The Journal of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children

The World Council for Gifted and Talented Children
Subject matter: The variety of courses offered at pullout centers has a great influence on the
students’ willingness to remain in the program or drop out (Vidergor & Reiter, 2008). Israeli pullout
programs are conducted in centers for gifted education, open to gifted students in 3rd to 9th grades.
Courses are designed mostly by uncertified local teachers or experts, based on the preferences of
local students. The range of course offerings increases with the students’ age. The most common
subjects taught are math, sciences (space, medicine, computers, and astronomy), languages
(English, Chinese, and Japanese), arts, and law (Division of Gifted Education, 2008/ 2009).
Teachers’ perceptions of cognitive, pedagogical, and personal characteristics of the teacher
of gifted students
Experts often speculate whether teachers of the gifted should be gifted themselves, in other
words, whether they should posses the same characteristics as their students (Croft, 2001; Vialle &
Quigley, 2002). A comparative study of specifically trained and untrained teachers of the gifted
showed that trained teachers were more aware of the cognitive needs of the gifted, employed
pedagogical strategies that encourage high-level thinking, promoted independent learning, and were
more creative than their untrained peers (Hansen & Feldhusen, 1994). A more recent Australian study
(Rowley, 2003) found that both teachers trained and those currently undertaking training in gifted
education demonstrated better teaching skills than the untrained group and those teachers with
specialized training in gifted education created better learning environments and utilized more
effective teaching strategies to facilitate learning for the gifted and talented students. Feldhusen
(1997), who stressed the teachers’ acquisition of knowledge and pedagogical competences in the
course of their professional development, also observed that similarly to gifted and talented
students, successful teachers were highly intelligent, achievement-oriented, knowledgeable, and
flexible; had cultural and intellectual interests; respected individual differences; and interacted well
with gifted individuals. Mills (2003), examined the characteristics of effective teachers of gifted
learners, and suggested that the teachers’ personality and cognitive style may play an important role
in their instructional effectiveness.
Reviewing past surveys on successful teachers’ competences in working with gifted and
talented students, (Chan, 2001) addressed the following three dimensions: (a) the cognitive
dimension, teaching thinking skills, problem solving, and creativity; (b) the personal ability to interact
with students effectively and to use appropriate motivational techniques; and (c) the pedagogical
competence to conduct student-directed activities and facilitate independent research. Researchers
noted that the competences needed to teach specific content domains may vary, as the teaching of
science and mathematics is significantly different from teaching art and music. A cross-cultural
study that examined beliefs about best teaching practices among teachers in Singapore and the
U.S. suggested that, regardless of cultural background, the exemplary teacher should exhibit the
following characteristic qualities (Van Tassel-Baska, Quek & Feng, 2007): (a) content mastery; (b) a
passionate personality dedicated to the teaching profession and to students; and (c) a flexible and
adventurous spirit in practicing instruction. The top three essential skills required for working with the
gifted included: (a) knowledge and effective use of teaching techniques; (b) strong communication
skills; and (c) the ability to understand and to address students’ needs.
To summarize, it is widely believed that teachers of gifted students should posses many of
the characteristics attributed to gifted students, should be competent in using different teaching and
learning strategies, and be able to apply cognitive abilities suitable for gifted and talented learners
without neglecting the affective and social dimensions.
Focus of the study
In light of the accumulating knowledge, the proposed study attempts to examine the impact
of PDTG program on their participants; namely, to investigate the changes occurring in Jewish and
Arab teachers who participate in professional development for teachers of the gifted, as compared
with teachers of regular classrooms who have no training in teaching gifted and teach in, and
individuals who teach gifted students without any professional training. It attempts to identify
differences in three areas: (a) teachers’ perceptions of the teaching-learning situations in pullout
centers in Israel; (b) teachers’ perceptions of the desired characteristics of teachers of the gifted;
and (c) teachers’ self-assessment of knowledge and competencies they acquired. These perceptions
will be examined in relation to cultural orientations.
146 Gifted and Talented International – 26(1), August, 2011; and 26(2), December, 2011.