The Centre for Research on Natural Science Education and Talent-Management

The Centre was established at the Faculty of Science of the University of Ostrava within the project Natural Science Didactics and a Practising Teacher, reg. No. CZ.02.3.68/0.0/0.0/16_011/0000669, as a specialised workplace focusing on research and support and development of talented pupils with respect to natural sciences who live in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. We also support teachers, assistants and parents of talented pupils as well as those who cooperate with them during various other activities.

Inclusion is a trend we respect, yet we dare take a slightly different look at it within the Gaussian distribution. We consider this approach – support of talented pupils – vitally important and necessary.

Where does our courage come from?

  • All concerned persons have cooperated with or been lecturers for the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic; National Institute for Further Education; National Institute for Education, Education Counselling Centre and Centre for Continuing Education of Teachers; Mensa Czech Republic; Mayors and Independents (Starostové a nezávislí Political Party); RSJ Foundation; Qiido Foundation, and other organisations involved in working with gifted pupils.
  • Interest coming from schools in the Moravian-Silesian Region ensures permeability of the following education pathway:
    pupils ⟶ student ⟶ college student

We have established the following objectives:

  • Cooperation with students across study programmes, mainly in the field of natural science teaching;
  • Scientific research focusing on issues of gifted and talented individuals (STEM, STEAM) using the Eye Tracking technology;
  • Specification of educational strategies for gifted and talented pupils with a focus on natural sciences;
  • Training of future school teachers for working with gifted pupils within the university studies at Bachelor and Master study programmes (Working with Talented Students in Natural Sciences).

What can you expect when cooperating with the Centre?

  • Presentation of cooperating schools towards the faculty and its individual departments – talent capturing;
  • Support of pupils and students from the Moravian-Silesian Region who are talented in the field of natural sciences;
  • Cooperation within partial researches (Students' Professional Activities, Olympiads);
  • Cooperation with interesting institutions and organisations in connection with natural science talent in and outside the Czech Republic (Mensa Czech Republic, Johns Hopkins Centre for Talented Youth, University of Baltimore – e.g. online courses);
  • Accredited courses with attractive topics;
  • Regular counselling in the field of teaching talented students in natural sciences;
  • Regular counselling in the field of the psychology of the gifted.

Structure of the Centre:

structure

The Centre for Research on Natural Science Education and Talent-Management

Research activities

Advanced placement (preparation)

Activities focused on target groups (pupils, teachers, parents – lectures)

Project based activities, accreditation of lecturing (Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic)

Counselling activities in cooperation with:

  • teachers
  • pedagogical assistants
  • guidance counsellors
  • counselling centres

Reflection:

Talent entails the challenge of numerous specificities that often and repeatedly come to light when working with talented pupils in the educational process. We should constantly be striving to analyse basic needs of talented pupils in a contemporary school in order to link all agents that participate in their education. It is also necessary to give thought to effective approaches to how to educate them.

Despite the self-government that talented pupils enjoy in the same way as other students do, a deeper analysis shows that also talented ones have some features in common, while differing in other things. It is essential that talented pupils meet informed teachers at schools who are professionals with respect to their field of science and at the same time willing to work not only with talented pupils but on themselves as well. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that the teachers who are able to maintain an adequate educational level are selected for working with talented pupils. Such teachers may offer talented pupils a way to follow, yet following the way will always remain a decision of the pupils themselves.

Jana Škrabánková
Centre Manager

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Updated: 27. 03. 2018