Professional Dev for gifteds

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHERS

Perhaps there is no intervention more completely researched and confirmed in the field of education than the efficacy of teacher preparation and professional development. The last decade brought verification of earlier studies showing that in every area of instruc• tion, teachers who develop their craft lead their students to greater success than those who do not. Teachers of gifted students experience the same distinction; when they have professional preparation, they are more sensitive to the needs of gifted children, have more strategies to use to meet these needs, and provide more avenues to success for the stu• dents (Hansen & Feldhusen, 1994). New attention has been given in recent research to understanding how teachers’ beliefs and personal history impact their success in making changes in their teaching to benefit gifted students (Brighton, 2003). Standards for knowledge and skills of teachers of gifted stu• dents have been articulated.

WHAT WE KNOW

Times, children, families, and society have all changed. Teachers are charged with keeping up with the changes so that the children in their class• rooms-whoever they may be and whatever talents and difficulties they may have-are given every opportunity to grow, learn, and become self-assured, self-actualized contributing members of society. That means teachers must constantly continue to grow, too. School districts use staff development, in-service training, workshops, and other deliveries of information to keep teachers growing in the craft of teaching. Professional development efforts to prepare all school personnel who provide for gifted students’ needs are vital to the goal of educating this population of students (Dettmer, Landrum, & Miller, 2006).

For years, there have been efforts to draw a clear picture of the personal

characteristics and beliefs and the professional competencies of successful teachers of gifted students (e.g., Bishop, 1968; Feldhusen & Hansen, 1987). The intent has been to identify what works and teach that to all instruc• tors. In the past 10 or so years, gifted education’s professional organizations designated a set of Standards for Graduate Programs in Gifted Education (National Association for Gifted Children, 1995), a section of the Pre-K-12

Gifted Education Program Standards dealing with professional develop• ment (Landrum & Shaklee, 1998), and a set of joint standards for initial teacher licensure in gifted education (Council for Exceptional Children, The Association for the Gifted [CEC-TAGJ, & National Association for Gifted Children [NAGC], 2004). The importance of preparing all school personnel to meet these standards is reflected in the recommendation of professional• growth activities utilizing best-practice, absolutely doable adaptations within the structure and pressures of daily classroom life (Dettmer et al., 2006).

Professional development has three important aspects, each necessary to the maturation of a teacher: (a) preservice training, (b) in-service or staff develop• ment, and (c) personal professional growth. Because each addresses a different perspective, it is critical to understand how all are to be integrated for maximum benefit to students and personal satisfaction for the teachers. Together, these growth areas improve teaching and keep good teachers in the job.