Gifted Education Teachers

Considerable literature exists about teacherqualities that promoted talent development in generaleducation and specialized settings. Talented teachersare the most important means of reaching giftedstudents (Feldhusen Van Tassel-Baska & Seeley1989; Renzulli 1987). What do these teachers knowdo and believe to bring out the best in students oftalent? A surprising gap revealed little research and vaguestandards of the knowledge skills and dispositions(attitudes) of a gifted and talented teacher. Thenaturalistic inquiry study named categorized andstudied key qualities using Costa's (2001) habits ofmind as a conceptual organizer. Results indicatedteachers with reputational expertise display thehabits regularly and articulate well their thoughtsand dispositions. Reputational expertise surfacedstronger with wonderment learning continuously andcommitment to policy; (Costa 2001 p. 9).The study raises intriguing questions relative topreparing teachers to work with bright studentspreparation for teaching at various age levels andabout the implicit curricula of teacher education.