An Experience, a Learning and a Beginning—ECHA 2026

Charithra Nagesh Mane—Learning Support Teacher

 The theme of ECHA 2026 was “Advancing Excellence: Rethinking Gifted Education.” I felt the word rethinking was so appropriate. 

Attending the 20th International European Council for High Ability (ECHA) conference in Dublin was an immensely special experience for me both personally and professionally. ECHA is an organization that brings together experts, researchers, parents, educators, psychologists, counsellors and others working in the field of gifted and high ability. It focuses on education, research, wellbeing and creating opportunities for learners. The conference is held biannually welcoming people from different countries to come together, share practices, research experiences and learn from each other. 

The theme of ECHA 2026 was “Advancing Excellence: Rethinking Gifted Education.” I felt the word rethinking was so appropriate. The conference itself looked at gifted education from so many different angles: giftedness and talent development, inclusive pedagogy, twice-exceptional learners, equity and diversity, social and emotional development, underachievement, creativity, professional learning, and even the growing role of AI and technology in education. 

Attending this conference reiterated how wide and complex the field of gifted education really is. One thought kept coming back to me throughout the conference: giftedness may not always look like high achievement. A child can be extremely capable and still struggle. A child may have wonderful ideas but find writing difficult. A child may solve a very complex problem but struggle with something that appears simple to others. Sometimes a child's strengths can hide their challenges, and sometimes their challenges can hide their strengths. This is especially important when we think about twice-exceptional, or 2e, learners. It reminded me how important it is for us as educators to look beyond marks, grades and what is immediately visible.

We can read about wonderful strategies and practices in research such as,  differentiation, strength-based approaches, flexible assessment, collaboration and different ways of identifying potential. However, when a teacher walks into a classroom, there are many realities to deal with. There may be a large number of students, curriculum expectations, limited time, different learning needs and sometimes limited access to specialist support. So I kept thinking we know what good practice can look like, but how do we make it possible in a real classroom?

This question was very close to the paper that I had the opportunity to present at ECHA 2026. My study explored Indian teachers' perspectives on feasible inclusive practices for gifted and twice-exceptional learners in mainstream classrooms. International research has already documented practices such as collaborative teacher discussions, strength-based approaches, flexible differentiation and using multiple sources of information to understand learners. But how feasible are these practices for teachers within the realities of their everyday classrooms?

The study included 23 mainstream teachers from Early Years to Secondary, with different levels of experience, professional preparation and school contexts. Listening to their perspectives gave me a lot to think about. Teachers believed in inclusion and wanted learners to participate, belong and have opportunities to learn according to their strengths and needs. They spoke about adapting lessons, observing children carefully, trying different ways of teaching, working with families and seeking help from colleagues and specialists. At the same time, they also spoke about the realities they face. Time matters. Class size matters. Training matters. Resources matter. School support matters. And the age and needs of the learners matter.

One important finding was the need to look beyond academic performance and notice learners’ strengths, creativity, interests and potential. I also realised that inclusion cannot depend on one teacher alone; families, colleagues, specialists and school support matter. This led to the idea of Feasible Inclusive Practice not a perfect classroom, but a teacher asking, “I know what this learner needs, but how can I make it happen here?” within real classroom conditions.

I came back from ECHA not with all the answers, but with more questions and a new way of looking at learners. My biggest learning was simple: look again beyond marks, labels and difficulties. Look for strengths and possibilities, and ask, “What does this child need from us to grow?”