Parallel Session Proceedings »
4.3.6 Supporting Gifted Students’ Social-emotional Needs in a Mentoring Program
The purpose of this session is to illustrate the significance of supporting the social-emotional needs of the gifted students in making a Mentoring Programme successful. By using an exemplar of a year-long mentorship scheme named “Hong Kong Gifted Apprentice Programme” (HKGAP), we show how we can cater for the diverse learning needs of individual gifted learners and support their social-emotional development in Hong Kong.
Mentoring programme is well-known to be one of the most important tools in addressing the interests of individual students (Reilly, J.M., 1992). Professionals and experts who are well-established leaders in their respective fields in Hong Kong, including university faculties, business sector leaders, industry start-up company leaders and politicians are invited to be masters (mentors) matching with highly gifted apprentices (mentees) who are high school students. 14 pairs of the master-apprentice were matched in the programme. The mentor and mentees met up regularly to work on a mutually agreed project for the students to pursuit excellence in an area of their interests. Apprentices received intellectual and spiritual support and encouragement from their mentors (Zorman, 1993a).
An educator is introduced in the programme to take care of the groups of apprentices and masters, providing timely support to the students’ social-emotional needs and help to the masters. A peer support platform facilitated by the educator is created with monthly meet up between the apprentices and a community is formed where the educator joined hands with masters, parents and schools to support the apprentices. The support of the families and schools play very important roles which is particularly important in an East Asian culture.
Apprentices are chosen through a very rigorous selection process to prepare them to work with the masters, and the pairs of mentors and mentees are carefully matched. Throughout the year, this unique community formed by the apprentices, masters and parents supported the apprentices, addressed their social-emotional needs and help them overcome the challenges they faced.
Very positive responses from all apprentices, masters, parents and schools are received via both qualitative and quantitative feedbacks at the end of the programme. We shall briefly share the programme experiences and feedbacks in this session.