull-out)
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Higher Order Thinking Skills
Thinking that focuses on the top levels of Bloom?s Taxonomy, ie, analysing, evaluating and creating.
Home Education
An option for students whose needs are not being met at school.
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Identification
The selecting and labelling process. Requirements to be identified as gifted may vary between schools and Las but might include: test results, class observations, parent nomination, peer nomination, diagnostic assessment.
Inclusion
Grouping of students in regular classrooms without regard to ability. It is based on social, not academic concerns.
Independent Learning
Opportunities provided for pupils to work independently within a variety of learning contexts ? classroom, field work, laboratory. Does not mean that there is no structure or guidance from the teacher.
Individual Education Plan (IEP)
A written document which states the student's unique characteristics and needs, educational goals and objectives to meet those needs, and instructional materials and services to be provided.
Individual Referenced
One's score is compared to one's own previous score on a test covering the same material in order to show that learning has occurred.
Individualised Instruction
Content and pacing of instruction geared toward the individual's unique learning styles, abilities, needs and goals.
Integrated Curriculum
Combination of content from two or more subjects to enhance meaning through interconnectedness of knowledge.
Intellectual Quality
One of the four dimensions of the Productive Pedagogies. Intellectual Quality refers to the elements of Higher Order Thinking, Deep Knowledge, Deep Understanding, Substantive Conversation, Knowledge as Problematic and Metalanguage.
Intelligence
A general concept of cognitive ability to learn and understand concepts. Has been put into a measurable form as intelligence quotient: IQ. Theorists such as Howard Gardner believe there are Multiple Intelligences which traditional IQ tests do not sample.
Intelligence Quotient (IQ)
A quantitative representation of cognitive ability which results from testing a sample of cognitive skills. The formula is intellectual age divided by chronological age, multiplied by 100. For example, someone 10 years old with an intellectual age of 13 would have an IQ of 130.
Intrinsic Motivation
The desire to satisfy natural needs and interests, which includes a desire to understand and make sense of the world.
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KWHL
Organisation thinking strategy: K - What do I/we know? W - What do I/we want to know? H - How will I/we find the information? L - What have I/we learnt?
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Labelling Theory
The proposition that labels placed on a person may lead him/her to act the role associated with the label whether or not it was initially accurate. When a label is known to others, they may interpret the labelled person's behaviour as abnormal whether it is or not. This changes their actions toward the labelled person so that their interactions reinforce the label.
Lateral Thinking
A popular term coined by Edward de Bono in the 1960s for unorthodox thinking.
LCP
Lead Co-ordinator Primary ? co-ordinators of the pilot projects in each LA
Learning
An increase in knowledge or skill.
Learning Disability
A deficit in a specific area, such as word decoding or mathematic computation, which is out of line with overall intellectual ability. Some learning disabilities may interfere with proper measurement on conventional IQ tests.
Levels of Giftedness
According to IQ measurements, the following labels are generally accepted:
- Bright ? 115 and above
- Gifted ? 130 and above
- Highly Gifted ? 145 and above
- Exceptionally Gifted ? 160 and above
- Profoundly Gifted ? 175 and above.
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Mean
Arithmetical average.
Median
A measure of central tendency where half the scores are above and half below.
Metacognition
Thinking about thinking or being aware of the type of thinking that one is using; understanding how learning takes place.
Mind Maps
A visual method of note-taking which shows the main components and links between them; aids understanding and memory.
Mode
The most frequent score.
Multiple Intelligences (MI)
Constructs of intelligence that include more aspects of mental ability than the conventional concept of intelligence. Howard Gardner initially proposed seven intelligences: musical, bodily-kinaesthetic, logical-mathematical, linguistic, spatial, interpersonal and intrapersonal. Naturalist and spiritualist intelligences have since been added to the list. MI is about how you are smart NOT how smart you are.
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NACE
National Association for Able Children in Education.
NAGTY
National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth. Launched in 2002 and based at Warwick University it offers three academies: Student, Professional Training and Research. Its contract with the DfES expires in August 2007.
Network Co-ordinator
Teacher who co-ordinates the G&T projects within an area-based network.
Nomination
Where a pupil is identified as gifted through: standard of class work, assessment results, characteristic checklists etc.
Norm
(1) In sociology, a culturally relative guideline for social behaviour. (2) In testing, a statistical measure of central tendency.
Norm-Referenced
Measurement is compared to a norm or average IQ tests are Norm referenced tests.
Normally Distributed
Statistically symmetrical around an average, represented graphically by a bell curve. In a normal distribution, the mean, median and mode are all equal.
NPT
National Primary Trust
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Open-endedness
An activity or question that does not have one specific solution or answer, that allows for divergent thinking, is said to be open-ended.
Outcomes Based Education
Teaching designed to lead the student to demonstrate a specific level of mastery.
Overexcitabilities
A term originated by Dabrowski to describe excessive response to stimuli in five psychic domains (psychomotor, sensual, intellectual, imaginational and emotional) which may occur singly or in combination. Overexcitabilities are often used to describe certain characteristics of the gifted.
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Pacing
The speed at which content is presented and instruction delivered. Pacing which matches the student's rate of learning is optimal.
Pedagogy
The interrelationship between teacher practice and student outcomes (Lingard, 2000) or Pedagogy seeks to address the process of production and exchange between teacher, learner, and the knowledge jointly produced (McWilliam, 1994).
Peer Group
People with whom one feels equal. Due to gifted childrens' asynchronous development they may have different intellectual, emotional and social peer groups.
Perfectionism
The desire to execute tasks flawlessly.
PIPAR
Primary Innovation Project Innovation Research involving 14 schools in England to develop primary provision for gifted and talented pupils.
Portfolio
A collection of student work that demonstrates achievement for purposes of assessment.
Precocity
Development significantly earlier than normal. Most gifted children show precocious intelligence, but not all who develop skills early are gifted: they may reach a plateau, allowing those of average ability to catch up.
Pretest
A test given before instruction to determine current level of performance in a specific area.
Prodigy
A child (usually under age 10) who is able to perform at an adult level in a specific skill. Unlike savants, prodigies often have high intelligence and are aware of their thinking strategies.
Profiling
Accumulating information, both formative and summative, on a student to ensure a correct record is kept of his/her progress. Used to inform appropriate programming for the student.
Psychometrics
The quantitative measurement of mental characteristics, as in IQ.
Pull-out
A part-time special education program that takes like ability learners out of the mainstream class for specific instruction. Many primary gifted programs are once a week, pull-out, enrichment activities.
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Reliability
The accuracy and repeatability of a measurement.
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Savant
A person with exceptional ability in a specific skill, often artistic, mathematical or musical, who seems intuitively to 'know' but is unaware of thinking strategies.
Scaffolding
Where a pupil is shown how to do something new and then tries it for him/herself.
Self-Efficacy
A person's belief in their capabilities to perform an action for specific outcomes.
Summer Schools
Courses, often at universities, that take place in the holidays.
Supportive Classroom Environment
One of the four dimensions of the Productive Pedagogies. Supportive Classroom Environment contains the elements of Student Direction, Social Support, Academic Engagement, Explicit Quality Performance Criteria and Self-Regulation.
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Talented Pupil
A child with high achievement or potential for high achievement (top 5-10%) in sport, art, music or drama. The cohort should not include for than 1/3 of the total group on the school?s register.
Telescoping Curricula
Also called "rapid progress" involves allowing a student ? or preferably, a group of children of the same age - to complete the school's curriculum of several years in one year's less time.
Tiered Tasks
In a heterogeneous classroom, a teacher uses varied levels of activities to ensure that students explore ideas at a level that builds on their prior knowledge and prompts continued growth.
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Underachiever
A child who is not achieving their potential. The causes of underachievement are complex.
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Virtual Schooling
Students can access high quality academic work via the internet on a user pays basis.
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World Class Tests
Tests designed to assess potential for high achievement in maths and problem-solving.
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