Just as all
students are diverse and prefer certain learning environments, various teachers
have distinctive teaching styles and reach their students in different ways.
While there are many characteristics that teachers, who are themselves
identified as being gifted, share with their gifted students, I don’t believe
that being identified as gifted is a requirement to be a successful teacher of
the gifted. Saying that all teachers who
teach gifted students should be gifted themselves is a difficult generalization
to make.
In my opinion
as an educator, there are misconceptions
that some teachers, who are not identified as being gifted, have that can be
destructive when teaching gifted students.
Comments such as “gifted students do just fine on their own,” “gifted
students are know-it-alls who think they are better than others,” “gifted students get an unfair advantage
because those classes have better behavior,” or the school of thought that you
just give them more work if they finish theirs early or allow them to act as a
tutor for other students are all examples of negative stereotypes of gifted
students that I’ve witnessed as an educator. “The
characteristics of effective teachers of the gifted have been examined by many
researchers over the past 40+ years (Bishop, 1968; Chan, 2001; Freehill, 1974;
Hansford, 1985; Maddux, Samples-Lachman & Cummings, 1985; Mills, 2003;
Newland, 1962; Renzulli, 1992; Torrance & Myers, 1970; Wendel & Heiser,
1989; Whitlock & DuCette, 1989). While there seems to be a general consensus
regarding the personal and professional characteristics of successful teachers
of the gifted this research has typically focused on the identification of
those teacher characteristics that seem to benefit gifted students in the
classroom. (Table 1.) Little research exists that examines how these identified
characteristics might actually be cultivated through teacher education and
professional development.” (Stephens 2009 )
Unfortunately
very
few teacher preparation programs provide instruction on the specific needs of
gifted students. Because of this dilemma,
the majority of teachers in classrooms today have not been trained to meet the
learning needs of these students so they rely on their own educational
experiences as students. Being identified as gifted certainly is beneficial for many
teachers as it oftentimes allows them to be empathetic to their students’
emotional and education needs and situations.
A teacher identified as being gifted may have a better understanding of
what it means to be a gifted student and he/she can plan their classroom
management accordingly. On the flip
side, not all teachers identified as being gifted are gifted at teaching. Additionally, not all gifted students prefer
identical learning environments. As a
result, those students may flourish with a teacher who was not formally
identified as being gifted, but instead has a favorable teaching style for
their particular preference. Primarily,
teachers must be able to recognize students with high-abilities in order to
provide them with more depth and complexity in instruction. Gifted students require educational content
that is relevant to their own lives and educational opportunities that allow
them to process ideas at an elevated level.
In order to provide that, a teacher has to have a desire to pace their
instruction to the student’s individual needs; provide both structure and
choice, and respect the students and their ability to learn at an increased
paced-not merely be identified as gifted themselves. In my opinion, empathy for gifted students
can certainly be nurtured in any teacher who has a desire to successfully and
teach the gifted student as a whole being.
National Standards in Gifted and Talented Education (n.d.). Retrieved January 23, 2015, from http://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/national-standards-gifted-and-talented-education
Stephens, Kristen R. (2009) "Can Empathy for Gifted Students Be Nurtured in Teachers?," Gifted Children: Vol. 3: Iss. 1, Article 2. Available at: http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/giftedchildren/vol3/iss1/2
