Peculiarities of teachers’ interaction with talented high school students: analysis of qualitative research results

Abstract

The article reveals different aspects of teachers’ work with talented high school students. Despite the ongoing research that has been conducted in Ukraine since 2007 and was devoted to the education of talented children, the topic of interaction between teachers and talented high school students remains undiscovered. This article is the result of the analysis of materials obtained in the course of qualitative research – a survey of teachers who teach in high schools and gymnasiums in different regions of Ukraine. The opinions of teachers about their interaction with talented children in the context of various issues are considered: the criteria for determining talented students; strategy of educational support of the student after the identification of his special abilities; interaction with the parents of talented high school students, the difficulties of teaching and educating talented students; important factors to ensure timely and effective assistance to such children. Conclusions are made about the causes of the main problems arising in the interaction of teachers with talented students. It is revealed that the majority of teachers pay attention to the high intellectual level of students as the main criterion of endowment. At the same time artistic and sports endowments, as well as communication and leadership endowments, go unnoticed. The most problematic area is the identification of general and special endowment of high school students, highlighting individual segments with specific abilities of one of the child’s talents. A number of moral, volitional and emotional qualities of high school students, which are extremely important as indicators of being gifted, remain outside of attention. It is a style of mastering social experience and originality of unconventional approach in solving challenges, situations, and problems. It is a unique energy potential – the student’s ability to work for a long time to solve a problem, to redistribute psychological energy, directing it to solve the task at hand.