Talent+Curriculum+Model

=INTRODUCTION. =

====**The Gifted Kid's curriculum is represented by the acronym** **TALENT**: **T **alent Development, **A **uthentic Learning Experiences, **L **ike Minds, **E **xcellence pursued, **N **ew Challenges and **T **hinking to Learn==== The Gifted Kids Curriculum Model has four important cornerstones:
 * **Talent Development ****:** an area of potential area of strength, ability and interest or passion.
 * Authentic Learning Experiences: ** meaningful experiences that relate to the ‘real world’ during both the process application and in related outcomes.
 * Like Minds Together: ** a grouping strategy that provides students with peers in an environment in which they feel accepted and challenged.
 * Excellence Pursued :** encouragement, increased awareness and goal setting to strive for identified potential and ‘personal bests’.
 * <span class="style_3">New Challenges recognised and accepted **: <span class="style_4">the ability to take risks to enable learning.
 * <span class="style_3">Thinking to Learn :** <span class="style_4">cognitive and affective skills and strategies explicitly taught and integrated thinking skills programme. ||

<span class="style_5">Gifted Kids offers a specific focus and support for students’ affective development. Gifted students learn about giftedness, grow in their understanding of themselves as gifted learners and grow in their ability to self advocate and problem-solve for personal and social change.
 * AFFECTIVE DEVELOPMENT**

A significant feature of the TALENT Curriculum Model is its focus on students’ strengths, rather than their weaknesses. Talent Development involves exposure to possible new talent areas and growth in existing areas of talent. This is a major point of difference from a regular school curriculum. Outside agencies, specialists, and mentors support this cornerstone of the curriculum.
 * TALENT DEVELOPMENT**

<span class="style_5">Mental Edge, our Thinking Skills Programme, targets the development and use of critical, creative, and caring thinking, and questioning and metacognition. Thinking skills are taught explicitly and integrated into Talent Development and the Concept Curriculum.
 * MENTAL EDGE**

<span class="style_5">The final cornerstone is integrated concept-based studies. Learning focuses on large concepts such as Change, Systems, Values etc, rather than more specific contexts. This allows for more complex and in-depth thinking and transfer of understanding.
 * CONCEPT CURRICULUM**

<span class="style_5"> The Gifted Kids Curriculum Model is a differentiated programme encompassing acceleration, extension and enrichment in order to meet students’ individual needs. This individualisation ensures both engaged and motivated learners, but also the opportunity to develop individual characteristics and skills.

<span class="style_5"> GIfted Kids celebrates the journey as well as the final destination. Process is an integral focus of the programme, whilst conceptual aspects provide for the inclusion of advanced, meaningful and relevant content.