Maximising the Potential of the Gifted Child in the Regular Classroom: A Professional Development Issue *

Abstract

Although most gifted students in most countries spend most of their time in the regular classroom, attention to equipping the regular class teacher to cater effectively for the gifted and talented in this context has been minimal. The opposition to basing primary provisions for the gifted in the regular classroom are more a legacy of the past, and often more difficult to sustain in the light of pedagogical shifts in many countries.

On the other hand, our efforts directed at provisions outside the regular classroom, and particularly the pullout programme approach, may not have yielded the positive outcomes it was expected they would.

The proposition of this paper, based on the author's extensive teaching experience, numerous professional development courses for preservice and inservice teachers, and first hand investigations of programmes for the gifted in a number of countries, is that the regular classroom may well be the most appropriate environment for the ‘primary’ delivery of programmes for most gifted students.

The rationale for such a position is outlined, together with the essential elements of such an approach to be effective.