To nurture and encourage the bright learners in the country, the Pre University Education (PUE) at Qatar Foundation (QF) will be hosting the World Math Team Championship towards the end of this year with the participation of over 1500 students.
“We continue to develop specialty opportunities, enrichment programmes and focused courses with gifted students in mind. Our upcoming big project will be the World Math Team Championship event.” said Cynthia Lynn Bolton, head, Gifted Education, PUE Academic Affairs.
“We will be hosting the mega event in November this year with an expected attendance of over 1500 students coming to Qatar from all over the world. At Qatar Foundation, gifted education is a primary focus,” continued Bolton.
The ‘Qatar Foundation Gifted Enrichment Programmes’ was recently launched to identify and support the needs of bright, young students in Qatar and is supported by the Johns Hopkins Centre for Talented Youth.
Bolton said that PUE is always looking for new partners to support the gifted students in all the possible ways.
“We have already signed the cooperative agreement with Johns Hopkins Centre for Talented Youth. It is our hope that this cooperation will lead to the development of many future opportunities for our gifted students both locally and internationally. Our partnership with the World Math Team Championships is another example of an exciting premier event that fosters and promotes the development of our bright students in Qatar,” she explained.
Currently a total of 260 students are identified as academically gifted in QF Schools which is approximately 6% of the total school population for grades K-12. About 75% of identified gifted students in QF Schools are Qataris.
According to Bolton, enhanced educational experiences should include opportunities to move at a faster pace through the curriculum, skip or condense topics that the student already knows and explore, at a deeper level, those topics that are of a high interest to the student.
“Teachers should make pre-testing part of their regular instructional routine and be prepared to offer alternatives for those gifted students who show mastery in the subject that will be taught. Gifted students should not be required to repeat curriculum they already know and should never be given busy work to keep them occupied while they wait for other students to catch up,” she pointed.
The official highlighted that identification of the gifted children is the most important part of the programme. She noted that gifted child, like all children, need teachers who can understand giftedness and a tailored educational experience that helps them grow in the most optimum way.
“For some students this may mean access to an accelerated curriculum; for others it’s the opportunity to dive deeper into a subject and learn at a more in-depth level. QF gifted students need time to work with other gifted children. This opportunity to learn with their intellectual peers and be challenged through a healthy level of competition, is the key to the success of gifted children,” she maintained.
"Our goal is to provide gifted students with a place to learn and engage with like-minded peers and engage in high-interest enrichment opportunities under the guidance of teachers trained to encourage, motivate, and support gifted students. Gifted students, like all students, deserve to grow academically at the pace they feel most comfortable,” added, Bolton.
“We continue to develop specialty opportunities, enrichment programmes and focused courses with gifted students in mind. Our upcoming big project will be the World Math Team Championship event.” said Cynthia Lynn Bolton, head, Gifted Education, PUE Academic Affairs.
“We will be hosting the mega event in November this year with an expected attendance of over 1500 students coming to Qatar from all over the world. At Qatar Foundation, gifted education is a primary focus,” continued Bolton.
The ‘Qatar Foundation Gifted Enrichment Programmes’ was recently launched to identify and support the needs of bright, young students in Qatar and is supported by the Johns Hopkins Centre for Talented Youth.
Bolton said that PUE is always looking for new partners to support the gifted students in all the possible ways.
“We have already signed the cooperative agreement with Johns Hopkins Centre for Talented Youth. It is our hope that this cooperation will lead to the development of many future opportunities for our gifted students both locally and internationally. Our partnership with the World Math Team Championships is another example of an exciting premier event that fosters and promotes the development of our bright students in Qatar,” she explained.
Currently a total of 260 students are identified as academically gifted in QF Schools which is approximately 6% of the total school population for grades K-12. About 75% of identified gifted students in QF Schools are Qataris.
According to Bolton, enhanced educational experiences should include opportunities to move at a faster pace through the curriculum, skip or condense topics that the student already knows and explore, at a deeper level, those topics that are of a high interest to the student.
“Teachers should make pre-testing part of their regular instructional routine and be prepared to offer alternatives for those gifted students who show mastery in the subject that will be taught. Gifted students should not be required to repeat curriculum they already know and should never be given busy work to keep them occupied while they wait for other students to catch up,” she pointed.
The official highlighted that identification of the gifted children is the most important part of the programme. She noted that gifted child, like all children, need teachers who can understand giftedness and a tailored educational experience that helps them grow in the most optimum way.
“For some students this may mean access to an accelerated curriculum; for others it’s the opportunity to dive deeper into a subject and learn at a more in-depth level. QF gifted students need time to work with other gifted children. This opportunity to learn with their intellectual peers and be challenged through a healthy level of competition, is the key to the success of gifted children,” she maintained.
"Our goal is to provide gifted students with a place to learn and engage with like-minded peers and engage in high-interest enrichment opportunities under the guidance of teachers trained to encourage, motivate, and support gifted students. Gifted students, like all students, deserve to grow academically at the pace they feel most comfortable,” added, Bolton.
