extra-curricular activities and clubs
available.
Another example of a mainstream
school in Hong Kong with a strong
gifted programme is The Harbour
School (THS). Christine Greenberg,
vice principal of THS explains that
with their low student teacher ratio
of six to one and specialised learning
enhancement coordinators, teachers
can offer their gifted students a highly
customised educational experience
and cater to their individual
needs. THS also recently piloted a
mentorship programme which pairs
up interested and gifted children with
an experienced mentor in their field
of interest, from marine biology to
architecture.
Overcoming challenges
Giftedness is often not an easy path.
Mary Ellen Ryan explains that, from
her experience, gifted children tend
to be more complicated, defiant or
socially uncomfortable with their
peers, preferring those on a similar
wavelength. Many do not know
how to cope with failure and are
vulnerable emotionally, although
they might appear very mature. The
pressure to succeed can be intense and
may exacerbate social and personal
development issues. Parents should
be aware of the challenges their child
is going through, and provide the
necessary support.
In the end, as for all children, the
right path for a gifted child is probably
the one that leads to their overall
happiness and well-being – whether
it is seeking the most stimulating
environment for them, or just letting
them be children. While Arunav’s
family has moved to Singapore,
which offers a comprehensive range of
gifted educational options, his parents
decided to keep him in a mainstream
school and focus on his social and
personal development for now. His
mother explains their decision saying,
“As long as he is happy, his gifts will
shine.”
–
‘Academy for the Talented’
members have the opportunity
to work with students from
world-renowned universities,
conduct study tours overseas and
participate in community projects.
Courses include engineering,
mathematics, medicine, business
and science. A summer programme
is organised, such as the Junior
Entrepreneurship Summer School
in 2014.
• The Hong Kong Academy of
Performing Arts (HKAPA).
In
addition to college and graduate
programmes in music, dance,
media and theatre, the HKAPA also
offers the Gifted Young Dancer
Programme for students from
14-18 years old and the Junior
Music Programme with courses for
children from five years upwards.
This covers a wide range of musical
instruments and includes individual
instruction, musicianship classes
and ensemble activities.
• Hong Kong Schools Sports
Federation (HKSSF)
organises
primary and secondary inter-school
sports competitions, such as in
basketball, football, hockey, rugby
and gymnastics. The HKSSF has a
feeder system with most national
sports associations, providing
student athletes quality training
and access to higher levels of
competitions. The Student Athlete
Support pilot was recently launched
to provide financial support to
talented students from low-income
families.
•
Internationally, various summer
school and camp options are
available for students keen to
further their interests and talents,
whether in academia, sports, music
or dance.
The John Hopkins Centre
for Talented Youth
and the
Stanford
University Education Program for
Gifted Youth
offer internationally
renowned academic programmes
for gifted children.
In Hong Kong, there are several
gifted programmes organised by
local universities and institutions
to provide students with additional
learning opportunities, and help
parents and teachers better identify,
understand and nurture gifted
children. These are listed below:
• The Hong Kong Academy for
Gifted Education (HKAGE)
offers
primary and secondary programmes
covering humanities, leadership,
mathematics, science and personal
and social development. Parent
workshops, seminars and support
groups are available, in addition to
teacher and school administrator
courses.
• The Chinese University of Hong
Kong
organises primary and
secondary courses in areas such
as creative thinking, languages,
mathematics, sciences and public
speaking. Parent seminars and
workshops are also available.
• The Hong Kong University of
Science and Technology
runs
primary and secondary courses
in mathematics, science and
personal development. A summer
camp focused on science and
mathematics is organised with
select schools across Asia.
• The University of Hong Kong
April 2015
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