18 May 2026
Brisbane Catholic Education’s Gifted and Talented Week (18 – 22 May) provides an opportunity to reflect on how educator expertise can enhance outcomes for gifted and talented learners.
For Wendy Anderson, Acting Learning Leader – English at Carmel College Thornlands, and an educator with more than 20 years’ experience across learning support, primary teaching and secondary English, a personal experience sparked her interest in gifted education.
“My niece was accelerated in Prep and despite being a curious and passionate learner, did not enjoy school,” Wendy said.
“This led me to question how someone who almost had a golden ticket to learning, did not thrive in a classroom environment.
“I started recognising similar attributes in other students who I was teaching. I saw that being academically intelligent, did not always lead to successful cognitive or social-emotional outcomes.
“I could see a gap that required further investigation in the sector.”
Supported by a BCE scholarship, Wendy completed a Master of Education (Gifted Education) at the University of New South Wales, leading to significant changes in how she identifies and supports gifted learners through inclusive and equitable classroom practice.
“At the beginning of a unit, I aim to spot potential via creative and critical thinking questions as this tends to yield insightful answers from gifted students,” Wendy said.
“I then group those students with like-minded learners. I use accountable talk to ask gifted students open or complex questions and encourage elaboration.”
Rather than ‘more work’, Wendy focuses on greater challenge with gifted students.
“Sometimes it can be as simple as changing the cognitive verb from identify to justify or including a new language feature, such as juxtaposition, into their task."
Wendy’s studies prompted her to reconsider widely held assumptions about gifted learners and their learning needs, including the belief that they do not require additional support, or are simply ‘smart’ and will automatically succeed.
“We owe it to gifted students, to meet their cognitive and social and emotional needs,” she said.
“Gifted students require support to attain talent development, and I want them to feel autonomous and motivated to perform, whilst also ensuring they are stimulated and engaged.”
“When I differentiate for gifted students, I feel that a level of trust is built between us because they feel seen and understood. By increasing challenge, it increases engagement and intrinsic motivation.”
With further study in the area across her career, Wendy has been able to enact whole-school approaches to gifted education, lead enrichment opportunities such as debating, and share her expertise across the sector, including presenting at conferences and being a key member of the Queensland Association for Gifted & Talented Children.
The BCE scholarship program supports teachers and staff to deepen their expertise through postgraduate study, strengthening classroom practice and improving student engagement, achievement and wellbeing.
“A BCE scholarship for the Graduate Diploma in Gifted Education from UNSW enabled me to focus my professional learning and refine my practice within a targeted area of education. My passion for the field only grows stronger with time,” Wendy said.
Wendy is currently completing a PhD exploring how Queensland English teachers can foster engagement and ‘flow’ for gifted creative writers in the secondary years.
A scholarship opportunity has been introduced for BCE staff wishing to strengthen their practice through a short course in Gifted Education at Griffith University, with applications opening again next year.
BCE Gifted and Talented Week 2026
This week BCE celebrates Gifted and Talented Week, recognising the 10% of our students who are gifted and talented.
These learners bring diverse abilities, interests, and ways of thinking, and require intentional approaches that recognise and respond to their learning needs.
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