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Hard to identify
It may be easy for high achieving learners to be identified but being gifted and talented is more than the ability to succeed in tests and exams. Potential might also be hidden, or masked by factors such as self-esteem, boredom, language skills and learning difficulties.
Underachievement can be recognised through the behaviour and characteristics of the learner. Indicators of underachievement fall into three categories.
- Performing (performance is lower than intellectual potential).
- Divergent behaviour (high potential pupils may be aggressive, withdrawn or disruptive).
- Disadvantage (ability masked by disability or disadvantaged background) (Moira Thomson).
Multiple exceptionality describes learners who have a combination of a learning difficulty and who are gifted.
For students where English is an additional language (EAL) it can be difficult to identify areas where they students are gifted and talented due to difficulties acquiring English language skills. Consequently their true ability will be concealed and hard to identify. There are two dimensions to this problem for schools.
- Access issues - relating to early identification and helping the pupil to participate in the curriculum
- Support for advanced learners - where high achievement is dependent on understanding the technical and culturally specific demands of the curriculum.
Schools will need to ensure that both of these are tackled if EAL learners are to succeed in national tests.
Relevant documents and links
- Underachievement – Overview of what is meant by underachievement, how it can be identified and how the issue can be addressed.
- Study Skills - Mentoring Able Underachievers – Helping underachievers identify their learning styles.
- Promoting Boys" Learning - Mentoring Able Underachievers – Resources to promote learning in boys.
- Learning Mentor Training - Mentoring Able Underachievers – Resources for training those who are to mentor able underachievers.
- Brain Power - Mentoring Able Underachievers – Explores brain-based learning ideas.
- Categories of gifted and talented – Gifted and talented children are all different. This document describes the three main categories to which they may conform.
- Common characteristics of able pupils – List of characteristics commonly shown by able pupils.
- Identification methods - strengths and limitations – Assessment of the different methods commonly used to identify gifted pupils, showing the strengths and limitations of each approach.
- Physical education - identifying talented students – Checklist of qualities often seen in students who are talented in P.E.
- Questionnaire for gifted and talented students – Questionnaire to help identify strengths and interests of students.
- Gifted children with a learning difficulty – Gifted children with learning difficulties often go unidentified. This document describes the issues that can hamper identification of such children.
- Identifying disadvantaged highly able children – List suggesting methods that can be used to identify disadvantaged highly able children.
- Gender issues – Table identifying common reasons for underachievement in English for boys and girls and possible teaching methods that can be employed to address these issues.
- Identifying able underachievers – Flash film on identifying able underachievers.
- Able Underachievers PowerPoint to match Flash animation – Powerpoint presentation (to match flash animation) on able underachievers.
- Mentoring able underachievers – Mentoring able underachivers.
- Oxford Brookes - gifted and talented professional development – Professional development materials on gifted and talented provision.
- Meeting the needs of newly arrived EAL learners – How to support EAL learners.
- The National Literacy Trust"s EAL webpages – This section focuses on people of all ages from ethnic minorities for whom English may or may not be a first language.
- Mentoring Able Underachievers – Designed for those involved in the provision of gifted and talented education within primary and secondary schools.