Professional Development of Preservice Teachers: Teaching in the Super Saturday Program

2006 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy J. Bangel ◽  
Donna Enersen ◽  
Brenda Capobianco ◽  
Sidney M. Moon
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Gifted Education ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Classroom Observations ◽  
Classroom Teachers ◽  
Diverse Population ◽  
Intervention Period ◽  
General Classroom ◽  
Level Of Understanding

General classroom teachers are being called upon to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population of students. Although abundant research documents the specific needs of gifted students, too little is being done at the preservice teacher level to prepare our teachers to recognize and meet these needs (e.g., Feldhusen & Kolloff, 1986; VanTassel-Baska, 2003). This study examined the change in beliefs by one cohort of preservice teachers after participation in a gifted education course and practicum. Interviews with the participants following the intervention period were used to assess the participants' perceptions of the effect the course and practicum had on their understanding of gifted students' needs and their ability to meet those needs. Interview data were triangulated with classroom observations and lesson plans created by the participants for use during the practicum. Findings indicated the participants perceived an increase in their overall level of professional development, as well as an increase in their level of understanding of the characteristics and needs of gifted students.

Monitoring Programmed Inservice Preparation of Teachers for Rural Gifted Students

1981 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 270-277
Author(s):  
Smith Goodrum ◽  
Vicki Irons
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Gifted Education ◽  
Teaching Styles ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Classroom Teachers ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Exceptional Children ◽  
Title Iv ◽  
Teachers And Students

North Carolina legislation mandating services for the gifted as exceptional children has heightened the need for inservice preparation of regular classroom teachers. Inservice preparation for rural school teachers is complicated by a scarcity of resource personnel and a lack of continuity and reinforcement of inservice activities. E.S.E.A. Title IV-C Project G.A.I.T. (Gifted Are Important Too) has demonstrated a program design for rural schools which includes a pre- and postassessment of teaching styles with the CAQ (Class Activities Questionnaire), program instruction of both teachers and students in the use of Bloom's Taxonomy with S.O.A.R. (Stages for Opportunities to Academic Realization), and reinforced monthly by teacher demonstrations of related learning activities. The active participation of the teachers in the inservice activity seemed to enhance their effectiveness as resource personnel for gifted education in their respective schools.

Practitioners’ Conceptions of Academic Talent and Giftedness: Essential Factors in Deciding Classroom and School Composition

2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 384-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen T. Schroth ◽  
Jason A. Helfer
Keyword(s):  
Gifted Education ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
National Study ◽  
Regular Classroom ◽  
Classroom Teachers ◽  
School Composition ◽  
Perceptions And Attitudes ◽  
Public School Educators ◽  
Regular Classroom Teachers

Experts have developed varying, and sometimes conflicting, conceptions of academic talent and giftedness. Classroom and school composition often are tied to these conceptions of academic talent and giftedness, and magnet and charter schools select certain students who best “fit” their particular conception of giftedness. Educators’ perceptions and attitudes regarding academic talent and giftedness thus impact what services are delivered to which students. Little is known about educators’ beliefs regarding conceptions of academic talent and giftedness. The current national study surveyed 900 public school educators, including regular classroom teachers, administrators, and gifted education specialists, regarding their definitions of academic talent and giftedness. The educators believed that all traditional and popular conceptions of academic talent and giftedness were valid, but they were less likely to support definitions involving talents in less-traditional areas. Educators accepted some of the more recently conceived, and more inclusive, conceptions of academic talent or giftedness. Such results are potentially valuable to school administrators, gifted education specialists, and regular classroom teachers who work with academically talented and gifted students, as well as to those who are concerned with the factors influencing school or classroom composition.

scholarly journals Gifted Education in Hong Kong: A School-Based Support Program Catering to Learner Diversity

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 632-658
Author(s):  
Ruby S. H. Cheung ◽  
Anna N. N. Hui ◽  
Alan C. K. Cheung
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Curriculum Development ◽  
Student Development ◽  
Gifted Education ◽  
Financial Support ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Parent Empowerment ◽  
School Based ◽  
Education In Hong Kong

Purpose: This study explores the contributions and effectiveness of the Jockey Club “Giftedness into Flourishing Talents” Project (Project GIFT) in supporting learner diversity in gifted education, including meeting the educational and psychological needs of highly capable and gifted students in Hong Kong. Design/Approach/Methods: This study investigates the effectiveness of Project GIFT in supporting the development of diversity in learning in 20 project schools. Through close cooperation with project schools, Project GIFT comprised six developmental areas: school development, curriculum development, teachers’ professional development, parent empowerment, student development, and financial support. To further assess the usefulness of the school-based support provided by Project GIFT, this study examines the implementation of school-based gifted education in two project schools based on the aforementioned components. Findings: This study reveals Project GIFT’s significant role in promoting school-based gifted education in Hong Kong schools. Indeed, it was the first cross-institutional and research-based educational program in gifted education that intervened at both Level 1 (whole class) and Level 2 (pullout) of the three-tiered policy stipulated by the Hong Kong Education Bureau. One of the few gifted education programs implemented in Asia, Project GIFT focused on six key components to specifically support high-ability and gifted students with diverse educational and affective needs. This study shows that Project GIFT significantly enhanced diversity in learning, its collaboration with two key schools resulting in the successful enhancement of school development, professional development, curriculum development, student development, parent empowerment, and financial support. Originality/Value: The article fills the research gap by examining the effectiveness of a school-based gifted education program focused on enriching and differentiating curricula for different regular and pull-out programs. In doing so, this article attests to the success of the program in addressing the educational and psychosocial needs of gifted students at local schools in Hong Kong.

“Shhhh! Alex Has Something To Say”: AAC-SGD Use in the Classroom Setting

2010 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 108-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M. Mellman ◽  
Laura S. DeThorne ◽  
Julie A. Hengst
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Classroom Community ◽  
Classroom Observations ◽  
Classroom Teachers ◽  
Classroom Setting ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Missed Opportunities

Abstract The present qualitative study was designed to examine augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) practices, particularly surrounding speech-generating devices (SGDs), in the classroom setting. We focused on three key child participants, their classroom teachers, and associated speech-language pathologists across three different schools. In addition to semi-structured interviews of all participants, six classroom observations per child were completed. Data were coded according to both pre-established and emergent themes. Four broad themes emerged: message-focused AAC use, social interactions within the classroom community, barriers to successful AAC-SGD use, and missed opportunities. Findings revealed a lack of SGD use in the classroom for two children as well as limited social interaction across all cases. We conclude by highlighting the pervasive sense of missed opportunities across these classroom observations and yet, at the same time, the striking resiliency of communicative effort in these cases.

How the State Education Agencies Addressed Gifted Education in the Title II Sections of Their ESSA State Plans

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 159-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corina R. Kaul ◽  
Brenda K. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Gifted And Talented ◽  
Gifted Education ◽  
Effective Instruction ◽  
Gifted Learners ◽  
State Education ◽  
Multiple Groups ◽  
State Plan ◽  
Every Student Succeeds Act ◽  
The U.S

In 2015, the U.S. Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) that included provisions to support gifted and talented learners. The U.S. Department of Education’s Consolidated State Plan template only required states to directly address the inclusion of gifted education under Title II, Part A: Supporting Effective Instruction (Section 2101(d)(2)(J)). We examined the inclusion of gifted education in the Title II section of all 52 submitted ESSA plans. Of the approved plans, 16 states explicitly addressed how educators would be supported in identifying and providing gifted learners with effective instruction, and 15 states generally described educator support to meet the needs of multiple groups of students (including gifted). Three of the approved state plans did not mention support for gifted education in their Title II responses. Gifted education stakeholders must be familiar with their state’s plan and understand how Title II can fund professional development for gifted education.

Educational Paradigm Shifts and the Effects on Educating Gifted Students in the Netherlands and Flanders

2021 ◽  
pp. 016235322110014
Author(s):  
Eleonoor van Gerven
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Social Constructivism ◽  
Gifted Education ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Western Society ◽  
Paradigm Shifts ◽  
Inclusive Approach ◽  
Educational Paradigm

Currently, in Western society, five significant paradigm shifts can be distinguished affecting Dutch and Flemish gifted education: (a) an inclusive approach of education, (b) response to educational needs, (c) new perspectives on giftedness, (d) social constructivism, and (e) evidence-informed teaching. In this review article, the positioning of the education of gifted students in primary schools in the Netherlands and Flanders is explained within the context of these five significant paradigm shifts. There are frictions between what is, from a theoretical perspective, desirable optimally and what can currently be realized in Dutch and Flemish education. The process of change demonstrates a need for competent specialists in gifted education. Because basic teacher competencies for the Netherlands and Flanders are already prescribed by law, the construction of a competency matrix is recommended for specialists in gifted education that combines the general teaching competencies with competencies that apply specifically for gifted education.

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