Professional Learning for Teachers who Motivate and Support Diverse Gifted and Highly Able Students for Talent Development: Research on What They Know and What Works in Their Teaching

Leonie Kronborg
Monash University
Australia

From 2014 to 2016, I was contracted through Monash University to provide a teaching unit equivalent to Master’s level for interested teachers in Victorian schools, along with psychologists, who were teaching/ counseling gifted and highly able students across talent domains in predominantly government high schools, but also some primary schools. Many of these teachers engaged learners in classes or groups of intellectually able students in secondary schools with a Select Entry Accelerated Learning (SEAL) program. The aim of the Developing Gifted Potential unit was for teachers to share and gain knowledge, and increase understanding of the psychological (social and emotional) needs of diverse gifted and talented individuals. It was also to gain knowledge and understanding of theories and strategies from the research literature for developing creativity and talents so that students could realize their potential. An additional aim of these teaching/research projects was to discover from these experienced teacher participants what they knew, and what they believed worked best when teaching diverse gifted and highly able students in their various educational contexts. These findings will be discussed and best practices shared.