St Brides Major Church in Wales Primary School

The More Able Child

Identifying the more able pupil

Characteristics of able pupils can be identified in your everyday practice in the classroom, but more solid identification comes from an awareness of need, test-based data, records of achievement and teacher observation. The list below is not exhaustive and no one point should be taken in isolation, but a child exhibiting a number of the listed characteristics may have more able needs.

Characteristics

1.      Listens with high level of concentration and understanding to varied and complex speech

2.      Uses originality in the choice of the spoken word

3.      Expresses a point view fluently, persuasively and with appropriateness to audience

4.      Shows agility and quickness in discussion, responding sensitively and convincingly to the views of others

5.      Takes a leading role in oral work, initiating and sustaining dialogue

6.      Enjoys language play – puns, nuances and word play

7.      Performs well when working in the abstract, either understanding difficult concepts or using forms such as metaphors and proverbs

8.      Reads aloud previously unseen texts fluently and with meaning

9.      Becomes frustrated with limitations of text for peer group

10.  Demonstrates an appreciation of language, structure and presentation

11.  Displays a high accuracy in the punctuation and grammatical structure of the writing

12.  Expresses originality, creativity and impact in writing

13.  Displays an extensive vocabulary in written and oral work

14.  Uses previous knowledge to inform new work

The needs of the more able pupil

1.      Space to make individual contributions to open ended situations

2.      Contact with like-minded people, both peers and adults

3.      An allocation of teacher’s time

4.      A good balance of working with urgency and pace and time to reflect

5.      Sessions that develop higher order skills

6.      Only as much instruction as is needed and then an encouragement to work independently

7.      Opportunities to develop work further

8.      A chance to seek the alternative method or answer

9.      An extensive development of creativity and imagination

10.  Differentiated tasks in the Schemes of Work, including teaching styles.

Early Years identification

Using the County Baseline Test teachers are given a reference point for measuring value-added performance in the Early Years. The protocol identifies a wide range of behaviours including early reading and advanced mathematical ability. Baseline testing has contributed to the early identification of able needs which can be addressed as the child moves through he school.

Maths and the More Able Pupil

To set challenges in Maths the curriculum should provide opportunities for the use of mathematical language and the encouragement of alternative methods of working. This is clearly identified in teachers’ planning under Differentiation and should :

1.      Be accessible to everyone at the start

2.      Allow further challenges and be extendible

3.      Invite children to make decisions

4.      Involve children in speculating, hypotheses making and testing, proving or explaining, reflecting and interpreting

5.      Not restrict pupils from exploring other outcomes

6.      Promote discussion and communication

7.      Encourage individuality, originality and invention

8.      Encourage ‘what if’ and ‘ what if not’ questions

9.      Be enjoyable.

Able children have the ability to

·         Grasp the formal structure of a problem in a way that leads to ideas for action

·         Generalise from the study of examples and approaches to problem solving

·         Reason in a logical way and as a consequence develop chains of reasoning

·         Use maths symbols as part of the thinking process

·         Think flexibly

·         Reverse their direction of thought. Work forwards and backwards in an attempt to solve a problem

·         Remember mathematical relationships and ways of approaching problems.

Advanced reading techniques

Speed reading is an advanced technique for more able pupils. It gives pupils more confidence in their ability to cope with the demands of tests.

Pupils can use two fingers to increase the speed at which they read and they also have to preview the material before they use it. This will help them to form a quick framework into which the material will fit.

Step 1

Pupils should place their third and fourth fingers together.

Step 2

Pupils should sweep the lines of print forcing their eyes to follow their fingers. Initially, they should drag their fingers along the whole of the line systematically.

Step 3

They should stop before the end of each line and jump to the beginning of the next line.

Step 4

They should stop at the end of each line and jump to the next line, only starting in from the beginning of the line (not at the beginning).

Step 5

Eventually they will be able to drag their fingers down the middle of the page.

The key is for pupils to force their eyes to follow their fingers and to let their fingers dictate the speed at which they are going to read.