Critical Analysis of Gifted Education in Australia

Running Head: CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF GIFTED EDUCATION IN AUSTRALIA
CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF GIFTED EDUCATION IN AUSTRALIA
Name of the Student
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Author Note

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CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF GIFTED EDUCATION IN AUSTRALIA
There are many children who show advanced mental and intellectual development if
they are guided by their teachers properly. Their performance in the academic as well as in
the non-academic spheres exceeds the boundaries of the expectations of their teachers and
parents. They are considered to be ‘gifted children’. The purpose of this study is to find out
six different articles based on the recognition of the gifted children in Australia, during their
early childhood. The first section of the essay contains an annotated bibliography that talks
about the areas highlighted in those six articles. The next section of the essay observes
whether those articles have done justice with the main topic of discussion-“Gifted education
in early childhood”. In this context, this section critically analyses the policies implemented
by the Australian government in favour of the education of the ‘gifted children’. The final
section of the essay discusses the importance of the partnership between families and teachers
to facilitate the process of gifted education and recommends some support services that
should be provided to ‘gifted children’.
Jarvis, J. M., & Henderson, L. (2014). Defining a coordinated approach to gifted
education. Australasian Journal of Gifted Education, 23(1), 5.
The First article- “Defining a coordinated approach to gifted education”, focuses on
the philosophies regarding ‘gifted education’ and finds out a proper definition of the
‘giftedness of a child’. Next, this articles talks about special programs, models for
identification as well as the evaluation of the ‘gifted students’ during the early phase of their
childhood. In this context, this article analyses the educational practices as well as pedagogies
incorporated by educational institutions in Australia. This article also points out that the
evaluation practices implemented in order to identify the giftedness of a child are not always
proved fruitful due to the lack of alignment among the definition and identification,
philosophies of gifted education while designing such programs (Jarvis & Henderson, 2014).

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CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF GIFTED EDUCATION IN AUSTRALIA
Fraser-Seeto, K. (2013). Pre-service teacher training in gifted and talented education: An
Australian perspective. Journal of Student Engagement: Education Matters, 3(1),
29-38.
The second article-“Pre-service teacher training in gifted and talented education: An
Australian perspective” focuses on unique characteristics of the gifted students. According to
this article, every gifted child is from a different domain and need different educational
programs to utilise their full potential. This article states that, it is the concept and belief of a
teacher that casts upon a deep impact on the development of a ‘gifted child’. If teachers are
not trained or their misconception regarding gifted education are not cleared, they will not be
able to identify the potentialities of a gifted child and design appropriate educational
pedagogy for them (Fraser-Seeto, 2013).
Fraser-Seeto, K., Howard, S. J., & Woodcock, S. (2015). An investigation of teachers'
awareness and willingness to engage with a self-directed professional development
package on gifted and talented education.
The third article-“An investigation of teachers' awareness and willingness to engage
with a self-directed professional development package on gifted and talented education”,
incorporates a quantitative study of nearly 96 schools. The results revealed that, sometimes
the lack of knowledge and skills on the part of the teachers become obstacles in the
identification as well as the fulfilment of the needs of the gifted children. This article also
suggests a professional development package for the teachers and an inclusive approach to
education (Fraser-Seeto, Howard & Woodcock, 2015)..
Watters, J. J. (2013). Starting small: A staged approach to professional development in
gifted education. Australasian Journal of Gifted Education, 22(1), 18.

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CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF GIFTED EDUCATION IN AUSTRALIA
The fourth Article-“Starting small: A staged approach to professional development in
gifted education.” Elaborates the initiatives taken by Australian government to aid the gifted
education. In this context, this article talks about Australian Government Quality Teacher
Program (AGQTP). This article aims to find out all the shortcomings of education system in
guiding the gifted children and makes provision for the required fund in all the sectors of
schooling. This article also reveals how the AGQTP designed a progressive and collaborative
framework for the professional development of the teachers (Watters, 2013).
Kettler, T., Oveross, M. E., & Salman, R. C. (2017). Preschool gifted education: Perceived
challenges associated with program development. Gifted Child Quarterly, 61(2),
117-132.
The fifth article-“Preschool gifted education: Perceived challenges associated with
program development” This article attempts to highlight all the challenges in the way of
successful implementation of the gifted education services. In this context, this article has
conducted a survey considering 254 pre-school as the sample size. The result shows that
approximately 95% percent of the schools neither have an appropriate framework nor follow
policies to provide effective gifted education services. This article has also highlighted the
constraints of the gifted education services and recommended to balance time, money, space
in order to recognise and serve the gifted children (Kettler, Oveross & Salman, 2017).
Kaplan, S., & Hertzog, N. B. (2016). Pedagogy for early childhood gifted education. Gifted
Child Today, 39(3), 134-139.
The sixth article-“Pedagogy for early childhood gifted education” This article talks
about the importance of an effective pedagogy to provide better services for gifted education.
This article also emphasizes on the federal attention in the course of improving the quality of
the gifted education. According this article the federal intervention will aid the nourishment