Including the excluded:

educating teachers to teach gifted and talented children

Dr. Amos Hofman

Ludwigsburg, September 2007

various terms

• gifted• talented• genius• high intelligence• high achievement• distinction

IQ Incidence for 100,000 school students

% of total student population

12010.00010

1255,0005

1302,5002.5

1351,0001

1404000.4

1451000.1

160100.001

No child left behind?

reasons for adopting the program

• Need in the field

• Uniqueness, originality

• Cooperation between schools within the College

• Public image of the College (competition for students between colleges)

Opposition I

• Should Beit Berl College develop programs for strong and elitist populations?

• Gifted children are a strong population…is the College on the road to that sector?

• I suggest not hurrying and giving full time for discussion.

Opposition II

• Isn’t the development of such a curriculum contrary to the College’s ethos?

• This proposal is against the basic Israeli ethos.

Opposition III

• Will the proposed program not encourage the existing gender gap between boys and girls, and between populations of oriental and European origins?

Opposition IV

• We have a complicated social issue. It's not a psychological problem.

• This curriculum provides a foundation for special classes or special schools.

• I'm worried about the social cost. Gifted children are not deprived children. It is necessary to emphasize the social role of the program.

Support I• The developers of this program did not

see special schools for the gifted, and did not intend to support a narrow social elite.

• This is about public education in ordinary schools. Training teachers for the ideal – to look at the high achievers as role models for everybody.

• There is social criticism, but let us not forget the emotional and psychological problem of these children.

Support II

• Supporting the program does not imply an action against weak populations and does not neglect social justice.

• apart from caring for weak populations the world emphasizes excellence.

Support III

• [Israeli] society was based on the collective … equality was reached by constructing an entire system to encourage the weak child, in order to provide him with a fair chance. It is [now] necessary to encourage excellence.

Support IV

• This is an issue of individualism versus collectivism. I support a program which will develop sensitivity to individualism within the classroom.