Ideas for Gifted Awareness Week

Ideas for teachers, centres and schools:

Showcase the work of gifted and talented learners throughout your school.
Provide a parent, whanau and community information evening for sharing your organisation’s initiatives in gifted and talented education.
Feature gifted and talented students in your newsletter.
Run a competition for students – this could be anything from a spelling bee to a poster contest.
Share your achievements and those of your students with the local newspaper – ask for a feature story or write a letter to the editor.
Write to your local Member of Parliament – get your students and their parents writing, too! Encourage your gifted and talented learners and their parents to contact their local MPs, sharing their experiences.
Invite your local MP to visit. Encourage him or her to talk with teachers, students and parents. Facilitate gifted and talented learners in creative expressions of their experiences, with the aim of sending a ‘gift’ to their local MPs. For example, they might write a poem, create a story, draw a picture, or write a jingle or lyrics.
Host a movie evening! Show a film about gifted and talented individuals. See Hoagie’s movie page for ideas.
Run a book discussion group based on biographical or fictional depictions of giftedness. See Hoagie’s reading lists for some great ideas.
Join an association for gifted and talented education.
Join the #NZGAW Blog Tour.
Dedicate a staff meeting to professional discussions and dialogue about gifted and talented education.
Distribute professional readings to your staff about gifted and talented education. Facilitate professional discussions about these.
Have a special day to celebrate giftedness. Perhaps you could set aside a ‘tall poppies day’ when students dress in red, draw or create poppies, or plant a garden of poppies. Or, how about an ‘unfurling of the koru’ day to show development and growth, dressing in green, etc.? Students can dress as their favourite gifted and talented heroes and heroines and have a ‘hero parade’.
Explore the Ministry of Education’s recommended online resources for gifted kids. Host a talent quest! Acknowledge the wide range of talents in your students.
Celebrate Professor George Parkyn’s birthday on 17 June with a birthday party.
Find out about local and regional services for gifted kids in your area. Visit a MindPlus open day, or visit the Ministry’s website for other ideas.
Get online! Join Mary’s Gifted Contacts on Facebook or the Gifted and Talented Mailing List.
Attend an event hosted by one of our organisations. Visit our websites to find out what is happening in your area.

Ideas for professional development providers and teacher educators:

Tell your colleagues and students about Gifted Awareness Week.
Send out daily emails with facts, resources and ideas about gifted and talented education. Start writing, edit or submit an article for Tall Poppies, Apex, or other journals.
Join a national or international organisation for gifted and talented education.
Recruit members for national or regional organisations – spread the word about giftEDnz, NZAGC, and other networks.
Host a teaching and/or research evening for your local educators, parents and whanau or community members.
Write to your local Member of Parliament.
Send out a press release via your institution. Seek opportunities within your institution via newsletters, magazines and other communications.
Dedicate a staff meeting to professional discussions and dialogue about gifted and talented education.
Distribute professional readings to your staff about gifted and talented education. Facilitate professional discussions about these.
Investigate opportunities for your students and colleagues to learn about gifted and talented education across teacher education and professional development programmes offered by your institution.
Contact your local Citizen’s Advice Bureau and add your name to their list for gifted and talented education.
Attend an event hosted by one of our organisations. Visit our websites to find out what is happening in your area.
Download and read a copy of the Ministry of Education 2012 publication, Gifted and Talented Students – Meeting their Needs in New Zealand Schools.
Familiarise yourself with the 2015 Position Statement on Inclusive Education and the 2014 Position Statement on Gifted Students as Priority Learners, released by giftEDnz, NZAGC and the New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education.

Ideas for parents and families

Join an association!
Start a local branch of NZAGC or find out what is happening in an established local branch. Take out a book on giftedness from the NZAGC or your local library.
Write to your local Member of Parliament.
Get together with other families with gifted children for a fun time together or a chance for adults to share their experiences and find out about other like minds. Explore the parents area of Hoagie’s Gifted Education Page for ideas and support.
Check out the parent support offered by the Ministry of Education on the TKI site.
Enrol in a course on parenting gifted children if there is one in your area.
Download or request a copy of the Ministry of Education 2008 publication, Nurturing Gifted and Talented Children.
Make an appointment this week to see your child’s teacher and find out how they are doing.
Explore the Ministry of Education’s recommended online resources for gifted kids.
Celebrate with your child something they have been working on achieving.
Pop some popcorn and enjoy a family movie evening watching films about gifted people. See Hoagie’s movie list for ideas.
Visit an art gallery, museum or historical place to create a family learning experience.
Validate your child’s passions by letting them go on, and on, and on about them, at least for a day.
Gift your son or daughter’s centre or school with a membership to an association, a journal or magazine subscription or other resources to support gifted and talented children.
Attend an event run by one of our organisations. Visit our websites to find out what is happening in your area.

Updated from a list of ideas compiled and provided by the New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education, giftEDnz: The Professional Association for Gifted Education, the New Zealand Association for Gifted Children, REACH Education, Christchurch Association for Gifted Educators, North Canterbury Support for Gifted and Talented Children and Waikato Association for Gifted Children.