Gifted and Talented Report

Thank you to the many parents who completed the Newman Parent Survey. It is not too late!

Here is the link for those that would still like to give feedback:

https://forms.gle/CiamE6jPSQ7oT53v9

In the survey, I asked about the emotional and social support the College provides Newman students, so I would like to take this opportunity to explain our approach.

Not all high-ability students will present with the same social-emotional needs. Some high-ability students will need little help, whereas others may need extensive support. 

Social emotional issues that seem to be common are struggles with peer relationships, perfectionism, anxiety, poor resilience, imposter syndrome, heightened emotional sensitivity, 

Some of the signs to look for in unhealthy perfectionism are:

• high levels of anxiety
• self-criticism
• tendency to magnify imperfections
• criticism of others
• reluctance to try new things
• difficulty sharing responsibility in group work – “I’d rather do it myself”.
• feelings of inadequacy.

High-ability students should be challenged in their learning when they are young. High-ability students may not develop the necessary skills for learning if things are always easy. These skills include risk-taking and perseverance. Both of these are needed for healthy perfectionism.

When students are not challenged, they may become fixated on grades or results. 

To encourage healthy perfectionism, teachers need to:

• provide challenging and rigorous learning experiences
• support students to set realistic goals
• provide feedback on effort and process
• model positive self-talk
• model and encourage a growth mindset.
• providing experiences for the different levels of development
• providing opportunities for high-ability students to show higher levels of thinking and learning.

Metacognitive strategies teach students to think about their thinking and learning. Metacognitive activities can include:

• planning how to approach learning tasks
• evaluating progress
• tracking comprehension.

High-ability students who have trouble with self-regulation may have other issues. These can stem from:

• depression
• perfectionism
• high-ability spread across many areas
• eccentricity
• emotional sensitivity.

Some high-ability students may also develop asynchronously. This means their social-emotional development does not match their cognitive and/or physical development. This may cause frustration for the student and can lead to more difficulties.

• setting positive personal best (PB) goals
• learning experiences that explore real-life issues

Taken from: Supporting the social-emotional needs of high-ability students
A useful resource for families: Managing Perfectionism: 10 Tips for Helping Your Gifted Child – Raising Lifelong Learners

Mrs Colreavy’s Conundrum

Email: rachael.colreavy@syd.catholic.edu.au with your answer. Correct answers will win a prize.