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This homepage outlines the exemplary educational program called Night of the Notables (or variously, Festival of the Famous or Evening of Eagles) held in Australian schools to cater primarily for gifted and talented adolescents. Night of the Notables features suitable role models for gifted and talented children.
IN SUPPORT
"The community is a valuable source of adult role models, mentors and moral exemplars, and individuals who pursue their lives and work with passion who can guide the young gifted person to the development of his or her own passions (deep interests)" (Linda K Silverman, 1993:72).
"Senseless killings and unexplained sufferings are our everyday TV diet. To counter this, we need outstanding examples of moral uprightness and self sacrifice to encourage us to live for the greater good." by DW a graduate of Night of the Notables, now in Year 12.
"The thing I found most appealing was how the project didn't stop at handing in a paper. For the first time, I was able to take the next step and get into the shoes of my notable and give the information I had acquired to the general public." Year 8 student
Night of the Notables is inclusive, engaging and enabling.
Night of the Notables™ is an inclusive program for gifted and talented and everyone. It has received an enthusiastic response. In it, many optimal features of gifted education (demanding research skills, longer time spans, deeper studies, wider research, flexible pacing, integrated study across the subjects, advanced communication skills, personal creativity) are featured.
Night of the Notables serves and nurtures the autonomous learner. The student works at his or her own pace and to his own depth, free to move where he wishes, working within his own time frame, comfortable within his own learning style and encouraged to be creative about the products of learning. Night of the Notables shows the autonomous learner at work to best effect.
Better learning models start from the learner, they recognise learners' characteristics, their needs, their learning styles, and encourage discovery, synthesis and creativity. Longer time spans, wider resources, demanding research skills, deeper studies, wider research, flexible pacing, integrated study across school subjects, advanced communication skills and personal creativity are valued elements of better learning programs.
Models that encourage student input, sharing of resources and a synthetic approach seem to be better learning-for-life models; the skills are self developed, reinforced and applied by the learner with minimal tutor supervision. In these models, skills transference seems more likely to occur. Because it features these qualities, Night of the Notables is a best practice model. It is found to be most suitable for Grades 6-8.
"To us, this was Utopia - . . . . It became evident that the Autonomous Learner Model is an effective way to implement a gifted education programme in the regular classroom. Our experience underlined the value of the model's holistic approach, and its concern with the social and emotional growth of all students, as well as their intellectual development ."
Teachers Jill Bitmead and Pam Robertson (1993) after visiting Colorado to see the Betts' Autonomous Learner Model in regular classrooms.
"Gifted need real life problem solving activities. In these, the role of the teacher changes from being one who models thinking (demonstrates metacognitive reflection, skills and procedures), to being one who coaches (helps, monitors, directs and challenges), then to being one who then scaffolds (sets frameworks, modulates, reflects and organises), and finally being one who fades (becomes a member of the group, becomes an occasional resource for information and procedure). This diminishing role of the tutor reflects the learner's increasingly taking control of this own learning and his/her increasing autonomy as a learner."
At your own Night of the Notables, you
could meet:
Alexander Fleming, Alexander the Great, Amelia Earhart, Anne Frank, Archimedes, Robert Browning, Carl Sagan, Charles Babbage, Charles Chaplin, Charles Kingsford Smith, Christopher Columbus, Samuel Coleridge, Descartes, Ian Calder, Florence Nightingale, Fred Hollows, Gene Kelly, Hubert Opperman, Ira Gershwin, Isaac Asimov, Laurens van der Post, Marco Polo, Matthew Flinders, Mozart, Allan Border, Beethoven, Charles Darwin, Winston Churchill, Confucius, Dennis Lillee, Douglas Mawson, Albert Einstein, Gustav Flaubert, Gandhi, Greg Norman, Helen Keller, Joan of Arc, Karl Benz, Leonardo, Linus Pauling, Margaret Thatcher, May Gibbs, Michael Jordan, Michelangelo, Nehru, Phillip Law, Richard Dawkins, Shakespeare, Sun Yat-sen, Thomas Edison, Vincent van Gogh, William Booth, . . . .
International clients may prefer
to use Paypal with us. Condensed from G. B.Smith "Night of the Notables:
A program for gifted and talented". Our Gifted Children 2.1,
(1993), 2 - 5. Melbourne: Hawker Brownlow Education. Night of the
Notables is differentiated
for gifted.
It: Night of the Notables is a model
multidisciplinary learning experience.
The Night of the Notables Program™ is a suitable challenge for
both gifted and talented children. The Night of the Notables' study is usually
a whole family involvement: Families
have become very involved in Notables, even more than in any
other of a student's studies. It is very much a family affair when
mother, father and student along with siblings and even grandparents
trundle in with all the flags, signs, video gear, costume and food to
help set up the display. Many hours of family discussion, planning
and arranging go into this particular Study and the parents always
report they love being so involved in what their boy or girl learns.
The Night itself is very exciting and crowded, a real coming together
of the school family. Librarians, researchers, teachers, family members, community
resource people and the elderly are all valued in this study as
students look far and wide for the
information they need. Encouraging parents to monitor progress as it
does, the program values parents as active partners in their
children's education. Night of the Notables challenges the
myth that IQ is destiny. Studying the lives of notable people
shows that success comes from opportunity, hard work, persistence
despite failure, scholarship, teamwork as well as native talent. It
offers more complex explanations for fame than strong motivation and
pursuing media promotion. The program does promote active learning and
problem solving. The research focus is on active learning
growing from student interests. Night of the Notables is indeed an
extra-mural study seeking the widest possible sources in a community
of scholarship. Night of the Notables is a superior
programme. Parents, teachers and students find the study and the night
immensely rewarding. Some invited guests have even written back too
with appreciative comments. The following is a selection: 2001: "The evening went off without a hitch and was a huge
success for both students and teachers. The parents were dazzled by
their children's knowledge and enthusiasm. The school community were
raving all week about it (many siblings and additional staff members
were impressed). Thank you for your great program and I will keep in
contact for next year." Meagan K. "I am writing to congratulate you and your students for a truly
inspirational and entertaining evening. . . The students really rose
to the occasion and demonstrated a sound and well rehearsed
understanding of the characters they 'became' for the night. That
they had spent a great deal of time researching the lives of their
chosen person was obvious, as was their pleasure in relating the
details and anecdotes about the lives of their famous people. The
sources of their information were varied and well chosen and the
presentation of this information in such diverse projects as interest
centre posters and games was very well done." letter from a parent of
a notable One of the most impressive aspects of the
Night from my perspective was the fact that the students remained in
character (accents and all in some cases!) for the whole night, in a
most mature and often spontaneous manner. I learned facts about such
people as Walt Disney, Sir Edmund Hillary and others that I could not
have found in standard references. Attempting to find out about life
through the eyes of Mao Tse Tung was fascinating, as this student
related his feelings about the revolution as though he were truly Mao
himself, and other characters, too numerous to mention, also taught
me a lot about the various aspects of the lives of their notables. .
. ." Guest Book entry To me it was obvious that [they] had invested a great deal
of time, effort and patience in this venture which paid off
handsomely for your students." Katrina R "I have organised five Nights of the Notables in the (United)
States and I can say truthfully this is equal to my best. I
congratulate you Greg and all the boys and their parents for an
excellent and stimulating evening." Janet Aker Smith, Texas
USA "It was a wonderfully successful night for you and for all others
involved. It shows clearly what our boys can achieve and that we are
on the right course in 'lifting the ceiling'. Congratulations, Greg!"
G.K.H., Head of School "Most boys dressed up in appropriate
costumes which added to the excitement the night. I really enjoyed
Charles Kingsford Smith's display and liked having a chat about his
life and achievements. Vincent Van Gogh had the patched ear and the
real irises to show his famous painting. Overall the night was a
great success and congratulations must go to ... the famous notables
themselves!" Xanthe R The boys did a superb job, not only of
researching their character but in communicating the information so
ably to a very mixed audience. I was impressed with their spontaneity
and confidence which was evident in the obvious enjoyment and
keenness with which they presented their special
"notable". Comments from students participating include: "I loved learning
about Einstein; he fascinated me greatly. I learn t a lot from this
study. . . . It answered many of my questions about the universe that
previously no one could explain [to me]. I enjoyed what I
learnt and think it will benefit me in the future." by 'Agatha Christie': "It provided a challenge to become another
person to the smallest detail. I learnt everything about my notable:
brothers, sisters, religion, childhood, education , romances, just to
name a few areas. I learnt so many things it is hard to remember them
all! I began to understand the person who invented the great stories
and plots. I have learnt why her mind works the way it does." Students are challenged: "I was also pleased
that people asked many questions . . . people asked me a lot of
questions . . . I was able to answer all the guests' questions. . . .
I enjoyed answering the questions. . . a great learning experience. I
answered many questions . . . Many people asked me questions and I
usually managed to answer everything." The Autonomous Learner Model "has
been modified in many different directions in their own setting and
with their own goals, standards and needs" (Betts, 1996:7). This site
offers an authentic and proven adaptation of one part of that model
for Australian conditions. Copyright audit clearance: All our materials are original and owe
no royalties to any third party. Student contributors are
acknowledged in the booklets. You are purchasing from the source /
author.
NIGHT OF THE NOTABLES IS SOUND GIFTED EDUCATION
"I found myself interested in
knowing more about the great men of the eighteenth century because
in reading about Wedgewood there were numerous references to them.
I ended up checking out books on the architecture of the Adams
brothers, the Wesleyan movement, American poetry, and Chinese and
Japanese porcelain. I bought books on mythology, ceramics, a
biography of Joseph Banks, The Diaries of James Boswell.
Bits and pieces came together because I did this, That's
what's so strange: you do a study of one man and suddenly you know
the whole era through him."
TESTIMONIALS"Taking part as a
visitor in your Night of the Notables was an extremely enjoyable and
memorable experience. On first entering I was very taken by the
collective sight of so many 'notables'. Each student, dressed in his
unique costume and standing before his display, looked very
impressive. It was when I began roaming the rooms from one display to
the next and talking that I learned how much individual effort,
interest and commitment each student had dedicated to becoming his
person of eminence.
The students appeared to enjoy themselves as they seemed never to
tire of continually sharing information. . . . I was amazed the way
each student was able to remain in character even when addressed as a
student, and how each boy was so like his eminent person. . . . The
students merited more recognition and praise for their wonderful
performances and presentations. . . Thank you; my son and I loved the
night." Lorraine (parent teacher)
"The Night of the Notables is still vivid in my mind even though
it is some weeks since the event. Thank you for inviting me to this
wonderful evening. I enjoyed meeting the "notables" and learnt so
much during the course of the evening - I'm sure many other adults
did too!"
You are to be congratulated for
providing a great learning opportunity, one which has the capacity
for raising the spirits of all involved, students, teachers parents
and friends. I wonder which notables will appear next year!" May
Leckey, Educational consultant
By 'Walt Disney': "I learnt more about the character of Disney,
his dreams, how he felt about and his inspirations for creating
different characters. I will appreciate more the creation of cartoons
and the lots of hard work that goes into creating them."
Academic REFERENCES
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