Improving Gifted Education in Brazil: A Professional Development Approach for Teachers

This session presents a professional development program designed to enhance Brazilian public school teachers' ability to identify and support gifted students. Developed through collaboration between higher education and the Ministry of Education, the 180-hour online course, delivered to 500 teachers, covered six modules, including gifted education theory and identification. Preliminary results from a focus group and questionnaire with 19 tutors reveal positive feedback on the mentoring system but also highlight challenges such as lower-than-expected participant engagement. Tutors emphasized the need for improved communication with instructors. Findings underscore the importance of mentorship, engagement, and responsive communication in effective teacher development.