ASLP is proud to have a diverse student body on campus. On regular basis we have students on the podium winning awards for their athletic abilities: tennis, soccer, swimming, golf or surf. ASLP is also proud of its many gifted and talented students in academic and artistic areas.
Therefore, this past weekend, ASLP organized both an intensive 12 hour training session for teachers and an opportunity for students to take the SCAT tests (property of Johns Hopkins University). The SCAT measures the ability of students to reason under pressure. Students must answer 50 questions in 20 minutes but at a level which is three years above their age in areas like math. Around 30 ASLP students took the test and we will soon have the results.
Dr. Javier Berché, who is one of the most important figures in Spain in the area of Gifted and Talented students, came to Las Palmas specifically to train our staff. Dr. Berché has published two books on the subject, founded a center in Barcelona for talented students and is a specialist in neurology and child psychology.
The objective of the course was to help teachers to be able to both identify and help gifted and talented students. Sometimes these students stand out and other times they do not. They may be intellectually advanced compared to their classmates but may have a different emotional level. Gifted students may have a talent in just one area or in many. Some students may even consciously perform below level on tests to fit in with their peers. Initially, some parents even struggle to understand their child’s needs and they need to study and learn about this new situation as well.
The goal at ASLP is to continue to help this type of student advance in their specialized area, be it creative writing, science or math and to be able to identify more students. ASLP respects the uniqueness of every child.
