Valerie Margrain - Issues for learning with young gifted children

Issues for Learning with
young gifted children
Valerie Margrain
Gifted & Talented Symposium Presentation,
Napier, Sept 9, 2011
v.margrain@massey.ac.nz

Whakatauki
Ko ia kāhore nei I rapu, tē kitea
He who does not seek will not find

Session Aims
• Consider issues for effective assessment
• Promote diverse approaches to assessment to
support multi-categorical concepts of giftedness
• Illustrate authentic assessment practices of teacher
work in Aotearoa New Zealand

Definitions of Giftedness
• A gifted child is one who performs or has the ability to
perform at a level significantly beyond his or her
chronologically aged peers and whose unique abilities and
characteristics require special provisions and social and
emotional support from the family, community and
educational context (Harrison, 1995, p. 19, emphasis
added).
• “Multicategory definitions state that outstanding
performance in such domains as academic aptitude,
creative thinking, social leadership and visual and
performing arts, represent giftedness and talent”
(McAlpine, 2004, p. 41).

Brainstorm …
Let’s share our expertise …
• What types of assessment do we use

Assessing in the moment
“Assessment … involves the focused and timely
gathering, analysis, interpretation, and use of
information that can provide evidence of
student progress. Much of this evidence is ‘of
the moment’. Analysis and interpretation often
takes place in the mind of the teacher …”
(Ministry of Education, 2007, p. 39)

Assessment Purpose
The New Zealand Curriculum states:
“The primary purpose of assessment is to
improve students’ learning and teachers’
teaching as both student and teacher respond
to the information that it provides.”
(Ministry of Education, 2007, p. 39)
Think of Assessment OF, FOR and AS learning.

Characteristics of Effective Assessment
Effective assessment, according to the New Zealand
Curriculum:
• Benefits students
• Involves students
• Supports teaching and learning goals
• Is planned and communicated
• Is suited to the purpose
• Is valid and fair
(Ministry of Education, 2007, p. 39).

Assessment that benefits students
• What benefit is gained from this assessment
• Does the potential benefit justify the time/effort
• Does the assessment do any harm
• Does potential benefit outweigh potential harm
• Is any harm done by not assessing this
• Is this assessment the most beneficial tool to use
• Does the assessment benefit all students
• Does the benefit to some students harm others

Burt Word
Reading Test
(New Zealand
Revision)

Assessment that involves students
• In what way are students involved
• Are all students involved, or do we privilege some
• Can students choose from a range of assessments
• Are students able to suggest assessment tasks
• Are students able to engage in diverse ways
• Are students coerced to participate
• Do we allow students the option of not engaging
• Are the consequences of disengagement clear

Narrative: Toothpicks and
Marshmallows (Margrain, 2010)

Assessment that supports teaching and
learning goals
• What expectations/ceilings do we have
• Are our teaching/learning goals explicit to students
• Do they understand the purpose of these goals
• Who is it that decides the goals
• Do the goals draw on strengths and interests
• Do we use assessment feedback for self-evaluation

Teacher Observation Scales

Assessment that is planned and
communicated
• How do we communicate, and with whom
• Do we communicate “with” or “to”
• How flexible/detailed are we with our planning
• What drives our planning
• What about wider engagement/collaboration

Running
Record of
Continuous
Text
Reading
(Clay, 1993)

Assessment that is suited to the
purpose
• What purpose Whose purpose
• Do we assess holistically across curriculum learning
areas, valuing all areas
• How do we assess key competencies/dispositions
• Do we value non-standardised assessments

A Learning Story
(Ministry of Education, 2009, p. 7)

Assessment that is valid and fair
• What is the difference between validity and fairness
• What do we mean by “fair” and “unfair”
• Do we value equality or equity
• How do we ensure opportunity/catalysts

Teacherconstructed/
adapted
tasks & tools

Normative/Narrative Assessment:
Do these issues influence our selection
• NORMATIVE
• Constructs “normal”
• Bell curve
• Standardised
• Labelling
• Can be costly
• Not necessarily
pedagogical
• NARRATIVE
• Contextual
• Interpretive
• Personalised
• Time-intensive
• For and as learning
• Authentic and
sociocultural

Learning Stories
(as a form of narrative assessment)
• Make learning visible
• Support teachers to notice, recognise and respond to
learning/learners
• Value and foster the learner’s progress and
achievement
• Include multiple voices (child, parent, peer)
• Recognise that learning is socially mediated and coconstructed
• Do not compare students to others, nor to standards.
(Ministry of Education, 2004)

Assessment Issues
• Reliable Can the assessment be relied on to give you accurate
information Are scores consistent from one measurement to
the next Is reliability important
• Valid Is the assessment appropriate for the age of the child
and the learning context Does it measure what it is designed
to measure
• Authentic Is the assessment worthwhile and meaningful
• Manageable Does the assessment need to be one-to-one, or
can groups of children complete it at the same time Is a quiet
withdrawal space needed Does the teacher need classroom
release time

Conclusion
• What forms of assessment do you already use in your
work with gifted & talented students
• How can we use the assessment approaches and
expertise that we currently hold to more effectively
support our work with gifted & talented students
• What kinds of assessment are privileged, and what
kinds could be further valued

Where to next
• Affirm and celebrate examples of good practice by
collating examples of effective practice by regular
teachers in regular schools/early childhood services
• 2012 national conference, March, Wellington
• 2012 world conference, August, Auckland

References
Black, P. (2006). NCEA – Report by Professor Paul Black. Retrieved March 3, 2006, from http://www.mindeu.
govt.nz/index.cfmlayout=document&documentid= 5591& indexid=4060&indexoarentid=6088
Drummond, M. J. (1993). Assessing children’s learning. London: David Fulton.
Gilmore, A. M., Croft, A. C., & Reid, N. A. (1981). The Burt Word Reading Test: New Zealand revision.
Wellington: New Zealand Council for Educational Research.
Harrison, C. (1995). Giftedness in early childhood. Sydney: KU Children’s Services.
Margrain, V. (2005). Precocious readers: Case studies of self-regulated learning, social support and
spontaneous learning in the early years. Unpublished PhD thesis, Victoria University of
Wellington.
Margrain, V. (2010a). Narratives of young gifted children. Kairaranga, 11(2), 33-38.
Margrain, V. (2010,). Assessment for learning with young gifted children. Apex, 16(1). Retrievable from
http://www.giftedchildren.org.nz/apex/v16art04.php
McAlpine, D. (2004). What do we mean by gifted and talented Concepts and definitions. In D. McAlpine & R.
Moltzen (Eds.), Gifted and talented: New Zealand perspectives (2 nd ed.). Palmerston North, New
Zealand: ERDC Press, Massey University.
Ministry of Education. (2004). Kei tua ō te pae Assessment for learning: Early childhood exemplars. Booklet
one, An introduction to Kei Tua o Te Pae: He whakamōhiotanga ki Kei Tua o te Pae. Wellington,
New Zealand: Learning Media.
Ministry of Education. (2004). Kei tua ō te pae Assessment for learning: Early childhood exemplars. Booklet
19, The arts: Ngā toi. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.
Ministry of Education. (2009). Through different eyes. Narrative assessment guide for teachers. Retrieved
June 30, 2010, from www.inclusive.org.nz/throughdifferenteyes
University of Cambridge Assessment Reform Group. (2002). Assessment for
learning: 10 principles. Cambridge, UK: Author.