Why Teachers Should Have to Take a College Class in Gifted Education

            It’s safe to say that most college graduates going into teaching have little knowledge of the needs of gifted children.

            In one case, researchers Berman and Shultz, when working with pre-service teachers—some obtaining their master’s degrees before heading  into the classroom- found that they had virtually no knowledge of the needs and nature of gifted kids. The teachers-to-be essentially viewed these kids as perfect peer-tutors for others student, and most agreed that these kids would succeed without specialized programs or classes.

            Now, if you think gifted kids are fine without any special services, think again.  University of Connecticut researchers discovered that gifted children spend about 50 percent of the day waiting for other students to catch up, then, if they are lucky, they will learn something new. That’s half the day!  We have established that these kids are bored and need to be challenged. On the other hand, the research shows that when gifted students receive services, such as being pulled out for a special class or placed in a specialized program, they learn more and are happier as they spend time with peers at similar intellectual/ability levels.

            Teachers, who have already been in the classroom for some time, also lack knowledge about gifted children-and worse, may develop negative stereotypes about them. They may buy into the notion that gifted kids are all nerdy, socially awkward children, whose intellectual levels match perfectly with their emotional/maturity levels. On a brighter note, there’s evidence that teachers trained in gifted education have more positive attitudes with these children, and their teaching is better: they place more emphasis on creative and higher-level thinking, student-directed activities, and they lecture less, all good practices.

            To put it in perspective, there about three million identified gifted children in U.S. schools- or 6 percent of the student population. Yet, despite the availability of online classes and training using technological advances, training in gifted education is still lagging miserably behind.  About 17 states still do not have formal college-based training programs in the area of gifted education. We need to follow the lead of special education. For instance, after the passing of Senate Bill 1108, Florida teachers must complete one college credit or 20 hours of inservice training in special education- or working with students with disabilities. While it’s not three-credits, which would still be a crash course to learn about gifted education, it’s a start. So what are we waiting for?