Teachers Training Programme to Support Gifted and Talented Students

Teachers Training Programme to Support Gifted and Talented Students

Background
Educating in suitable way gifted and talented pupils (as they have specific needs, requiring specific teaching methods and a tailored challenging learning environment) is crucial as they could potentially be the future eminent path breakers and innovators.
Researchers emphasized that one of the biggest issues are that the most able pupils were not achieving their potential. The main potential causes are: (1) lack of interest in curriculum due to lack of challenging and engaging material; (2 ) low teacher expectations; (3) lack of opportunity to be recognized due to disadvantaged background; (4) psychological/social issues as well as undiagnosed learning disabilities, (5) high levels of anxiety, (6) dissatisfaction with teachers and school environment White, 2018). Very often, gifted students also face socio-emotional issues when engaging with their peers or during lectures, needing teachers equally aware of their cognitive and affective needs (Cavilla, 2019).
However, to be able to educate gifted and talented pupils, teachers need to be able to respond to named challenges, to learn new teaching strategies that speak to the new and higher demands of the system.
This project aims to tackle mentioned issues.

Objectives
The project aims to enhance the competencies and skills of primary education teachers to help gifted and talented pupils (age 8-11 y.o.) develop their full potential and thrive.
Specific objectives:
(1) To design an innovative teaching methodology for teachers supporting gifted and talented pupils’ cognitive and emotional needs;
(2) To provide a training programme for teachers that will help them obtain relevant knowledge and skills on how to recognize and teach gifted and talented pupils.
(3) Increase the academic performance of gifted and talented underachievers in STEAM, as well as their socio-emotional learning (SEL) competencies.
(4) Due to the activities covering the different components of STEAM and SEL, verify the efficacy of the program to develop in children essential skills to better achievements and motivation of learning.
The project also raises awareness among target groups (i.e., primary education teachers, educators, pupils) and stakeholders (i.e., school staff, public authorities, education experts) about the topic of gifted and talented students, in order to promote the spread and adoption of new strategies helping reduce the number of gifted and talented pupils underachieving.

Implementation
To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the project produced 2 main results (R) developing activities such as:

R1: Methodological Material:
1) research and analysis developing state of the art National reports + International (underlying the findings). It consisted of conducting semi-structured interviews of knowledge, expectations, shares of good practices, and/or focus groups with primary education teachers, educators, school staff, education experts, gifted and talented pupils (8-11 y.o.) from primary schools and education centers for gifted students in partner countries.
2) using data from the reports as a starting point partnership determined the “21st Century Teacher skill set”. A document defining thoroughly the hard and soft skills that teachers dealing with gifted and talented students should need to possess in order to help them thrive.
3) good practices collection reviewing national and international initiatives and projects related to gifted kids education.
4) collecting, testing and adaptation of existing exercises related to gifted ids education.
5) methodical material development, reviewing, improvement sharing with target groups, especially associated partners-schools.
7) translation of R1 (methodical material (LT, LV, BG, Hebrew)), in addition translations into Lithuanian made of Lithuanian partners National Report, good practices, the 21st Century Teachers Skill Set.

R2: Training programme. It is available in EN + all partners languages (LT, LV, BG, Hebrew (HE)).
1) Structure of Training programme development
2) Training programme development
3) Two trainings organized for partners LTTA1, LTTA2 (2x40 hours)
4) Feedback from participants
5) Improvement of programme and further development of its content
6) Application of programme during trainings with associated partners-schools teachers (2 participants per institution)
7) Feedback from participants and improvement and adaptation of training and its programme according to each country needs, experience, internal, cultural aspects
8) Testing training content with pupils (in traditional classes with some gifted pupils and in classes only with gifted pupils where possible), collecting feedback from schools, making improvements needed.
9) Preparation of presentations of the content in each partner country (taking presentations from LTTA (EN versions), adapting them according to auditorium)
10) Developing Booklets (which are part of training programme and main theoretical part of training)
11) Translating Booklets into partners languages
12) Translation of programme and its content to partners languages.

As well partnership actively participated in:
1) Dissemination
2) Project management activities
3) Evaluation (TPMs, LTTAs, R1, R2, project progress)
4) Collaboration with associated partners and stakeholders
5) Impact+ tool development and Report table
6) Sustainability & Exploitation manual and plan development and implementation in practise
7) Project's website development and maintenance, as well content translation to partners' languages
8) Project's facebook maintenance (proposal of content, sharing of events, information)

Results

The project partnership produced the following results:
R1: Methodological Material
- 4 national reports and 1 transnational report.
- Skillset of the 21st Century Teacher.
- Methodical material e-book including the methodological aspects of the SEL and STEAM. E-book is available in 5 languages (EN, LT, BG, LV, HE).

R2: Training program
- An in-depth teacher training program in 5 languages (EN, LT, BG, LV, HE).
- The training of over 150 teachers.
- The involvement of over 1500 elementary school pupils.
- Testing Reports for internal review and improvement of Training programme.
Training program consists of hourly divided programme itself (aims, skills, descriptions, links to needed sources included), theory, presentations in EN and also adapted in partners languages).

Transversal Results:
- Project website (https://www.gate2gifted.eu/) as resources database (results, as well additional selected and collected resources: books, articles, movies).
- Project social media (https://www.facebook.com/Gate2gifted/) as sharing of information and invitation to events.
- Project Management Plan and Guidebook.
- Quality and Evaluation Strategy.
- Impact+ Report.
- Dissemination Strategy and Plan.
- Sustainability and Exploitation Plan.
- Risk Management Plan.

All in all, the project has:
- Raised target groups' awareness on gifted and talented pupils recognition and education at local, regional, national and international levels.
- Empowered teachers to apply suitable strategies , methods, tools, and activities to teach gifted and talented pupils in primary education level.
- Developed an innovative gifted and talented pupils education methodology that can be adopted at different countries level.
- Provided long-lasting and innovative materials for educating pupils and rise their motivation of learning.
- Diffusion of teaching practices for gifted and talented students.
- Increased gifted and talented students’ academic results and satisfaction with scholastic activities (questionnaire and interview with teachers who educate gifted pupils).
- Established stronger collaboration between education centers for gifted students and primary schools.

The Partners:

VsI "eMundus", Lithuania - Coordinator

INFORMACIJAS SISTEMU MENEDZMENTA AUGSTSKOLA SIA, Latvia
Ron Vardi Center, Israel
VYTAUTO DIDZIOJO UNIVERSITETAS, Lithuania
Zinev Art Technologies, Bulgaria