The Journal of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children

���������������������
�������� �������� ���������
���������������
Abstract
Hanna David
For many decades the issue of "who is to teach the gifted" has been at the center of many teachers-training
programs, in many different countries, and in a variety of institutions for higher education. Most experts have
agreed that the teacher of the gifted should love teaching, be an interesting person, very knowledgeable,
especially in the subject matter he or she teaches, loves to help, be considerate, must be self-confidence, s well
as polite and respects others. Others have found that the ,most important trait of teachers of the gifted is their
intelligence: while many gifted students could not connect educationally and emotionally to average
intelligence- teachers, the loved being taught by teachers who were experts in the subject matter, taught in a
logical, well-built structure; teachers who were not only intelligent but creative as well. However, a recent study
done with education students in two teachers colleges revealed a different picture. The most important
characteristic of the "ideal teacher" was her or his personal traits, while the least important was her or his
general education and broad mindedness. Indeed, in countries such as Israel, where the requirements for being
admitted to a teachers ’college are the lowest among all other academic professions, it has been hard for many
gifted students to be taught by some of the less intelligent teachers. But the most important characteristic of
the good teacher of the gifted has been her or his attitude towards the gifted: High intelligent and high educated
teachers with a negative attitude towards giftedness made bad teachers for the gifted.
Keywords: Attitudes; gifted children; ideal teacher; characteristics; intelligence.
Introduction
The issue of "the good teacher" has
been the focus of many studies in Israel as in
the rest of the developed world for many
decades. Tzidkiyahoo (1975), who first
published an Israeli study on the "ideal teacher"
concluded, that such a teacher loves his [it was
back in the 70s, before the feminization of the
teaching profession] profession, is interesting to
listen to, knows the subject matter very well, is
helping and considerate, has self-confidence, is
polite and respects others. Milgram (1979), who
studied gifted and nongifted children in grades 4
to 6 and found that all children, regardless of
intelligence, creativity, sex, or age, valued the
intelligence domain of teacher behavior much
more than any other trait. She had found that
students appreciated teachers who were
experts in the subject matter, taught in a logical,
well-built structure; teachers who were not only
intelligent but creative as well. These basic
characteristics have not changed in the next two
decades, and similar characteristics of the god
teacher have been found by Goldberg (1994).
However, a recent study done with
education students in two teachers colleges
revealed a different picture. The most important
characteristic of the "ideal teacher" was her or
his personal traits, while the least important was
her or his general education and broad
mindedness (Arnong & Reichel, 2011). To
understand what originated this discrepancy
between students, especially the more talented,
who need intelligent, broad-minded,
knowledgeable, even expert teachers, and
education students who think that "general
education and broad mindedness" are the least
important, (several research studies will be
examined).
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Who is the graduate of the Israeli teachers’ college?
Barber & Mourshed (2007) reported in the 2007 McKinsey Report that high quality of
teachers is the single most important factor affecting students’ success. Teachers are, indeed, the
sole human capital of the education system. But let us not forget that the gifted are also taught by
Gifted and Talented International – 26(1), August, 2011; and 26(2), December, 2011. 71