4.2.3 Interactions between high school teachers and a gifted student in a mixed-ability classroom: Teachers’ response styles
Gifted students (GS) spend most of their time in mixed-ability classroom settings. Interactions between teachers and students are core occurrences that trigger class events. The teachers' way of conducting and responding during interactions with students may affect the learning opportunities provided for GS. In a research project focused on teacher narrative of their interactions with GS, the analysis led to characterise five teacher response styles (e.g., The blocker, The initiator). Each style has its own characteristics (e.g., control participation, create learning opportunities) and has a different effect on the learning opportunities available for GS. This research has important practical implications.
Author(s):
Naama Benny
naama.benny@gmail.com
The Givat Wasington Academic College of Education
Israel
Naama Benny is a teacher researcher at the Givat Wasington Academic College of Education in Israel. She received her Ph.D. in science teaching at The Weizmann Institute of Science. She received her B.Sc. and her M.Sc. in chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. For more than ten years she has been a teacher and the school principal of a special school for gifted students. During this period, she became acquainted with research and practice in the field of gifted students’ education. Her research focuses on the interactions of science teachers with gifted students in a regular classroom.
Ron Blonder*
Prof. Ron Blonder is a senior researcher in the Department of Science Teaching at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. She received her B.Sc. (summa cum laude, 1993) and her Ph.D. in chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is engaged in the professional development of chemistry teachers and in research in Science Education focusing on chemistry and nanotechnology education. Her goal is to promote the modernization of both chemistry contents and chemistry teaching pedagogies by promoting professional development and interactions within the community of chemistry teachers. Her research focuses on chemistry teachers' knowledge and attitudes.