Speaker from Australia visits Center for Gifted Education
School context and its affect on gifted students
In a tour of North American gifted education centers of learning, Dr. Katrina Eddles-Hirsch, Senior Lecturer-Special Needs at the School of Education of The University of Notre Dame in Sydney, Australia visited the W&M Center for Gifted Education on April 29.
Dr. Eddles-Hirsch, who received her Ph.D. from the University of New South Wales, presented the findings of her research - A Phenomenological Study of Advanced Learners in Educational Settings Suited to Their Academic Needs - to a group of faculty and students. In her qualitative study of 27 gifted students in three Australian schools, Dr. Eddles-Hirsch found very different contexts, some that provided environments that helped gifted students flourish and others that were more inhibiting. School context has been little studied for effects on gifted students and this research is a welcome contribution to the knowledge base.
"The Center for Gifted Education was delighted to host Dr. Eddles-Hirsch and to learn from her experience," Dr. Tracy L. Cross, Executive Director of the CFGE commented. "The Center for Gifted Education is very active internationally, having involvement in more than 30 countries. Having Dr. Eddles-Hirsch contact us to be a part of her tour was evidence of our standing in the field and the respect with which it is held world-wide. Her presentation to our doctoral students, directors, and staff enriched our knowledge of what is happening in gifted education down under."
