Gifted 101 is our FREE introductory course to working with high potential neurodiverse learners in your classroom and school.
About Gifted 101
We’ve designed Gifted 101 to be FUN and playful, to highlight the voices of our high potential neurodivergent young people and their teachers, and to reflect how rewarding and stimulating it is to work with these learners.
We’ve made sure Gifted 101 is PRACTICAL and realistic and helps you with actionable ideas you can get going on right away.
We’ve drawn on our 20 years of experience of helping teachers and schools support their gifted and neurodivergent learners, as well as the most up-to-date research, to give you the key insights that make a difference on the ground.
Get started!
You must be a member of the Building A Neuroinclusive School Community to access this course. The community is free to join and is funded by the Ministry of Education as a network of expertise for New Zealand teachers and others working in education.
If you are a Building A Neuroinclusive School Community member, you have been enrolled for our online learning platform already. Check your emails for the confirmation email and your login details. If you can’t find this or are having difficulties, please contact bns@neurodiversity.org.nz.
If you are not yet a member, you can SIGN UP NOW by clicking the button below. You will then be sent the confirmation email allowing you to access the platform straight away.
If you are not a New Zealand-based teacher or education professional, please contact bns@neurodiversity.org.nz to discuss accessing the course.
What do people say about it?
“It’s easy to use and fun… exactly the ‘shot in the arm’ we need!”
MindPlus YourSchool Partner Teacher
“Gifted 101 is quick and easy, full of ideas that are immediately relatable and classroom ideas that I can use straight away”
MindPlus YourSchool Partner Teacher
How does the course work?
"Working together one hour a week over 9 weeks"
There are three parts to the Gifted 101 course, with three modules in each one, making 9 altogether.
Each module should take about one hour to complete, including review, discussion and workbook time.
We suggest that you work through the course for one hour a week over a 9 week period, preferably with a buddy or a group of teachers at your school or kahui ako, face-to-face or online. This gives you a chance to learn, practice, reflect and iterate in between sessions - the best way of learning!
As you work through the course, you will be using a workbook to record your ideas, things to try, and questions as you go. It will also be a resource for you to refer back to once you’ve finished the course.
You will finish up with your own personalised Gifted Learner Action Plan, a check-in date for a Reflect & Review session to see how you’ve gone, and a course completion certificate.
You can look through the whole course before you start to see how it works and what’s involved.
Who will you meet?
We are delighted to introduce you to the wonderful presenters and students who will share their insights with you.
Our video presenters
Meet Anne and Lance, two passionate teachers with experience running NZCGE’s MindPlus programme for gifted learners.
Anne Fifita Collins is a Pasifika Resource Teacher of Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) with a Masters degree in Education focusing on success for Pasifika boys. Her mission is to support systemic shifts for marginalised learners including neurodiverse, Māori and Pasifika learners.
Lance is a specialist teacher of gifted and neurodiverse learners at MindPlus. Capitalising on his varied experiences in education, he is committed to striving for excellence, with warmth, humour and personalisation.
Our students
Our MindPlus Auckland East and Central classes feature in our images and videos. We’re so grateful to them and their teachers, Diana Hayman and Ryan Abbott, for welcoming us into their classrooms.
The Young Neurodiversity Champions
Annabelle March, Maria Walker-Kinnell and Katie-Rose Pemberton share their insights are three of our Young Neurodiversity Champions, young people standing up to ensure that all future neurodiverse rangatahi get the support they need to thrive in the education system. Learn more here. Thank you YNCs for your awesome work!
What do you do in each module?
We’ve structured each module in the same way to make it super simple to work it through. We’ve also used a number of ways to present the ideas - reading, watching, playing, writing and discussing - so you can access them from many different angles.
Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll find in each module.
To get you thinking
Each module starts with some big questions for you to discuss with your group or reflect on yourself. Take the time to loosen up your thinking and get ready for new ideas!
DId you notice?
We help reinforce the key ideas with a fun game or quiz.
Capture your thoughts
Have a look at the workbook and use the activities in there to record your thoughts, ideas and action plan for the week ahead.
Read
We start in with some key ideas for you to read through and reflect on, individually and as a group. Don't worry - they’ll be short and sharp!
Do
We give you some practical ideas for how to test out these ideas with your students right away. Take the opportunity to discuss how you might do this with your group or buddy if you have one.
Up next
We help reinforce the key ideas with a fun game or quiz.
Watch
We invite you to watch a short video (3 minutes or less). You'll get to hear both from our awesome presenters, Anne and Lance, and to hear the voices of some of our high-potential learners, across a range of ages. You'll also get to see some of our classes in action!
Want more
Keen to go a bit deeper? We offer suggestions for reading or watching.
Feedback
How was this module for you? Take one minute to give us an exit card!
Contact Us
If you have any questions about the New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education, please get in touch:
Phone: 0800-769-243
Email: hello@nzcge.co.nz
Postal address:
PO Box 301-566
Albany
Auckland
Charities Commission Registration No. CC50461