Training teachers to promote Talent Development in Science Students In Science Education

In recent years, the interest of governments and schools in challenging gifted and talented (G+T) science students has grown (Taber, 2007). In the Netherlands, the government promotes developing science programmes for talented secondary science students. This causes a need for training teachers, but what should an effective professional development programme about promoting talent development look like? Junior College Utrecht (JCU), a cooperation of Utrecht University and 28 secondary schools (van der Valk & Pilot, 2012), has developed such a course in a design-based research. It is based on important objectives for promoting excellence in science education, including the key components of honours teaching approaches (Wolfensberger, 2012) and on characteristics of effective professional development programmes (pdp). The course was implemented and evaluated in two phases. The first phase resulted in a scenario for dissemination. During the second phase, the pdp was implemented in two institutions. The effectiveness of the pdp was investigated using a questionnaire that was conducted at the end of the course. The main criteria for effectiveness were (1) the participants’ appreciation of the course and (2) having attained the pdp objectives as well as the participants’ personal objectives. Moreover, being a learning teacher was investigated as being a factor that promotes the effectiveness of the pdp. Results showed that the pdp was effective in reaching its objectives and in the participants’ personal objectives. The more teachers considered themselves to be a learning teacher, the more they had learned an appreciated the professional development programme.