Global principles for professional learning in gifted education

Abstract

Gifted and talented children deserve to be taught by teachers who understand the ways in which their learning needs and their social and emotional needs differ from those of their age peers, and who know and use strategies to meet those different needs effectively. Even so, relatively few teachers receive any background in gifted education, making personnel preparation one of the most glaring needs in the field worldwide. To begin to address this problem, the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children asked a global committee of scholars to prepare a document in support of universal teacher preparation and professional learning in gifted education. The Global Principles for Professional Learning in Gifted Education were developed collaboratively by a committee of scholars selected from across the globe. Each member provided perspective, details, and insight into their individual cultural contexts. The final document, presented for the first time in this session, presents ten principles to guide the development of professional learning programs in gifted education. We hope it will provide guidance for educators, policymakers, teacher preparation programs, and professional learning experts interested in preparing all teachers to serve better all gifted and talented children across the globe.