Vinschool establishes the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Center
The GATE Center’s chief function is to provide a personalized education that appropriately challenges and nurtures each gifted students’ strengths and interests.
“If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life thinking that it is stupid.”
It is appropriate that this passage was written by Einstein, a genius who for most of his early education career was continually frustrated and could not fit in with standard schooling. As a result, the young Einstein was never noticed as having exceptional ability, even if in hindsight his intellect has furthered humanity by great strides. The story is almost a parable, reflecting an urgent truth, of how there are students of great abilities who demand a differentiated education that match their ability. Imagine how much we would lose if Einstein did not eventually get into a school where his gift was recognized and nurtured?
In recognition of this unique learning needs of high-ability students, Vinschool Education System hereby announces its initiative to address this demand by launching the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Center.
The GATE Center’s chief function is to provide a personalized education that appropriately challenges and nurtures each gifted students’ strengths and interests.
Gifted students are a varied group, generally defined as students who have has significantly above-average ability compared to their peers. The GATE Center has identified the following groups in Vinschool as having potential to greatly flourish under a gifted education program, and a student can belong to multiple groups:
- Students with a specific aptitude for an academic subject that is significantly more developed than is expected of their grade level.
- Students with remarkable cognitive, verbal, or leadership ability.
- Students with a special talent in the arts and sports.
There is no one typical image of a gifted student. Because of that, the GATE Center’s identification of gifted students requires a holistic approach, assessing multiple aspects of a student’s abilities. The process is not passing a series of tests, but rather an investigation that gathers evidence from cognitive tests, academic achievement tests, verbal-written proficiencies, live performance, portfolio, track record, and testimonies from those who have worked closely with the students. Finally, GATE staff and experts in their respective fields will assess the body of evidence of each student. Though quantitative tests are present, it is the people that make the decisions, not numbers.
Each student will have their own individualized Advanced Learning Plan (ALP)
Given the philosophy that gifted students need to be carefully developed in accordance to their own strengths and interests, each student will have their own individualized Advanced Learning Plan (ALP) which outlines learning and developmental goals expected from the student and the steps needed to get there. ALPs are constructed through a cooperation between experts, the school, parents, and most importantly, the student. This way, we ensure that the student’s personal aspirations and strengths are placed in the center, and that the student will have access to a wide variety of challenging coursework, state-of-the-art programs, and support network, such as the following:
- Accredited advanced placement courses that are translatable to university credit.
- Option to accelerate based on the student’s advanced aptitude in a specific subject.
- Coaching, counseling, and guidance for students to develop personally and academically.
- The opportunity to represent Vinschool and Vietnam on the international education scene through conferences, study programs, and competitions.
These ALPs will be the basis to judge how well a student is performing, and if the goals need changing.
Through offering personalized learning plans, the expertise of international consultants, and coaches ready to offer one-on-one help, the GATE Center aims to address the need for gifted students to be identified, served, and developed into pioneers and leaders of their own particular areas of talent. Not only that it is consistent with world standards for the support of all children – gifted students surely included, but the GATE Center’s philosophy is also in-line with Vinschool’s stated mission.
If you are interested in our GATE Center and its program or have any questions, feel free to contact the GATE Center via [email protected].
