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2024 unit offering information will be available in November 2023

Unit description

Introduces students to the study of teaching Gifted and Talented students in the mainstream classroom. This unit focuses on the teacher's task of meeting the learning needs of able learners and the need to differentiate the curriculum to provide a challenging and motivating learning environment. Students will become aware of the methods by which able children are identified and how to address the social and emotional needs they exhibit in the educational environment.

Unit content

  • Definitions of giftedness and talent
  • Clarification of ideas about giftedness/talent and their implications for schooling and parenting
  • Identification of children with specific talents, utilising:
    • school performance measures
    • specific checklists, involving parent/peer/teacher/self-nomination
    • intelligence tests (issues of suitability and validity)
  • Individual behaviour, learning and emotional characteristics of gifted children
  • Social and emotional aspects of giftedness: peer relations; social-emotional needs; building appropriate self-esteem and motivational levels; counselling support
  • Underachievement:
    • recognition and remediation
    • awareness of talented students within Australian minority groups
  • Differentiating the curriculum to meet the learning needs of gifted children
  • Development of knowledge and skills associated with fostering talented behaviour
  • Collaborative home-school/community partnerships to support gifted and talented students
  • State and national policies on the education of gifted children.

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:
1evaluate a range of current methods by which gifted and talented children can be identified
2explain the cognitive and the social and emotional characteristics and educational needs of gifted and talented students
3understand and discuss models of curriculum differentiation and communicate an appropriate rationale for acceleration of gifted and talented students
4analyse and evaluate a range of extension and enrichment approaches
5demonstrate an understanding of the benefits of developing collaborative home-school/community partnerships to support gifted and talented students.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. evaluate a range of current methods by which gifted and talented children can be identified
  2. explain the cognitive and the social and emotional characteristics and educational needs of gifted and talented students
  3. understand and discuss models of curriculum differentiation and communicate an appropriate rationale for acceleration of gifted and talented students
  4. analyse and evaluate a range of extension and enrichment approaches
  5. demonstrate an understanding of the benefits of developing collaborative home-school/community partnerships to support gifted and talented students.

Teaching and assessment

Notice

Intensive offerings may or may not be scheduled in every teaching period. Please refer to the timetable for further details.

Southern Cross University employs different teaching methods within units to provide students with the flexibility to choose the mode of learning that best suits them. SCU academics strive to use the latest approaches and, as a result, the learning modes and materials may change. The most current information regarding a unit will be provided to enrolled students at the beginning of the teaching period.

Fee information

Domestic

Commonwealth Supported courses
For information regarding Student Contribution Amounts please visit the Student Contribution Amounts.

Fee paying courses
For postgraduate or undergraduate full fee paying courses please check Domestic Postgraduate Fees OR Domestic Undergraduate Fees

International

Please check the international course and fee list to determine the relevant fees.

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