More able learners are those who achieve, or have the ability to achieve, above average in any specific subject or domain compared with learners in the same year at their school. Such learners may be more able in National Curriculum subjects, as well as a whole range of domains which are termed ‘non-traditional areas’ (e.g. chess, public speaking, wood turning, working with animals etc.).
The government’s gifted & talented strand of the Excellence in Cities (EiC) initiative has introduced two additional terms that define more able learners:
Gifted – refers to learners who achieve significantly above average (or have the ability to be so) in one or more of the National Curriculum subjects other than art, performing arts or physical education.
Talented – is reserved for those learners who achieve significantly above average (or have the ability to be so) in art, performing arts or physical education.
Note that this means, using the government’s definition, that an individual learner can be both ‘gifted’ and ‘talented’.
Knowledge bank
There has been a lot of emphasis placed on the needs of more able learners in recent years, fuelled mainly by the high-profile and well-funded EiC programme.
It’s important to recognize, however, that teachers have, of course, always worked with more able, very able and exceptionally able children. The recent initiatives have simply served to focus the attention of schools on the needs of such learners.
Within EiC areas schools were given funds to work with their more able learners, and have been required to identify a group of 5-10% of learners in each year group as the gifted & talented ‘cohort’.
As the identification exercise within EiC schools takes place at the school level, such learners can only be termed ‘gifted’ in the context of their school – they may not qualify as such in a neighbouring school. There is no currently accepted absolute measure of high ability that is used consistently across schools, or to create a standardized national register of more able learners.
Schools outside EiC areas have had more flexibility in their work with more able learners, but every school must now ensure that learners, including those who are more able, are challenged and reach their potential. As such all schools are encouraged to keep a register of their most able learners and their provision for this group will come under the spotlight in Ofsted inspections.
The various definitions often hide the fact that learners usually display different abilities in particular subjects or domains -they’re not simply ‘more able’ at everything. It’s therefore advisable to always specify a learner’s ability, and avoid saying they’re just ‘gifted & talented’.
It’s important to recognize that children are individuals first and more able second. As with any other learners, they have individual strengths, weaknesses and preferences which need to be catered for.
Schools’ provision for more able learners is most effective where it is provided within the context of an inclusive education for all children, as every child has particular needs. Provision for more able learners shouldn’t be seen as elitist, as there should be parallel programmes in place for other groups of children (e.g. less able, those with special education needs, traveller children etc.).
Working effectively with more able learners in the classroom is about using differentiation and other strategies to ensure that learners are inspired, challenged and motivated in their learning. Such strategies include:
- choosing an appropriate learning activity
- increasing the complexity of the stimulus materials
- increasing the challenge of the tasks undertaken
- increasing the pace of study
- increasing the depth of study
- increasing the breadth of study
- increasing the amount of independent learning.
- Are you clear about what constitutes high ability in the subjects you teach?
- Have you identified the different ability levels of the learners you teach?
- How do you cater for more able learners in your classroom?
- Which aspects of your work with more able learners need to be developed? How?
- Create a register of the more able learners you teach, making it clear which category they fall into (e.g. more able, very able).
- Prepare a portfolio of learners’ work at different levels to provide concrete examples of high ability.
- Work with your school’s gifted & talented coordinator to further enhance provision for more able learners, for example by carrying out curricular innovations or enrichment projects.
Teachers working with more able learners need to consider the above strategies, but recognize that a particular blend of these is appropriate for individual learners or groups, and this blend might vary according to the task in hand or how familiar learners are with the subject matter.
Learners who are more able can also be underachieves and can have dual exceptionality (they’re more able but also have a learning, behavioural or physical disability or difference).
Ask yourself
To do list
If you have not already done so, write out the qualities of a more able (top 50%) and a very able (top 10%) learner in the subject(s) you teach.
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