Matemaatikas andeka õpilase märkamine ja toetamine

Abstract

The basic value of general education school is to support the development of every student, both in need and gifted. Teachers can act in accordance with Education Acts and Systems when supporting students. The aim of this master’s thesis is to clarify what are the possibilities and similarities of Education Acts and Systems to support gifted children in Estonia and other countries. Also, by interviewing teachers find out whether and how the needs of mathematically gifted students in Tartumaa general education schools are treated, considering teachers’ understandings and attitudes towards mathematically gifted students. Five mathematics teachers from different general education schools in Tartumaa participated in the interviews. Teachers explained the criteria they use to identify a gifted student, brought out main methods and strategies for developing and supporting gifted student in mathematics and assessed their impact on the achievements and attitudes of gifted students in mathematics. The interviews showed that teachers do not often consider the knowledge and skills of a gifted student to be equivalent to students with excellent grades and good behavior. Teachers feel that they mainly deal with gifted students independently and they lack time and resources. Regardless of how many years have passed since their university studies, they still feel the need for additional courses providing knowledge to support gifted students.