Talent Development for the Talent Developers: Identifying and Developing the Qualities of Effective Teachers of Gifted Students.

This paper contains a literature review concerning the qualities of effective teachers of the gifted. The research analysed 15 empirical studies and identified several common qualities of effective teachers. It is proposed that the qualities of effective teachers of the gifted are equivalent to talents in Gagne’s differentiated model of giftedness and talent. Based on this theory, it can be deduced that effective teachers of the gifted posses natural abilities that have the potential to be transformed into talents within the domain of gifted education. This paper therefore argues that Gagne’s differentiated model of giftedness and talent should be applied, not just to gifted students, but also to the teachers of the gifted, thus facilitating the identification of potentially effective teachers and ensuring the complete talent development of existing teachers. Talent Development for the Talent Developers 2