Jane and Gemma go to School: Supporting Young Gifted Aboriginal Students

Abstract

Both Aboriginal students and gifted students have been identified as educationally disadvantaged groups with needs that are often not adequately met by the Australian educational system. Hence, gifted Aboriginal students are particularly vulnerable to underachievement. As all students should receive the opportunity to fulfill their potential, there is a need to establish how to support the achievements of gifted Aboriginal children from an early age. The identification and achievement of gifted Aboriginal children is affected by culture conflict, the lack of knowledge of culturally sensitive identification measures of giftedness, and the anti-intellectual Australian ethos. This paper discusses the case studies of two young gifted Aboriginal girls and describes the support they will require for continued success. Ten practical suggestions are presented to assist teachers to nurture and promote the achievements of young gifted Aboriginal children.