Gifted and talented (GT) learners in most classroom settings endure unchallenging curriculum, a slow pace of instruction, and a state of ignorance by many of their general education teachers. The authors wanted to know how in-service teachers, preservice teacher candidates, and preservice education students viewed GT learners. The authors also wanted to know how their respondents felt about teacher training specific to the nature and needs of GT learners. Information was gathered via pre/postcourse questionnaires to describe existing beliefs and assumptions that individuals in various phases of teacher development held regarding GT learners. Findings suggest that the preconceived beliefs held by individuals about GT learners guide the willingness and approaches used to teach children more so than specific training in the nature/needs of learners.
Gifted education in the United States has a long history of underrepresentation of culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse (CLED) gifted students. Despite the many years of attention toward this pervasive problem, the gap in equity and access to gifted services for CLED students has not closed due to a variety of practices related to assessments, teacher referrals, and support structures. The authors contend that many issues stem from a common underlying cause: a lack of cultural knowledge and competency pertaining to gifted youth. This article presents guiding principles based in professional learning, equity, and gifted pedagogy for use in crafting training experiences: pulse-taking, establishing safe zones, individualizing professional learning plans, cultural training beyond surface-level, school/home connections, identifying grows and glows, and engaging in courageous conversations.
The training of teachers for a meaningful use of all that contemporary technology offers to developing curriculum requires constant vigilance, experimentation, innovation, revision and updating. The lifestyle of today's gifted students includes a range of ever-unfolding technologies, such as text messaging, blogging, social networking, personal webpages, video pods, streamed television, online textbooks, online knowledge base, web searching, presentation tools, desktop publishing, graphics infused in word processing, simulations and complex gaming. At the same time, the technology literacy of most teachers is in 'catch-up mode' with constant retraining about how to provide curricula that includes webquests, virtual field trips, virtual passports, interactive maps (Google Earth) and webliography (TrackStar), presented in diverse formats.
The focus of this case study is to provide an overview of a private school’s journey toward implementing differentiation in their classrooms. An introduction to the school along with background information leads to a relevant need to implement teaching strategies that ensure the success of students who are capable of learning above grade level. The journey that the school takes begins with putting differentiation into practice and describing, in a three-pathway approach, the direction taken for the implementation process. What is learned, along with specific and general issues to consider, exemplifies this work in progress. Helpful resources provide guidance to others interested in starting a similar journey.
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