Effective instructional characteristics of teachers of junior high school gifted students

This ethnographic study analyzed video tapes using the simulated recall procedure and the comparative analysis of a student opinionnaire to determine effective characteristics of teachers of gifted junior high school students in rural, urban, and suburban schools. Among the most desirable traits are sense of humor, enthusiasm, creativity, care and respect for the student, and the expectation of high quality work by the teacher. Less observable and less significant to students were flexibility and teacher intelligence. Two additional behaviors consistently demonstrated by the teachers and appreciated by the students, but not listed among the ten standard behaviors were (a) maintaining a close physical presence, and (b) the use of probing questions to stimulate discussion and thought.