Giftedness Concept

Bored? Underchallenged?

At Gymnasium Rahlstedt we consider it important that our students not only see themselves in their weaknesses, but also in their strengths.

Thus we pursue a talent concept that is less oriented to subjects taught, and more toward the following areas of giftedness:

In line with the Munich (high-) giftedness model we understand special gifts more as a potential, which does not necessarily and always have to manifest as high performance.

Process

Step I: Diagnostics (report card conference)

The determination of a need and the proposal for the areas of giftedness are made in the report card conference by subject teachers and the form teacher. This is done with the help of observations, the KERMIT assessment and classroom results.

For every student a talent sheet is created or continued, which records the developmental process and serves as documentation for gifted support until graduation.

Step II: The offer

The talent sheet provides the basis for discussion in LEG, to discuss with the class teacher together with the student and parents an integrative and/or additive offer in one or more areas of giftedness. The offer can be accepted, but does not have to be. If applicable, parents and students can also request a counseling appointment during the consultation hours of the giftedness support specialist (FBF).

Step III: Support (school year)

Support for students with special gifts is provided by a tandem of Coaches for Gifted Support (CBF) in the respective areas of giftedness throughout the entire school year. These are exclusively colleagues from our school.

In addition, students receive an appreciation of their performance through a publication of their results in the school newspaper and on the school homepage, as well as during honors for special achievements at the end of the school year.

 

Very gifted: Can that also be a problem?

Achieving top grades with little effort, possessing rapid comprehension, and being really good in all subjects – at first glance, high giftedness seems to bring only advantages. Upon closer look, there are, however, pitfalls that can be associated with special talents. If one can imagine many different ways to solve problems, it can be challenging to find the simplest path. In addition to the danger of getting lost, there may be puzzled looks from those who cannot make sense of the unconventional solutions. Being different is not always easy.

There are also many prejudices: How often are especially gifted students unfairly insulted as nerds? Or one suspects ambitious parents who want to cultivate child prodigies. The fact that parents of highly gifted children may face their own problems is often overlooked.

A problem arises with a high level of giftedness, for example, when it does not present itself at first glance as such. Not every highly gifted child automatically achieves high grades. Sometimes the potential cannot be best developed for various reasons, and in some cases there is even school failure. Underchallenge can be the cause as well as failure due to the multitude of possible solutions – or many other reasons that must be found in a precise diagnosis.

At GyRa we offer a counseling service as part of gifted support, which I would like to recommend to you here. More information can be found via the following link; the page will be updated soon:

https://www.gymnasium-rahlstedt.de/willkommen/fordern.php

I would especially like to point out the possibility of a confidential counseling session. There may be reasons why parents or students with suspicion of high giftedness do not want to inform the class teachers first, e.g., when it comes to diagnostics. Since I am currently temporarily responsible for the overall coordination of gifted support, you can feel free to contact me directly by email in such cases (eva.maschke@gyra.hamburg.de).

If all school counseling options have been exhausted, the Hamburg Counseling Center for Special Talents (BbB) can also be consulted. Their website also provides additional materials, such as lectures and workshop materials for download:

https://li.hamburg.de/qualitaetsentwicklung-von-unterricht-und-schule/beratungsstellen/beratungsstelle-besondere-begabungen

Even though there are long-established intelligence quotients since the groundbreaking work of William Stern (1871-1938), when we talk about high giftedness, that is of secondary importance for our work. What matters is that all students with special gifts are optimally supported.

Lastly, I would like to draw your attention again to existing offerings at GyRa. For special talents in individual areas, we have our Coaches for Gifted Support (CBF), who can accompany the respective students throughout the entire school year. The allocation is usually through the report card conferences.

We are also a partner school of the Digital Door. The relatively new portal of the Digital Door offers material and online courses for enrichment, with a focus on particularly gifted students.

https://www.digitale-drehtuer-campus.de/explore

Not least, we offer a variety of free afternoon programs from which all children can benefit. You can obtain information from our after-school team led by Ms. Rüdebusch:

 

After-school

 

We hope that our counseling offer can help you, so that a special

Talent should not become a problem.

Contact person:

Dr. Eva Maria Maschke (Coordinator of Gifted Education)