In the context of this chapter, gifted teacher training refers to any formal or informal experiences that contribute to a person’s being qualified to work with and teach gifted students. The authors believe that there are certain specific requirements that qualify individuals to act as gifted teachers and that should be part of the formal training process. Among those topics that must be covered are those pertaining to the characteristics of gifted learners, including and not limited to the variability among the gifted population, the social and emotional needs of this population, and the many possible ways that gifted students will learn best. As with any other student population, gifted learners are first and foremost human beings, and any training should include attention to the whole child, and not only the accelerated academic goals and expectations for them.
Published in Chapter:
Pathways to Supporting the Gifted: Four Educators' Personal Journeys
Deborah L. Ruf (Educational Options, USA), Stephen J. Schroeder-Davis (College of Saint Scholastica, USA), Jane E. Hesslein (Seattle Country Day School, USA), and William D. Keilty (Advocate, USA)
Copyright: © 2019
|Pages: 18
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-5879-8.ch014
Abstract
This chapter is comprised of the written recollections of four intellectually gifted adults, all of whom became teachers. None had any idea they would ultimately focus on gifted students. Because there is no significant research about who becomes a teacher of gifted students, the purpose of this chapter is to illustrate some of the precursors, critical events, and catalysts that may lead to becoming an educator and advocate for gifted children. The authors each in turn describe the influences of family and others significant to their own talent development and how their exposure to different social and cultural conditions impacted their views. The vignettes provide firsthand information about what motivated these teachers, both internally and externally, and what personal traits contributed to the ways they have advanced the field. All discovered their own giftedness while educating themselves on the needs of gifted students.