Training elements of elementary teachers in social and emotional development of gifted students

Student needs are ever changing within today??s classroom. Training elements for teachers must be adapted so that all students?? individual needs are being met. Training offered by school districts must incorporate specific social and emotional topics that deal with the gifted and talented students?? development. This research project investigated various training options that elementary teachers have received by attending a six-clock-hour workshop when compared to those teachers who received thirty hours of university course work at the university graduate level. The study then determined the specific elements of training received, the topics necessary for implementation that are of a positive nature for students, and finally, qualities that teachers must possess and implement within the classroom in order to effectively meet the needs of social and emotional development for gifted students. This study showed that training in the area of social and emotional development is crafted differently according to the trainer who is presenting the material. The respondents who were interviewed took various knowledge and applied it within the classroom based on student and professional needs. The notion that gifted students are perfect seems to be the norm of thinking in the group of teachers who were used in this case study. The strategies used for classroom implementation are ones that most likely meet the cognitive domain and can be used as a form of assessment for the teacher??s gradebook. The activities that will most likely benefit the emotional quality of a student??s psyche are viewed to be ones that are not beneficial or easily implemented within the constraints of the classroom. The need for social and emotional development is demonstrated by the vast amount of research and models as presented throughout this study. The study shows that much training is needed along with a classroom structure that is designed to help gifted students learn to deal with their intellect as well as with factors that seem to interrupt the intellectual label.