Views Down Under: Teachers' attitudes towards intellectually gifted children and their education

Do classroom teachers have one of the most significant influences on the learning, achievement and development of gifted students (Clark, 2002)? If so, submissions to the Australian Senate Committee's 2001 report, "The Education of Gifted Children", are a cause for concern, with reports of widespread negative attitudes towards giftedness and an observation by Watters and Diezmann that "a degree of apathy and opposition to gifted education exists within the [teaching] profession". This session will present details of a study that explored the attitudes of Brisbane primary school teachers, in mainstream and gifted education focus schools, towards intellectually gifted children and their education. The presentation will include a description of the aim, methodology and results of the research project. Additionally, implications for teacher training and good practice for education of gifted children will be proposed.