Giftedness is a much discussed yet often misunderstood area of education. Within the Barker Community, we seek to support and celebrate giftedness across multiple domains.
Susanna Matters, Barker College’s Gifted and Talented Coordinator (PreK-8) presented an overview of gifted education theory. Parents of students from all ages were challenged to think of how these characteristics may apply to people they know. The needs and opportunities of gifted individuals, especially school students, were discussed.
The overview of gifted education theory was bookended by two wonderful musical performances from Barker Students and all present were grateful for their generous sharing of their talents.
The second half of the evening involved an extended panel demonstrating the diverse faces of giftedness at the school and the provisions put in place to cater to the needs of figted students at Barker. The panel, hosted by Director of Teaching and Learning, Greg Longney, included representatives from English, Barker’s Individual Learning Centre, Music and Strings programs, Robotics, Junior School Aspire program, Mathematics, Heads of House, Science, and the elite athletes program at the school.
The Barker Institute wishes to recognise and thank various staff who invested in the evening’s conversation, and more importantly, inspire Barker students to pursue excellence every moment, every day.