Gifted and Talented Education (G.A.T.E.)

Every student has the right to an education that provides extended learning opportunities for the maximum development of his or her potential. Students identified as gifted have outstanding abilities and potential for accomplishments. It is the goal of every gifted and talented programme to encourage, foster, and support educational experiences for those students identified as gifted based on their unique learning needs and styles.

Common intellectual characteristics of gifted students:

  • Advanced intellectual and interest
  • Verbal skills
  • Problem-solving ability
  • Logical thinking
  • Creativity

Gifted: An unusually advanced degree of intellectual ability that requires differentiated learning experiences of a depth and breadth beyond those normally provided in the regular school programme to satisfy the level of educational potential indicated."

Gifted and talented education Programs at school
Gifted and talented education Programs at school

Programme Goals

With a specialist teaching staff, our G.A.T.E. students are supported with in-depth learning, a greater emphasis on independent study, sophisticated discussion and cross-curricular integration. Our G.A.T.E. students will be immersed in higher level creative thinking, problem solving and research skills. Multiple teaching strategies are employed, including learning centres, blended programmes, acceleration and independent study. The instructional planning makes content more abstract, complex and interrelated.

GIFTED PROGRAMME DELIVERY MODEL (G.A.T.E.)

  • Identified students are congregated in instructional groups by grade level with their intellectual peers. multi-level grade or age groupings may occur.
  • A facilitator or teacher delivers the programme to each grouping in a self-contained classroom of the gifted students.
  • Curriculum differentiation is developed for all identified students in each subject area.
  • Gifted enrichment is delivered beyond the scope of the Ontario Curriculum and affords students opportunities to study new topics using creative teaching and learning strategies.
  • Students are required to maintain high academic averages in every curriculum subject area while enrolled in the gifted programme.

Differentiated Programming: Core Grade Settings

Differentiated programming refers to the individualizing of instruction, particularly for bright, talented and gifted learners. It is the established programming mode at UC within all class settings. We offer what some professionals refer to as school-wide gifted programmes. Students in each grade receive instruction that has greater depth and breadth than the norm. Beyond the advanced curriculum, learning is enriched by addressing individual learning strengths as well as needs. Modifications to content, process, and product are characteristics of the gifted and talented programme and are key components of the UC instructional plan. By working with their intellectual peers, UC students are afforded learning opportunities that are unique and beneficial. Providing advanced learning experiences and a superior set of learning skills prepares students to excel in elementary and secondary school and instills a lifelong love of learning.

Enrichment Opportunities:

  • Creative and critical thinking
  • Learning style accommodation
  • Individualized progress by subject
  • Exploratory activities
  • Tangential topics/subjects
  • Independent study projects
  • Cluster groupings
  • Intellectual peers

The UC G.A.T.E. programme runs from grades 4-7 for gifted and highly able students. In Grade 8, Reach- ahead Credits are offered to qualifying Gate Students. Our grades 5 and 6 students participate in our Literacy Fair. Over the course of the year, the students learn a variety of reading strategies to help them comprehend written text of various complexities. Our final project brings together all skills focused on throughout the year into one novel study. Once all components of the novel study are complete, they are arranged into a visual display for the Literacy Fair.