Gifted & Talented Action Research

Researchers at Deakin University are interested to hear your views and experiences of school attendance and school attendance challenges. Are you a school staff member in an Australian school program? OR Are you: The parent of a school-aged child? Living in Australia? Fluent in English? Follow this link to complete the survey. Upon completion of the survey you may enter a draw to win a retail gift voucher. Contact glenn.melvin@deakin.edu.au for further information. This study has received Deakin University ethics approval (reference number: HEAG H 94_2023) Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B

Maths has an identity problem.

We only attend the campus two or three days a week and also work from home. School has been a wonderful process over the past few years I’ve been doing it. The teachers have been very nice over the whole period. A normal school wouldn’t have worked for me as I’m a very gifted child in some areas but in others areas I’m very low at as I have dyslexia. Let’s start with reading. Dyslexia makes reading very hard for me and I find it very hard to read big words. The teachers help because they let us use talk to text and iPads rather than handwriting. Now let’s go to science. Science I’m very gifted and I often work at year 7 science level. But that’s not the most gifted subject at all. There’s one more that stands out the most and that is maths. I’m doing year 10 maths at the age of 8. The other subjects I am at normal level although I have a deep understanding. I use assistive technology to write this (called my Mum) and she also helped me to aurally learn a script of 69 pages. 

Kids Conference 2024

Artwork Title: Flirting, flying, bursting, burning, yet hugely and hatefully heavy.

We asked the AI bot ChatGPT about the challenges of giftedness

We asked the AI bot ChatGPT about the multiple faces of giftedness

A heartfelt call from a gifted 15 year old asking that the gifted and twice exceptional be listened to, be involved in the making of decisions about the education systems in which they are required to learn.

With the rise of ChatGPT and AI, these students may be at heightened risk of false or exaggerated accusations of “cheating” based on imperfect and nascent AI detection software. Parents and teachers should provide all students with a clear understanding of their state, system and school policies around ChatGPT, AI, detection software and (urgently!) the appropriate and ethical use of these tools, in context. Most of all, we must truly empower our young people to develop their own voices- as messy, creative and unique as they may be.