Session overviews

These overviews outline the objectives and materials required to deliver each of these professional development sessions for leading teachrs.

Introduction and Session 1

Objectives

• To gain an overview of the training.
• To consider and clarify the role of the leading teacher for gifted and talented education.
• To raise awareness of the issues in the identification of gifted and talented learners.

Resources

• Slides 0.0–0.5 (Introduction)
• Slides 1.0–1.12 (Session 1)
• DVD extract from London Gifted and Talented realising our city’s potential - Primary DVD
• Flipchart

For each participant

• Handouts
• 1.1 – Card set: The role of the leading teacher for gifted and talented education. Cards to be< reproduced, cut up and placed in envelopes, one between two
• 1.2 – Case studies
• 1.3 – Learning culture
• Handbook sections: The role of the leading teacher, page 44; FAQs, page 58

Participants will need to bring

• A copy of their School Improvement Plan for reference

Session 2: Gifted and talented provision – whole-school improvement and self-evaluation

Objectives

• To identify some key elements of good gifted and talented provision.
• To introduce use of the Institutional Quality Standards (IQS) and Classroom Quality Standards
• (CQS) evaluation tools.
• To introduce and prepare for the gap tasks.

Resources

• Slides 2.0–2.11
• Flipchart
• IQS User Guide
• Handbook Appendix 1 – G&T Update: Issue 41, February 2007

For each participant

• Handouts
• 2.1 – Personalised learning wheel
• 2.2 – The IQS matched against the 5 personalised education components and the SEF
• 2.3 – The CQS
• 2.4 – Using IQS: a best fit approach to self-evaluation – element 1
• 2.5 – Using IQS: a best fit approach to self-evaluation – elements 6, 7 and 8
• 2.6 – A planned approach to using IQS

Participants will need to bring

Their own copy of the IQS User Guide – leading teachers should be asked in advance to bring these.

The User Guide can be downloaded from
http://www2.teachernet.gov.uk/gat/media/userguidewithannexe.doc

A copy of their school’s School Improvement Plan for reference.

Session 3: Taking the lead

Objectives

• To review experiences so far, identify skills and develop understanding of the role of the leading
• teacher for gifted and talented education.
• To consider and clarify further professional development needs and plan subsequent actions.
• To identify ways of building capacity to improve whole-school provision for gifted and talented learners.

Resources

• Slides 3.0–3.10
• Flipchart paper and pens
• Sticky notes

For each participant

• Handouts
• 3.1 – Example planning grid
• 3.2 – Blank planning grid
• 3.3 – Drivers for change
• 3.4 – IQS levels of leadership
• Critical reflection log

Participants will need to bring

• Outcomes of their IQS/CQS gap tasks
• Outcomes of any early action planning

Session 4: Enabling change and building capacity – developing classroom provision through coaching

Objectives

• To explore what is meant by specialist coaching and collaborative coaching (co-coaching).

• To recognise ways in which coaching can be used to develop classroom provision for the gifted
• and talented.
• To introduce leading teachers to some strategies and models for coaching to use in their own context.
• To encourage leading teachers to recognise their existing gifted and talented teaching expertise and how this relates to effective coaching.

Resources

• Slides 4.1–4.15
• Prompt sheet (for presenters) – What does effective gifted and talented provision involve?
• Sticky notes
• Video clip 1
• Video clip 2
• A3 or flipchart sheet with blank Venn diagram – two ellipses with large area of overlap: effective
• specialist coaching and effective co-coaching (one diagram per pair of participants).

For each participant

• Handouts
• 4.1 – Co-coaching: addressing aspects of teaching within Advanced Skills Teacher training
• 4.2 – Coaching skills
• Card set: Activity 1 – effective coaching (one set between two or three participants)

Session 5: Exploring the local context

Objectives

• To explore the local context for provision for the gifted and talented.
• To identify and map out local provision and outcomes for gifted and talented pupils.
• To identify any local issues that may influence the provision for gifted and talented students.
• To develop networks of support at a local level.
• To identify a local response in relation to national priorities in gifted and talented, such as a focus on addressing underachievement.
• To share approaches to effective action planning in schools and outline support available locally.
• To undertake one of the leading teacher e-modules as a collaborative professional development activity.

This session is totally flexible and can be used to explore local issues in relation to gifted and
talented education.

Resources

Local Authorities (LAs) will provide appropriate resources as required to tailor the session to suit local needs. For example, comparative attainment data and conversion rates at school, LA and national levels.

Participants will need to bring

Resources determined by LA

All timings are intended only as a guide

Session 6: Making links with other training and resources

Objectives

• To identify training and resource needs emerging from the Institutional Quality Standards (IQS) audit.
• To recognise the relationship between the IQS and other national gifted and talented initiatives.
• To introduce a range of resources to support leading teachers in their role.

Resources

• Slides 6.1–6.15
• Internet connection
• Flipchart paper and pens
• Video clip 1 – Realising potential

For each participant

• Handout 6.1 – School self-evaluation: using the Challenge Award alongside IQS
• A copy of the outcomes of their IQS self-evaluation, in its current stage of completion
• Their copies of the leading teacher handbook

Session 7: Inclusive identification – groups for whom provision may be difficult

Objectives

• To consider the implications of personalisation as an entitlement for gifted and talented pupils.
• To explore diverse needs of distinct groups within the gifted and talented population.
• To understand the use of the Institutional Quality Standards (IQS) in relation to representation.
• To consider the appropriateness of different methods of identification in relation to distinct pupil groups.
• To explore positive models for identification and provision for these groups.

Resources

• Slides 7.1–7.10
• Copy of the Gilbert Report – 2020 vision 2006
• Flipchart and pens
• Pen portrait framework (Handout 7.2) – presenters can use this to create some local pen portraits in
• advance of the session.

For each participant

• Handout 7.1 – Pen portraits of gifted and talented learners
• Handout 7.2 – Pen portrait framework
• Participants can be encouraged to bring pen portraits of gifted and talented learners in their school.

 

Session 8: Working with others to improve provision in gifted and talented education

Objectives

• To consider and clarify how the gifted and talented leading teacher works with others.
• To raise awareness of the issues in engaging senior leadership team (SLT), subject departments and schools and local authority (LA) colleagues.
• To identify key actions and professional development needs.

Resources

• Slides 8.1–8.2
• Flipchart and pens
• For each participant
• Handouts 8.1–8.3 containing statements relating to possible gifted and talented leading teacher
• activity – cut up and put in envelopes, one for each pair in advance of the session.
• Handout 8.4 – Planning prompts

Participants will need to bring

• Examples of their work with SLT year or key stage teams, departments and school and LA colleagues.