Some of these resources are well kept secrets, but we do have some great ones:
School Guidance Handbook: Dr Colm O’Reilly of CTYI wrote the chapter, Understanding Gifted Children, in 2014.
Abstract: “This article outlines the needs of gifted children from the perspective of guidance counsellors. Gifted children are often misunderstood within the Irish education system with little provision made for them and a lack of resources or materials to support their needs. Gifted students can often underachieve at school because of their frustration with the system or because of the lack of opportunities to allow them to develop their potential. This article allows guidance counsellors and educators to further their understanding of gifted children to better serve them within a school environment. Areas such as defining giftedness, how to identify a gifted student, problems that gifted students face and programmes for gifted students in Ireland will be covered.”
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) published Exceptionally Able Students Draft Guidelines for Teachers in 2008 and a copy sent to all schools. If you go looking you may find it under dust in the office!
The Special Education Support Service (SESS) has some very useful information on its website and has been running a pilot project, the Equality of Challenge Initiative, since 2008 and offer CPD seminars for teachers.
- Resources for Exceptionally Able Students
- Equality of Challenge Initiative
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Teaching Exceptionally Able Students: an Introduction for Post-Primary Schools 3 hour seminar. Can be requested through the supports scheme
- Teaching Exceptionally Able and Dual Exceptional Pupils Inclusively: An Introduction for Primary Schools 5 hour seminar run over 2 evenings on selected dates.
Centre for Talented Youth, Ireland (CTYI), provides enrichment courses for students with high academic ability, from ages 6 to 17. They have centres in DCU, UCC, Limerick IT, Letterkennny IT, Carlow IT, Athlone IT and also offer correspondence courses.
The Centre for Academic Achievement (CAA) programme has allowed over 900 primary school students, from socio-economically disadvantaged areas of Dublin to attend special after school classes at Dublin City University since its establishment in 2006. This programme is a collaboration between the ACCESS Service and Irish Centre for Talented Youth (CTYI) at Dublin City University.
DazzledandFrazzled.com: The Irish Gifted Education Blog was launched by Dazzled and Frazzled in 2010 so as to filter some of the vast resources available on the internet and add an Irish perspective for the gifted community in Ireland.
Giftedkids.ie “In February 2008 Giftedkids.ie was launched as a support website for parents and educators of “gifted” children in Ireland. It was unique in that it was the first website in Ireland to actively meet the needs of parents, teachers and exceptionally able children from an Irish perspective. The website currently acts as a signpost for resources and has a huge range for parents, teachers and children, including a very popular online community forum where parents and teachers can share their experience of parenting or teaching a gifted or exceptionally able child. Giftedkids.ie is run on an entirely voluntary basis by a dedicated group of parents and teachers who contribute their time and expertise completely free of charge.”
