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2.2 Leadership, training and mentoring in gifted education

Description

This is an ongoing activity. It is anticipated that teachers' self-esteem and professional status will be enhanced with the teachers becoming better skilled as reflective practitioners who seek to improve their understanding of and teaching in gifted education. The participating teachers will develop skills as trainers in the delivery of the AGQTP Gifted education package and in mentoring their peers in the knowledge and pedagogy associated with gifted education.

The 2006 project put strong emphasis on the resources provided by the Commonwealth (modules 1 to 6). In 2007 these modules will continue to be used but the specialisation modules provided in 2006 will be used to enrich the activities.

Teachers will be encouraged to undertake further studies in gifted education. As a result of this activity teachers will:

• expand their pedagogical repertoire and those of their peers to improve classroom practice in gifted education


• enhance their professional status and self-esteem


• become reflective practitioners who seek to improve their understanding of and teaching in gifted education


• develop skills as trainers in the delivery of the AGQTP Gifted Education package


• develop skills in mentoring their peers in the knowledge and pedagogy associated with gifted education


• undertake further studies in gifted education.

• academic/s from the University of NSW Gifted Education Research Resource and Information Centre (GERRIC)


• consultants aligned with GERRIC and Armidale University.

Contacts

Outcomes

Through participation in an AGQTP project, teachers will have strengthened the currency and depth of their pedagogical knowledge and skills.
Through participation in an AGQTP project, teachers will have gained new knowledge and skills that contribute to a planned professional learning pathway.

Access

Primary and secondary teachers from schools across the Archdiocese of Sydney representing diverse socio-demographic communities.

Design

The Archdiocese of Sydney's AGQTP activity in gifted education will employ the following professional learning strategies:

• participation in workshops and courses to in-service the teachers in:
  
  
  
  • the Core, Extension and Specialisation Units of the AGQTP Gifted Education Resource Package
  
  
  • Advanced Level Gifted Education pedagogy
  
  
  
  


• flexible learning that includes self-paced learning, face-to-face workshops, as well as formal and online mentoring and discussion groups


• school-based action research projects to engage teachers in workplace learning that is based on a cycle of continuous improvement model


• workplace mentoring and coaching aligned to meet the NSW Institute of Teachers professional teaching standards


• K-12 clusters of schools or those working in collegial networks


• local and regional meetings and workshops that enable participants to have their work publicly celebrated and critiqued


• partnerships with higher education institutions and consultants to provide expertise in the development, design and/or implementation of professional development activities.

Implementation

The implementation of this activity will be supported by the following personnel:
designated project officer, academic partner, Archdiocesan consultant, school-based professional learning team and external providers.

Delivery

Workplace learning, mentoring, action learning project, workshops/course, resource development

Timeline

By May 2007, two groups of teachers will have commenced:

• extension and specialisation modules of the AGQTP Gifted Education resource package (they completed the Core modules in 2006)


• advanced level Gifted Education pedagogy (completed the Core, Extension and Specialisation modules of the AGQTP Gifted Education resource package in 2005 and 2006)


• mentoring to develop a design for their school-based action research projects


• formative evaluation of the activity to assist the project manager with its improvement


• submit progress report in May.

• training and mentoring program


• school-based action research projects and presented them at workshops


• implementation of their 2007 Professional Development Activity


• undertaken a summative evaluation of the activity


• submit annual report in November.

Sectors