Primary Teachers’ Knowledge and Experiences of Working With Gifted Pupils

The article presents selected research results showing the knowledge and experiences of Polish primary teachers in their educational work with gifted pupils. The research mainly sought answers to the following questions: What knowledge do teachers have of the needs and difficulties that gifted pupils may experience? What programs, forms, and methods do they know to support the development of gifted pupils? Which methods and forms of working with gifted pupils do they prefer? What difficulties and successes do they experience in working with the gifted pupil? What needs do they have in working with the gifted pupil? The empirical data showed that teachers’ knowledge about giftedness and working with gifted children is low. Many errors related to inadequate work with and care of gifted pupils are probably due to most teachers’ inaccurate definitions of the terms “giftedness” and “gifted pupil”. The results of the knowledge survey showed that most teachers conceptualize giftedness in a one-sided and stereotypical way. Many need to be made aware of programs for working with gifted pupils. In Polish schools, the youngest pupils displaying giftedness are neglected and do not receive adequate support from teachers, as shown by the results of the survey of teachers’ experiences. A predominantly didascalocentric approach characterizes the preferred forms and methods of organizing the education of gifted pupils. The individualization of work with gifted children is reduced to giving them more tasks rather than responding to their individualized needs. Teachers report a need for improvement in working with gifted pupils, and many rate their knowledge in this area low or very low. The research undertaken is essential as it reveals the directions of desirable changes in early childhood education teachers’ training and in-service training programs and the forms of support for them in their professional practice.