Gifted and Highly Capable Learners
Supporting individual learning growth is part of the vision for learning at Magdalene Catholic College. Students join this community at varied points in their learning journey and some of our students, due to their natural abilities, fall into a category of learner we call 'gifted' or ‘highly capable’. The Magdalene approach to learning supports these students by providing a challenging curriculum with an emphasis on rich learning opportunities, dynamic pedagogy and engaging, real world curriculum.
Opportunities for gifted and highly capable range from quality differentiated teaching to acceleration through Preliminary and HSC Courses. Extra Curricular activities also offer Gifted and Highly Capable students the opportunity to extend and enrich their knowledge and skills. Students at Magdalene participate in varied enrichment activities such as the Write a Book in a Day Challenge and F1 in Schools Challenge. Quality differentiated teaching includes activities designed to cater for a range of learning styles and encourages strategies that develop the collaborative skills of learners. Teachers consistently evaluate learning to support the identification and development of Gifted and Highly Capable students. Data sources such as Progressive Achievement Testing (PAT) in Reading, Science and Numeracy and NAPLAN are also analysed to assist in this process.
Multiple staff at the College have completed the mini Certificate of Gifted Education run through UNSW, which extends the ability of staff to identify gifted and highly capable students, differentiate the curriculum and understand gifted education research and best practice.