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Professional Development - GiftNet 2006-2009

Waiho I te toipoto, kaua I te toiroa
Let us keep close together, not wide apart.

We are very excited to introduce GiftNet, the professional development programme that all of our contributing schools are invited to participate in from 2006-2008. This project is funded by the Ministry of Education's Talent Development Initiative.

Our objectives for GiftNet are:
(a)
To increase opportunities and raise achievement of GKP students in their mainstream schools, in their area/s of talent;
(b)


For teachers in our contributing schools to be more aware of and better cater for the social and emotional needs of gifted students ; and

(c)
To further bridge the gap between GKP and contributing schools so that we can better work together to support GKP students.

  GiftNet will support staff in our participating schools by:
  • working with school principals and/or school leaders responsible for gifted education in cluster-style professional development ;

  • carefully documenting the process and progress of these clusters and publishing this on a website so as to provide models for other schools or clusters of schools with similar needs and goals;

  • co-ordinating workshops on varying aspects of quality education for teachers in our contributing schools;

  • creating resource kits related to workshop content which can be used both within our clusters and beyond;

  • hosting annual mini-conferences in our main centres to give staff from our contributing schools access to leaders in gifted education.
 
Gifted Edge 2003-2005

From 2003-2005, GKP gratefully received Talent Development Initiative funding from the Ministry of Education to deliver the Gifted Edge professional Development programme to staff from our contributing schools.

This initiative has provided principals and teachers with knowledge and experiences which help them to better cater for the cognitive, cultural, creative, and social and emotional needs of the gifted students in their schools. Gifted Edge has put teachers in touch with experts within the field of gifted education and facilitates quality “learning talk” about gifted education.

“The benefits of all our teaching staff having this opportunity has been hugely positive.

" … It has made us really focus on strengths and positives in all of our students. We cannot express just how much we have valued the opportunities you have given us and our students.” Staff from Sunset Junior High School, Rotorua

“We always leave the days very fizzing and enthused with a new or altered view of simple tools to put into practice in class.” Staff from Wilford School, Lower Hutt

“I cannot speak highly enough of the knowledge I've gained through attending your workshops this year. My own understanding of children's learning needs has grown and I feel that after 20 years of teaching I'm finally catering for my students' different abilities in a real and meaningful way. Through the many workshops, I've always had something practical to go back and put to work straight away. Worth giving up a Saturday for! Thanks.”Carolyn Neary

 
 

Parent Education
 

With sincere thanks to the Todd Foundation and the Ministry of Education, we have been able to offer formal support to the parents and caregivers of our GKP kids.

Evening workshops covering topics such as dealing with perfectionism and boredom, home/school relationships, and being gifted in a Maori and Pacifika context were held in Lower Hutt and Auckland in 2005, with Rotorua and Whangarei to be held in early 2006.

We have also been able to establish a small parent library in each of our GKP units so that parents can learn more about the characteristics, behaviours, and needs of gifted kids and how they can support their children.

The Gifted Kids Programme would like to thank Lynn Berresford, Robyn Macleod, Jessie Fuamatu, Shirley Taylor, and Helen Baber for presenting at the workshops in 2005.

Feedback from parents and caregivers
"I am genuinely excited by what I have learned, and grateful for the opportunity to attend."
"Absolutely an up-lifting experience."
"Being here and listening to Robyn made me feel so empowered to know I'm not the only one with problems concerning my gifted child. I don't feel as isolated as I did before tonight."