Associate Professor Margaret Plunkett, Federation University, Australia, has over 30 years' experience in education. She currently coordinates and lectures in a range of courses and programs in both secondary and primary education, related to gifted education and professional experience. Margaret has won a number of awards for teaching excellence…

This paper reports on a framework of thinking, memory and learning that emerged from a qualitative research study into the nature of learning for individuals with autism. The framework is useful for professional development of teachers regarding the learning characteristics of neurodiverse students with autism spectrum disorder. The paper provides…

Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians is a unique enrichment program that has been produced annually by the Australian Mathematics Trust since 1991. In its present form, it is divided into four levels and caters for talented students from years 3 to 10. In a typical year, it attracts over 15,000 entries. Individual schools arrange a period…

Michael Shaughnessy, shares a conversation with Helen Dudeney, a private consultant who has been actively involved in working with gifted children since 1988. She was originally, trained and worked as an accountant and was very involved with working with children through volunteering for many years as a leader in the Scout Association. She started…

Co-written by a student and his teacher, this article illustrates how a carefully structured individual education program supported by appropriate software can provide suitable challenges for a gifted Year 3 student. While the focus is on one student's statistical investigation, the story has relevance to the wider primary school environment.

Karen B. Rogers has dedicated her career to serving gifted students. In this interview she outlines her major research studies, and explores some of her experiences in the field, with special emphasis on her time in Australia. She discusses her use of the meta-synthesis and meta-analysis methodologies, and outlines key areas of gifted education…

Australian curriculum falls short for gifted students, and many teachers are not able to confidently improvise solutions. Research has painted a poor picture of education for Australian students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, as well as from provincial and remote regions. In 2017, the Australian government commissioned an Independent Review…

The context in which gifted education operates in Australia provides for differing levels of identification and services. Lacking a federal mandate or funding, states and territories are responsible for addressing the needs of gifted students. Australia contributes to the gifted education research literature, focusing on acceleration, gifted…

Since UNESCO's Salamanca Declaration in 1994, inclusive education has progressively attracted attention in international debates around education policy. While some evidence exists on the positive impact that inclusive education reforms can have on the academic and personal outcomes of diverse students -- and in particular of students with special…

Working from an agenda of school improvement, Australia's implementation of National Assessment Program: Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) in 2008 and the MySchool website in 2010 appears strongly influenced by the mechanisms that have driven the reform/accountability movement in the United States and the United Kingdom (Lingard, 2010; Polsel, Dulfer…

The identification of his son's high ability can cause a father to confront his own experiences as a gifted child and adult and change his emotional life, family dynamics, and career. Over the past decade, Fiona Smith has worked closely with numerous multi-generations of grandfathers, fathers, and sons in Australia to analyze their backgrounds,…

Conceptually, learning progressions hold promise for improving assessment and instruction by precisely outlining what students know and don't know at particular stages of knowledge and skill development. Based upon a synthesis of the literature, a rationale for the use of learning progressions maps to clarify how learning progresses in English…

In this article, the contributing authors of the journal "Australian Mathematics Teacher" provide strategies and suggest access to resources for teachers to nurture mathematical talent in their classrooms and schools. There are suggestions for school districts and jurisdictions to engage teachers in professional learning to increase…

In this Special Issue on Transition and Employment of the "Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness" ("JVIB"), three practice contributions provide eloquent examples of how young people and older adults have learned to recognize their own changing work abilities and opportunities, thanks in part to support from…

Gifted students have been provided the opportunity to study three core subjects through an academically selective virtual high school in western NSW, Australia. At the same time they continue to attend their local public high school for their other subjects. This article presents the mechanisms that have provided this opportunity, and describes…