A professional development programme for teachers of exceptionally gifted students in leadership

The Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) of Hong Kong SAR has identified leadership as an important component in the education of exceptionally gifted students in Hong Kong. As a first step in this education, EMB has begun professional development programs for teachers in gifted education, focusing on leadership education for exceptionally gifted students. This report describes the aims and expectations of the teachers at the beginning of the program, the implementation and the final assessments of the usefulness of the program, together with one example of the teachers' work. The report outlines the steps used in the implementation of a professional development program for teachers of exceptionally gifted students in Hong Kong, including the synthesis of resources from a wide range of materials, the clear understanding of the fundamental character of gifted learners and teachers' strategies that are commonly used, the description of the many conceptions of leadership, particularly youth leadership, and finally, opportunities to produce examples of lessons and units of work and to share these with others. Copyright © 2004 Australian Association for the Education of Gifted and Talented.