Gifted

Project Overview

The project in a nutshell

GIFTED - Game and Inclusion For Teacher Education - will address the need for training teachers in gifted and talented education. The goal is to design and implement an innovative online training programme that can support pre-service and in-service teachers' skills development in gifted and talented education. This digital game-based learning environment will promote and enhance the experiential learning of teachers, giving them tools to recognize these students, interact with them, and tailor their learning experience in an inclusive classroom context.

Societal Context

Gifted and talented students learn differently, and have unique academic and socio-emotional needs. However, these pupils often do not receive specific support in school. Teachers in Europe do not receive proper education concerning gifted and talented pupils during their education and ongoing in-service training. GIFTED designs and implements an innovative online training programme that can support teachers' skills development in gifted and talented education.

Basic information

Erasmus+ KA220-SCH - Cooperation partnerships in school education
7 partners from 5 countries (Italy, Croatia, Portugal, Romania, United Arab Emirates)
Duration: 36 months (from 1st December 2021 to 30th November 2024)
Outcome: Open Educational Resources (OER) for teachers on education of young gifted pupils

Project Objectives

Objective 1

Developing an innovative training programme for teachers involved in the education of gifted students. This training programme will include game-based educational activities, materials and guidelines supporting teachers to identify gifted and talented students and build contents adequate for their needs. This training programme can be used by pre-service and in-service teachers in the countries involved in the consortium and, in a later phase, in other countries.

Objective 2

Testing the innovative training programme with the support of a game platform that offers the training modules embedded in a gaming path to increase motivation and engagement of users. The use of game-based training promotes the development of knowledge, skills, and attitudes by engaging trainees in guided activities with an intensely experiential matrix, in scenarios that reflect real-world situations (the classroom), increasing motivation and commitment and stimulating new approaches and attitudes towards technological tools that are close to the world of the new generation of students.

Objective 3

Integrating the training programme for teachers working with gifted students within the training curriculum of a teacher, either in-service as further specialization, or pre-service as part of the training provided by the University. GIFTED will develop an Open Badge, certifying the training programme for teachers of gifted students, recognised by the Universities participating in the project.

Consortium

Grifo Multimedia

Grifo is an SME that operates since 1997 in the field of digital education, with specific expertise on…

Coordinator: Noah (Italy)

Noah Srl is a start-up company that designs and develops innovative products, services, and treatment protocols of high…

http://www.noahealth.it

Noah Srl is a start-up company that designs and develops innovative products, services, and treatment protocols of high technological value. Noah's activities support individuals in improving their health, quality of life, education, social integration, and accessibility to work, having a significant social impact, with positive outcomes not only on the single, but also on families, schools, and communities in which the person grows up and lives.

Italy

Team Partner

Roberta Renati

PhD, systemic psychotherapist

She is a systemic psychotherapist and has a Ph.D. in psychology Since 2005 she has been teaching university courses for psychologists and teachers, with a specific focus on adolescence, families, and students with special educational needs. Over the years, she worked on numerous issues relating to clinical and educational psychology, collaborating with research centers in Italy and abroad in designing and coordinating projects and interventions aimed at health promotion in schools. She started working in the gifted education field in 2011, training and leading a team of therapists on intervention with gifted and talented children/youth, their families, and schools. From September 2016 to January 2017, she led the territorial project co-funded by Fondazione Cariplo " Supporting talents to prevent school and social distress”. Now she is leading the ArtemisLab project (www.artemislab.it) to develop innovative interventions to support gifted students, their families, and teachers. She collaborates with research institutions with a specific focus on digital game-based learning in schools. She is actually coordinating the GIFTED Games and Inclusion for Teacher Education Erasmus+ Project, working as a researcher to develop the project results. She authored national and international scientific articles and participated as a presenter at numerous conferences.

Natale Salvatore Bonfiglio

PhD, Psychotherapist

He has a Ph.D in psychology and a specialisation in hypnotherapy as a psychotherapist. Since 2005 he has been teaching as an adjunct professor at universities and training courses for health specialists. He has long experience in research, particularly in the development of assessment tools and neural networks. He had a Post Hoc position at the University of Bologna (Department of Psychology "Renzo Canestrari") where he participated in a research project to study executive functions in ADHD and to develop an online assessment battery for adults. He has extensive experience in assessment and intervention in the area of addictions and mental health, coordinating teams of psychologists within school networks, designing and implementing health promotion projects for students and teachers. He is currently the founder and scientific director of Noah Innovation fo Health (www.noahealth.it), a health company aimed at developing clinical intervention treatments through innovative tools such as neurostimulation, virtual reality, and serious games. He authored national and international scientific articles and participated as a lecturer at numerous conferences.

Steven Pfeiffer

PhD, ABPP

Received his doctoral training in psychology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Following his internship in clinical psychology, he completed post-doctoral training in family therapy at the Philadelphia Child and Family Therapy Training Center, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Dr. Pfeiffer is a licensed and nationally board-certified psychologist, author, popular speaker, and consultant. Dr. Pfeiffer’s writing, research, and clinical work has focused on the social and emotional needs of children and youth, and ways to weave positive psychology, health promotion, resilience, and optimizing mental health into clinical practice. Dr. Pfeiffer was a Professor at Florida State University (FSU) for sixteen years, where he served as Director of Clinical Training. Prior to his tenure at FSU, he was a Professor at Duke University, where he served as Executive Director of Duke’s gifted program, Duke TIP. Dr. Pfeiffer also served as a clinical psychologist in the U.S. Navy Medical Service Corps and was a pediatric psychologist at the Ochsner Clinic and Medical Center. He also held the leadership position of Executive Director of Devereux’s Institute of Clinical Training & Research. Dr. Pfeiffer is a popular speaker. He was invited to testify at the White House and before the Italian Parliament. He has authored more than 200 articles, book chapters, and books, including Essentials of Gifted Assessment (Wiley, 2015) and Serving the Gifted (Routledge, 2013). He served as Editor of the Handbook of Giftedness in Children, (Springer, 2018), and Editor-in-Chief for the APA Handbook of Giftedness and Talent, (APA Books, 2018). He is the lead author of the GRS and GRS 2, published by MHS.

Valeria Bertolotti

Psychologist

Always interested in educational and developmental psychology, she graduated in 2014 with an experimental thesis on parental stress among parents with gifted children. Since then, she has continued to deepen and develop her skills working in the field of giftedness in Roberta Renati's team. Over the years she has specialized in assessment, psychological support for gifted children and their families, and counseling for teachers. From 2018 to 2021, she worked as a teacher in a kindergarten: this experience gave her the possibility to acquire new competencies in pedagogy and instructional design from an inclusive perspective. She currently serves as a psychologist in Noah's ArtemisLab project dedicated to identifying and supporting gifted children and their families; she also works in a local service for child protection, taking care of families and children living in poor or disadvantaged contexts.

Raffaella Bianchi

Social Media Manager

She has been a professional in the field of communication for years. She deeply believes in the importance of correct information on the issue of giftedness, which is particularly close to her for personal reasons, being the mother of a 2E boy (both gifted and dyslexic) and therefore aware of the daily challenges that these students and their families face. After university studies and a master's degree in marketing and communication, she worked in the press and event management office in communication agencies and in the corporate office of private companies and industry associations. For family reasons in 2010 she moved to the United States where she lived an extremely formative and rewarding human experience. During those years she served as a volunteer on the Princeton (NJ) City Election Committee for President Barack Obama's second term election campaign. On her return to Italy, three years later, she started working as a freelance again, specializing in communication on the web and on the main social networks, that over the years have supported and integrated traditional communication channels.

Aventura Social (Portugal)

The mission of ASA (Social Adventure-Association) is to promote comprehensive - physical, psychological and social - health and…

https://www.aventurasocial-associacao.com/

The mission of ASA (Social Adventure-Association) is to promote comprehensive - physical, psychological and social - health and healthy development throughout life, based on three main dimensions: promotion of cognitive, behavioural, emotional and motivational skills; promotion of social support through the involvement of families, community and mutual help; active citizenship by promoting greater engagement in communities and by enhancing the well-being of individuals.

Portugal

Team Partner

Celeste Simões

Associate Professor

Associate Professor with Aggregation at the Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon (FMH, ULisboa). She has a degree in Special Education and Rehabilitation from FMH, ULisboa, a master’s in Social Psychology from the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Porto University. She also has a PhD in Special Education in risk behaviours in adolescence and Aggregation in Education Sciences from FMH, ULisboa. Member of the Study Center for Education and Health Promotion, FMH, ULisboa and the Environmental Health Institute (ISAMB) from the Faculty of Medicine, ULisboa. Also, she was a chair and present member of the European Network for Social and Emotional Competence (ENSEC). Coordinator of the Master’s degree in Resilience in Education at FMH, ULisboa. Also, coordinator of national and international projects, namely RESCUR – European Resilience Curriculum, RESCUR in Action, ENRETE and Promehs. Her main areas of interest are social and emotional competencies, resilience, health promotion and education, and risk behaviours in adolescence. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0229-1422

Paula Lebre

Phd

Paula Lebre (Phd) in Human Kinetics, Rehabilitation. Auxiliary Professor at Faculty of Human Kinetics, Lisbon University (FMH, ULisboa), Portugal since 1994 at 1st 2nd cycle of Psychomotor rehabilitation, 3rd cycle on Human Kinetics and Education. Researcher at Institute of Ethnomusicology and – Study center of Music and Dance - Inet-Md-Polo Dança. She has a degree in Special Education and Rehabilitation, a master’s in Special Education and PhD in Human Motricity from FMH, ULisboa. Involved in research projects in areas of mental health promotion, resilience, SEL (Promehs - Promoting Mental Health at Schools; Story Makers Project, Rescur – European resilience curriculum, Rescur in Action, Be ready-Life skills and career development helping young people progress into success, Enrete - Enhancing resilience through teachers training) and psychomotor assessment & intervention. Since 2018 involved in the MARA - Movement Assessment and Reporting App, trialling its use in community dance programs in Portugal; contributing to the development of the Outcomes Framework; and the development of an Excel tool for use of the Framework without an iPad. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8440-2415

Anabela Caetano Santos

Post-doc researcher

Anabela Caetano Santos is a postdoctoral researcher in Education at the Laboratory of Distance Education and eLearning (Le@d) at the Portuguese Open University. She is also a member of the Aventura Social Associação (ASA) and the Environmental Health Institute Research Center (ISAMB, Faculty of Medicine, ULisboa). She has a degree and a master’s degree in Psychomotor therapy from the Faculty of Human Kinetics (FMH) of the University of Lisbon (ULisboa), a master’s degree in Sciences on Emotions from ISCTE- University Institute of Lisbon and a PhD (with double degree) in Education – Expertise in Health Education from FMH, ULisboa and in School Psychology and Human Development from the Institute of Psychology at the University of São Paulo (Brazil). She collaborated on national and international projects, some of which included teacher training, examples: RESCUR – Resilience European Curriculum, ENRETE – Enhancing Resilience Through Teacher Education, PROMEHS: Promoting Mental Health at Schools, and currently WAY: Who Saw You Then and who sees you now). Her main research interests include social and emotional learning (emphasising emotion regulation), resilience, mental health and student engagement.

Eunice Freitas

Doctoral candidate in Education

Special education teacher and a doctoral candidate in Education at the Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon (FMH, ULisboa). She has a degree in Education and a master in Special Education from the University of Minho. Her major research interest includes resilience, social and emotional competences, and the study of differences between deaf and hearing children. Currently, shares the direction of Associação Pegadas do Brincar ([Play Foortprints Association]; http://pegadasdobrincar.org/). This Association aims to connect city children to nature, through interactive activities and the recreation of spaces in the city. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6608-1873

Margarida Santos

PhD Student in Education

PhD Student in Education, specialty in Health Education, at the Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon (FMH, ULisboa), with a research project focused on the promotion of mental health of children and adolescents during the pandemic. Masters and Bachelor in Psychomotor Therapy at the Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon. Currently she is a Research Fellow of the PROMEHS Project. She is a researcher of the Social Adventure project. The main areas of interest are social and emotional competences, risk behaviours in adolescence, delinquency, resilience and health promotion. She collaborated in a few projects aimed to promote social and emotional skills in adolescents and adults with deviant behaviour and resilience in education. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0937-2906

Tânia Gaspar

Psychologist

Clinical and Health Psychologist. Doctor in Psychology, Master in Public Health, and Degree in Clinical Psychology. Associate Professor (with Aggregation in Psychology) at the Lusíada University of Lisbon. President of the Aventura Social Association (ASA) and Director of the Institute of Psychology and Educational Sciences, at the Lusíada University of Lisbon, and of the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychology. She coordinates the Office of Psychological Counseling and Health Promotion, at Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa. Member of the Board of the Portuguese Society of Health and Behavior. Researcher at the Aventura Social Team, Institute of Environmental Health, University of Lisbon, and at the Lusíada Center for Research in Social Work and Social Intervention, Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa. Principal Investigator of the Health Behavior in School-aged Children/World Health Organization study.

Sveuciliste U Zagrebu (Croatia)

The Faculty of Teacher Education is the leading institution for educating primary school and preschool teachers in the…

https://www.ufzg.unizg.hr/en/faculty-of-teacher-education/

The Faculty of Teacher Education is the leading institution for educating primary school and preschool teachers in the Republic of Croatia. The Faculty has three departments: Teacher Education Studies, Preschool Education Studies and Educational Studies. The Faculty also offers programmes of postgraduate specialization and doctoral programmes in the area of educational sciences. In addition to that, the Faculty also carries out programmes for continuing professional development for teachers working in primary schools.

Croatia

Team Partner

Marija Šarić Drnas

Researcher

Marija Šarić Drnas is employed as a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Zagreb. She received her doctorate in the field of developmental psychology in 2017. First professional experiences she gained at the Department of Psychodiagnostics at the Psychiatry Clinic at the Sisters of Mercy Clinical Hospital Center in Zagreb, then in Zagreb Child and Youth Protection Center where she received training in psychological counseling and in primary schools in Zagreb where she worked with children with special needs. At the Faculty of Teacher Education she teaches courses in the field of developmental psychology. She has participated in the projects: Methods and Models in the Upbringing and Education of Preschool Children and in RESCUR project (Resilience Curriculum for Early and Primary Schools in Europe). She publishes scientific papers in the field of developmental psychology and disseminates her results at international scientific conferences.

Staša Kukulj

Psycologist

Staša Kukulj graduated psychology from the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb, where she also received her doctorate in the field of developmental psychology in 2021. She has extensive experience in psychological counseling and psychoeducation of citizens in the field of mental health. She was a developmental psychologist in kindergarten until 2019., when she joined Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Teacher Education in Zagreb, where she teaches courses in the field of developmental psychology at undergraduate and graduate studies. She is an co-author of several scientific papers and she shares her research results with her colleagues at domestic and international scientific conferences. She continues to engage in professional development of early care educators, teachers and parents through different kinds of educational forms.

UAE University – College of Education

The United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) is the first and foremost comprehensive national university in UAE, and currently…

https://cedu.uaeu.ac.ae/en/

The United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) is the first and foremost comprehensive national university in UAE, and currently enrolls approximately 13,000 Emirati and international students. It offers a full range of accredited, high-quality graduate and undergraduate programs through nine Colleges, including the College of Education (CEDU), which has a total of 45 faculty and instructors as of 2021. CEDU offers undergraduate degrees to prepare teachers in the primary grades, master of education degrees for school and curriculum leaders, and a doctoral program for research and advanced study. The undergraduate student enrolment for CEDU is at 640, while 116 students are enrolled in the Master of Education program, and 61 students in the PhD program.

United Arab Emirates

Team Partner

Myra Garces Bacsal

Assistant to the Headmaster

Rhoda Myra Garces-Bacsal is the Assistant Dean of Research and Graduate Studies for the College of Education. He is also an associate professor in the Department of Special Education and is currently chair of the graduate studies committee and coordinator of the master's program in special education. She received the College Excellence in Scholarship Award in 2022, was nominated for an Excellence in Teaching Commendation Award in 2019, received an Excellence in Teaching Commendation Award in 2012 and a Service Commendation Award in 2013. Before moving to the Middle East, she served as Program Leader of the Master's and Bachelor's program in High Ability Studies and Gifted Education at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, where he taught for eleven years. She was selected by the Munich International Youth Library as an International Fellow in 2016 and 2017. She was the program committee chair for the Asian Festival of Children's Content held annually in Singapore from 2011 to 2019.

Najla Mohamed Al Owais

PhD

Najla Mohamed Al Owais is PhD candidate at UAEU, studying math education in the Curriculum & Instruction department. She holds a bachelor's degree in Math Education, and a Master of Arts in Interpreting & Translation. Her research interests include math and literature, math anxiety, problem solving and mathematics assessment. She has previously worked as a middle school mathematics teacher and a freelance translator

‘Lucian Blaga’ University of Sibiu

‘Lucian Blaga’ University of Sibiu (LBUS) is one of the long-established universities from Romania, with a tradition of…

https://www.ulbsibiu.ro/ro/despre/despre-ulbs/

‘Lucian Blaga’ University of Sibiu (LBUS) is one of the long-established universities from Romania, with a tradition of over 225 years. It benefits from national and international recognition of High Degree of Trust, acknowledged as an "Academic Center of Excellence", meeting global rankings (Times Higher Education World University Ranking, QS World University Ranking). LBUS includes nine faculties Besides, the university highly supports and encourages student creativity and innovation through its Learn Hub – EduHub by ULBS – together with a Student Centre for Technical Creation, Research, Innovation and Inventions and other competitive and innovative structures and programs: Innovation Labs (IT accelerator), BSS ULBS - Bridge Summer School-ULB; The Night of Researchers (yearly organized); Artificial Intelligence Lab; Confucius Institute; Career Orientation Centre; Hasso Platner Institute Grants for research, artistic and sport performance; External Mobility Programs for Bachelor, Master and PhD students.

Romania

Team Partner

Ana Maria Radu

Master Student

Ana Maria Radu is master student at “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences. She studied Forensic Psychology and International Criminology, at “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu and The University of Sheffield, UK. Her work experience in the field of inclusion comes from my employment at P3 Charity in West Midlands, UK. This organization helps vulnerable people, such as homeless persons and victims of domestic violence, integrate in the society. In terms of personality, she is a communicative and positive person, eager to further develop her knowledge in the field of inclusion.

Daniel MARA

Professor, Ph.D., habil.

Daniel MARA has been teaching at “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu since 2001, and in 2013 he became a Full Professor. In 2004, he received his PhD from Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, in the field of educational psychology, and in 2016 he was habilitated at the University of Bucharest in the field of inclusive education. He obtained his BA in Pedagogy - Romanian Language and Literature (1997) and diploma advanced studies in Integrated education (1998) at Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca. Currently he is Full Professor at "Lucian Blaga" University of Sibiu, Dean of Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, and member of Doctoral School of Psychology (West University of Timisoara) and member of the Doctoral School of Pedagogical Sciences (University of Bologna, Italy). The his subfields of interest are: inclusive education, intercultural education, teacher’s training.

Lia Bologa

Professor

Lia Bologa is lecturer at “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, Faculty of Socio-Human Sciences. She has a Master in Deaf Audiology (Assessment of communication skills by verbal audiometry), a PhD in Psychology (Risk factors of current forms of school violence) and she is a member of Teachers Training Department of the University since 2003. Her main areas of interest are Educational Psychology, Strategies for inclusion of people with sensory disabilities and Strategies for inclusion of people with behavioral disorders, NLP. She has over 19 years of experience in educational psychology, clinical and organizational psychology and she is a member of the Romanian College of Psychologists, International Association of Neuro Linguistic Programming and Coaching and Association for Neuro Linguistic Programming.

University of Ferrara

That Renaissance spirit, as confident in human potential and rigorous as the geometric plan of the city, is…

http://www.unife.it/it

That Renaissance spirit, as confident in human potential and rigorous as the geometric plan of the city, is the unbroken thread that UNIFE brings to the contemporary world: a university on a personal scale, rich in exchanges with the whole world, in which research is rife, immersed in the network of relationships with companies, the territory, the institutions. The over 27,000 students who attend it every year - 80% come from outside the region - are also attracted to a city of dimensions and rhythms conducive to study and their personal and social growth. By bike, everything is close at hand: from a lesson to an exhibition at the Palazzo dei Diamanti, from the gym to an interview with teachers and tutors, from the library to a performance by the buskers at the “Buskers Festival”.

Italy

Team Partner

Tamara Zappaterra

Associate Professor

Tamara Zappaterra is Associate Professor of Teaching Methodologies and Special Education at University of Ferrara (IT), where she is currently Vice Rector for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Her research activity focuses on theories and methodologies in educational processes, with particular relevance to the inclusion of people with disabilities and the training of educational professional: show the evolution of handicap conceptualization influences the culture of inclusion; inclusive learning environments for people with special educational needs, particularly in the school context; how higher educational contexts address the inclusion of people with specific learning disorders; psychoeducational and didactic approaches to autism spectrum disorders; adulthood of people with intellectual disabilities and their independent living opportunities through employment; body and sport activities as an educational medium in disability; pre-service and in-service teacher training addressed to equity and inclusion. She is director of the Specialization course for support teacher and coordinator of the master's degree course in “Training, Communication and Digital Citizenship”.

Loredana La Vecchia

Associate Professor of Experimental Pedagogy

Loredana La Vecchia is Associate Professor of Experimental Pedagogy at University of Ferrara (IT). Her research activity is focused on theories and methodologies in training and educational processes, with particular attention to the valuative and docimological aspects and the use of new network technologies. With this in mind, and referring to a socio-constructivist pedagogical approach, the themes of his work concern: the development of teaching professionalism in schools and universities; the quality of the didactic action; didactic and evaluation innovation; the planning and evaluation of training actions aimed at skills; constructive alignment and syllabus design; assessment for learning, peer assessments. With respect to new technologies, the research interest is aimed at linguistic and methodical aspects: how the combined interweaving of multiple languages - verbal, iconic, sound - and an adequate design of virtual environments can favor and stimulate learning, generate engagement, inclusion, improve feedback, promote knowledge.

Giovanni Ganino

Researcher

Giovanni Ganino is a researcher in educational technologies at the Department of Humanities of University of Ferrara (IT). He carries out university research and teaching activities in the area of theories and technologies of e-learning, digital education, media education, cognitive processes and multimedia learning. In particular, his research activity concerns the use of cognitive artefacts based on multimedia languages and web technologies, with the aim of: making learning processes meaningful in formal contexts (conventional, remote, mixed); favor theoretical elaboration, abstraction and reflection processes, active participation, critical thinking. The research activity resulted in the publication of 7 monographs, thirty scientific articles for national and international journals, participation in national and international conferences and research projects.

External Partners

University of Bari Aldo Moro

The University of Bari, founded in 1925 and named after Aldo Moro in 2008, is the oldest and…

https://www.uniba.it/it

The University of Bari, founded in 1925 and named after Aldo Moro in 2008, is the oldest and largest of the universities in Puglia. It is traditionally considered the place dedicated to higher education and research, but it also aims at dialogue with society. Contributing to social, cultural, and economic development, it is called to be a bridge with industry, civil society, and the territory that hosts it. It has also been promoting international scientific cooperation for years through academic agreements with universities worldwide. Its educational offerings embrace all disciplinary areas except Engineering and Architecture, which have been merged into the Polytechnic of Bari since 1990.

Italy

Team Partner

Eleonora Faggiano

Associate Professor in Mathematics Education

Eleonora Faggiano is currently Associate Professor in Mathematics Education at the Department of Mathematics of the University of Bari Aldo Moro (Italy). She obtained her master’s degree in Mathematics in 1999, the Qualification for High School Teaching in Mathematics and Physics in 2001, and her PhD in Computer Science in 2005, discussing a thesis on e-learning and educational technologies with application in mathematics education. Her main research interests concern: the use of digital technologies, and their synergy with manipulatives, to construct shared mathematical meanings in the classroom; methodological and technological resources to foster teachers’ collaboration and professional development; teacher professional development concerning mathematics and STEAM; the connection between the National INVALSI standardized mathematics tests and the teaching practices at primary and secondary school level.

Roberto Capone

Researcher at the University of Bari

Roberto Capone is Chemistry Engineer, Mathematician and Psychologist, PHD in Mathematics, Physics and Applications. Currently, he is a researcher at the University of Bari. He is involved in teacher training courses for teachers in Italy on the competency-based teaching of mathematics. He is a member of the Italian Commission for the Teaching of Mathematics (CIIM) and of the National Council of "Licei Matematici" His main research interests are Methodological and Technological Innovations for Resources for Mathematics Education, Lesson study for teachers professional development, Interdisciplinary Education.

University of Cagliari

Founded by Philip III of Spain in 1620, the University of Cagliari was born with four teachings: Theology,…

http://www.unica.it

Founded by Philip III of Spain in 1620, the University of Cagliari was born with four teachings: Theology, Laws, Medicine, Philosophy and the Arts. The gradual growth of the university led to its current configuration in 6 Faculties and 17 Departments, which constitute the operational nuclei of the university organization in charge of achieving the primary objectives of the university: research and teaching, serving the high need for innovation required by today's knowledge society. With more than 24,750 enrolled students, 37 bachelor's degree programs, 34 master's degree programs and 6 single-cycle programs, 30 graduate schools, 15 doctoral programs, and 12 active master's degree programs, the University of Cagliari ensures an important contribution to the higher education of young people who choose to study in Cagliari and for the entire island community.

Italy

Team Partner

Maria Pietronilla Penna

Full Professor in General Psycholog

Maria Pietronilla Penna is Full Professor in General Psychology at the University of Cagliari. She is mainly involved in the investigation and assessment of brain functions and cognitive processes in life span. Her research on cognitive psychology focuses on visual processes, the representation of memory and knowledge, and the understanding of learning and reading. In fact, his research activities follow a multidisciplinary line. Currently, major research topics include working memory, visuospatial metacognition, to e- learning, learning disabilities, communication psychology, cyberbullying, new technologies and the psychology of aging. She is the author of books and scientific publications in national and international journals on various research topics.

University of Parma

The University of Parma is one of the oldest state universities in Italy. An institution with a thousand-year…

https://www.unipr.it/

The University of Parma is one of the oldest state universities in Italy. An institution with a thousand-year history, starting from the 19th century it began a path of growth and evolution that is still uninterrupted today. With a pool of about 25,000 students, 1,800 between teaching researchers and administrative technical staff, it offers a wide and varied training offer, capable of investing in research and ever closer to the demands of the employment world.

Italy

Team Partner

Dolores Rollo

Associate Professor of Developmental and Educational Psychology

She is Associate Professor of Developmental and Educational Psychology at the Neuroscience Unit of the Department of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Parma, she also leads the Reception and Inclusion Centre, and she is the Rector's Delegate for the University Psychological Counselling Service. She teaches Developmental Psychology and Educational Psychology in the Bachelor's degree courses in Psychological Sciences and Techniques and in Education and Training Processes. She also teaches Psychology of Cognitive and Socio-Affective Development in the Master's degree course in Psychobiology and Cognitive Neuroscience. She is part of the scientific committee of several journals on developmental and educational topics and she is a full member of the Italian Association of Psychology (Developmental and Educational Psychology section), and of the Italian Association for Research and Intervention in the Psychopathology of Learning (AIRIPA). She is the author of books and scientific publications in national and international journals. Among her main research topics is the experimental verification of the effectiveness of educational methodologies (e.g., music and mindfulness workshops) carried out within school contexts to enhance cognitive and socio-emotional competencies and student's well-being.

Associazione Kangourou Italia

The non-profit association 'Kangourou without Borders' was founded in Strasbourg in 1994 with the participation of 9 nations:…

https://www.kangourou.it/

The non-profit association 'Kangourou without Borders' was founded in Strasbourg in 1994 with the participation of 9 nations: France, Belarus, Hungary, Holland, Poland, Romania, Russia, Italy and Spain. The statute was registered in Paris on 17 January 1995. Italy was represented by the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, which was already responsible for organising the Mathematics Olympiad. In 1999, the Kangourou Italia project began to develop thanks to the commitment of Angelo Lissoni, who decided to devote himself entirely to the development of this project, working in agreement with the Mathematics Department of the University of Milan.The Kangourou Italia Cultural Association is supported in its scientific work by a Scientific Committee, composed as follows:

- Prof. P. Causin (University of Milan)

- Prof. G. Bini (University of Palermo)

- Prof.ssa L. Capelli (retired lecturer at the Liguria Regional Directorate)

- Prof. S. De Stefano (retired lecturer at the University of Milan)

- Prof. G. L. Forti (retired lecturer at the University of Milan)

- Prof. M. Gobbino (University of Pisa)

- Prof. P. Causin (University of Milan)

- Prof. G. Bini (University of Palermo)

- Prof.ssa L. Capelli (retired lecturer at the Liguria Regional Directorate)

- Prof. S. De Stefano (retired lecturer at the University of Milan)

- Prof. G. L. Forti (retired lecturer at the University of Milan)

- Prof. M. Gobbino (University of Pisa)

- Prof. A. Lissoni (President of the Kangourou Italia Cultural Association)

- Prof. E. Maluta (Politecnico di Milano)

- Prof. A. Rossi (retired teacher Liceo Leonardo di Brescia)

- Prof. C. Zanco (retired lecturer at the University of Milan)

Today, the constantly expanding AKSF Association has come to incorporate over 70 nations (for information and documents see http://www.aksf.org). In a nutshell, Articles 2 and 3 of the Statutes of Kangourou without Borders read as follows:

- Article 2: the primary aim of the Association is the dissemination of a basic mathematical culture among young people, the game-contest being only a means to this end;

- article 3: the means that can/should be used for this purpose are the competition texts, the publication of books/articles, posters, CDs, games in various forms...

Kangourou Italy has created many opportunities for young people and teachers to meet, launching initiatives that have since been adopted by other nations. These include: the individual national finals enriched by lectures of general interest and preceded by regional semifinals at various university venues, and team competitions for primary and secondary schools.

Italy

Team Partner

Angelo Lissoni

President

Angelo Lissoni was born in Monza (MB) on 29 April 1949. He graduated in the Liceo Scientifico Statale 'Paolo Frisi' in Monza in 1968. A mathematics graduate from the Department of Mathematics via Saldini at the University of Milan in 1968, he graduated with a thesis on the 'logic of trivalent connectives' on 14 July 1972. In 1972 he was admitted to the 68th AUC course and served in the military as a Complementary Officer in Milan at the Perrucchetti barracks. Married to Chiara, he has 2 daughters and 2 grandchildren. Winner of the national competition for professorships announced by Ministerial Decree 5/5/1973 for both the mathematics class at high school and the teaching of mathematics and scientific observations at secondary school. In the three-year Computer Science course, he taught mathematics from 1973 to 2006 at ITIS Hensemberger in Monza. With Sandro Salsa, he wrote two volumes for teaching mathematics in Computer Science courses and laboratories. A member of the didactic research group at Bocconi University, he has published articles on games in the magazine 'Lettera Pristem' published by Bocconi itself. He proposed and coordinated the Bocconi 'International Mathematical Games Championships'. Responsible for the team at the international final in Paris, member of the International Committee and translator of the texts of the first phase and the final. He was a lecturer at LIUC in Castellanza for 9 years then at SILSIS of the State University for Informatics. Since 1999, he has been the Italian head of the 'Kangourou' mathematical competition, in agreement with the University of Milan, taking over from Roberto Dvornicich of the Scuola Normale di Pisa. In recent years, the 'Kangourou of Mathematics' has grown from the initial 2,500 entries to over 84,000 entries from 1,100 schools in 2019. From 2005 to 2017, he coordinated the "Kangourou of the English Language" competition, which has had the University of Cambridge as its scientific partner for the past five years. For the two competitions, he writes, translates, typesets and publishes many works on mathematics and beyond. Angelo Lissoni is president of 'Kangourou Italia', a cultural association and publishing house at the same time. A member of the Kangourou World Board from 2018 to 2023, he organised the world meetings of the Kangourou Association without Borders in 2002 and 2022 (5 to 9 October 2022 with 285 participants from over 90 countries). The Kangourou competitions are recognised in MIUR's Roll of Excellence.

CTS Ferrara

Ferrara's Territorial Support Centre (CTS) based at IC 5 Dante Alighieri in Ferrara is a service 'of the…

http://fe.cts.istruzioneer.it/

Ferrara's Territorial Support Centre (CTS) based at IC 5 Dante Alighieri in Ferrara is a service 'of the school for the school', where teachers with specific training and/or experience work with partial or total dispensation from teaching. The CTS carries out the following activities:

- it supports schools in the province in the identification and purchase of teaching aids concerning the resources made available by the Ministry of Education; (University of Milan)

- It provides information and training for teachers, pupils and families on technological resources and issues for school inclusion and for fighting bullying and cyberbullying;

- carries out support and in-depth study activities on specific disabilities with particular reference to activities related to the inclusion of students with autism, also through "Help Desk" actions;

-organises collections of good practices and research, design and experimentation activities on school inclusion and the prevention of bullying and cyberbullying.

Italy

Team Partner

Pasqualina Fazio

Teacher at UST Ferrara and CTS

Pasqualina Fazio is a teacher currently assigned to UST Ferrara and CTS (support centre for new technologies) in Ferrara. She has a degree in electronic engineering and is licensed to teach electronics/electrotechnics in secondary schools. She is working on guidance, methodology and didactics for DSA and BES at the Ferrara CTS.

Maria Antonietta Difonzo

Teacher and coordinator of the CTS

Maria Antonietta Difonzo, is a teacher and coordinator of the CTS (Centro di Supporto Territoriale Nuove Tecnologie e disabilità) in Ferrara. A primary school support teacher, she has been working in the field of technology and didactics for disabilities her whole career. She carries out training and consultancy activities for the CTS of Ferrara. She is also the Tutor of the Indirect Traineeship in the TFA of Ferrara.

Project Results

Game-based assessment tool to identify gifted children

The GIFTED game-based assessment tool will help teachers and education specialists to recognize gifted and talented students. It will function as a gym, with different training sessions, where the teacher can experiment in identifying the different types of gifted students.

Online Game-based training programme for teachers and experts working with gifted children

GIFTED will develop a comprehensive set of training contents to enhance the skills of teachers working with gifted students in the classroom and to help them develop and implement suitable didactic strategies in an inclusive classroom perspective. This training programme will be delivered through an online platform that uses a gamification approach to increase the engagement and motivation of learners.

Handbook on methodology for working with gifted children in the classroom

The Handbook details comprehensive methodology guidelines for teachers working with gifted students. It will draw on the specific expertise of the partners, each specialising in a particular aspect of the methodology for working with gifted students, and will lead to the development of an innovative methodology in teacher training, as a result of the International collaboration among the partners. The Handbook will also include User Guidelines for the game-based assessment tool, designed for teachers and staff to support them in using the tool.

Open Badge certifying the training programme for teachers of gifted students

An Open Badge is a digital certificate of knowledge, personal skills such as for example, soft skills, or technical skills acquired. Associated with the GIFTED training programme, and guaranteed by the academic partners that developed and delivered the programme, the Open Badge will be a validated indicator that the learner has successfully completed the training programme. Each academic partner will release their open badge, but during the project’s lifetime they will take all the steps to develop a common Open Badge recognised at a global level.

Our Activities

Phase 1: Preparation

The academic partners will develop the requirements and specifications for a curriculum on teaching gifted students. The specifications will start from an analysis of state-of-the-art assessment tools and teaching methodologies for gifted children, and then identify the knowledge and skills needed for the identification and support of gifted and talented students in the classroom, and the suitable didactic strategies.
Phase 2: Development of game-based assessment tool

The partners will design and develop the game-based assessment tool for the identification of gifted and talented students in the classroom. Starting from the specifications developed in phase 1, the assessment tool for gifted students will be developed as an instrument for training teachers in identifying gifted students.
Phase 3: Development of game-based platform and contents for online teacher training

The partners will develop the syllabus of contents for the online training programme for teachers. It is a comprehensive set of training contents to enhance the skills of teachers in working with gifted students in the classroom, to help them develop and implement suitable learner-centered strategies in an inclusive classroom perspective. In parallel, the partners will develop the online platform that will deliver the programme, using gamification dynamics to increase motivation and engagement.
Phase 4: Piloting the approach in teacher training real contexts
Teachers will be trained in real use cases using the methodology and games in three sets of consecutive pilot sessions:
- A restricted pilot session with teachers and external experts to gain first feedback about the methodology and online training programme.
- A larger training session to train teachers, school psychologists and support staff on the methodology and tools, so that they acquire or update their skills and competencies.
- Immediately afterwards, other training sessions will be organized in each participating country to test those methodology and tools with students in real classroom contexts.
Phase 5: Dissemination of the GIFTED methodology

The educational experts from the academic partners, led by NOAH, will organize and produce a “Handbook on methodology for working with gifted children in the classroom” that will collect the methodologies and approaches developed, and the best practices collected in the project. The Handbook will be used to disseminate the key points collected during the pilot testing and the most effective teaching methodologies applied. Four multiplier events will be held to engage a wider community of teachers and to disseminate project results and outcomes.

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Project Overview

The project in a nutshell

Societal Context

Basic information

Support teachers in developing the skills needed to nurture the development of the potential of gifted and talented students

Project Objectives

Objective 1

Objective 2

Objective 3

Consortium

Grifo Multimedia

Coordinator: Noah (Italy)

Aventura Social (Portugal)

Sveuciliste U Zagrebu (Croatia)

UAE University – College of Education

‘Lucian Blaga’ University of Sibiu

University of Ferrara

External Partners

University of Bari Aldo Moro

University of Cagliari

University of Parma

Associazione Kangourou Italia

CTS Ferrara

Game-based tools to help teachers to identify gifted and talented students

Project Results

Game-based assessment tool to identify gifted children

Online Game-based training programme for teachers and experts working with gifted children

Handbook on methodology for working with gifted children in the classroom

Open Badge certifying the training programme for teachers of gifted students

Game-based training to engage teachers and increase their motivation and commitment in gifted education

Our Activities

Phase 1: Preparation

Phase 2: Development of game-based assessment tool

Phase 3: Development of game-based platform and contents for online teacher training

Phase 4: Piloting the approach in teacher training real contexts

Phase 5: Dissemination of the GIFTED methodology

Latest news

Kicking Off the First Pilot Phase at the thrilling finals of Kangourou Italy!

Training teachers at the Ferrara CTS

Meetings with schools of the Gifted project network

Use of games as technological tools close to the world of the new generation of students

Newsletter

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