This study investigates the impact of various ‘gifted and talented’ initiatives, brought in by successive governments in the UK since 1999. The research employs the Case Study method in an inner-city London primary school. Data gathered from semi-structured interviews with teachers, teaching assistants, pupils, parents and senior managers was analysed, using a thematic method. Documents including the School Development Plan, Ofsted reports and internal policies were also analysed, as well as lesson observations. A literature review encompassing both the history of ‘gifted and talented’ policy development and research on identifying and providing for ‘gifted and talented’ pupils revealed a notable lack of empirical research evidence as a basis for the policies. The emphasis on identifying ‘gifted and talented’ pupils in the policies, with less guidance about provision, possibly led practitioners to unfruitful and inaccurate directions. The research was contextualised by a review of the role of the Local Authority, in which the school was located, in implementing ‘gifted and talented’ policies. The importance of this diminishing role was confirmed. The challenge now is how to disseminate future initiatives, with no clear way to communicate with school leaders. The subsequent Case Study identified the strengths of the policies as raising awareness of the needs of this group of pupils, as well as finding a need for more professional development for teachers, which is unlikely to be met, since the policy was disbanded in 2011. Other findings showed that, whilst teachers have become more accepting of ‘gifted and talented’ policy, the lack of guidance about provision led to them using self-theories and professional experience to ensure ‘gifted and talented’ pupils have opportunities for challenge, with mixed success. More information, based on evidence-based research, needs to be made available to teachers to ensure they can provide effectively for this group of learners.

According to the education act, all pupils have the right to develop, based on their own ability and potential, which means that the teaching needs to be adapted and differentiated to suit all pupils. Studies show that gifted children often feel mentally bad in school, feel misunderstood and in some cases become misdiagnosed with various disabilities. The aim of this study is to deepen the knowledge about how teachers talk about giftedness and gifted children. The study is based on a social constructivist and sociocultural theoretical approach with qualitative focus group interview of teachers. With the help of hermeneutical analysis and a focus on the theory of social constructivism and sociocultural theory, this study shows that, among teachers, there is a great uncertainty about the concept of giftedness, both regarding what it means to be gifted and how these pupils can be noticed in school. / Alla elever har enligt skollagen rätt att utvecklas utifrån sin egen förmåga och potential, vilket innebär att undervisningen behöver anpassas och differentieras för att passa alla elever. Studier visar att särbegåvade elever ofta mår dåligt i skolan, känner sig missförstådda och i vissa fall blir feldiagnostiserade med olika funktionsnedsättningar. Syftet med denna studie är att fördjupa kunskapen om hur lärare samtalar kring särbegåvning och särbegåvade elever. Studien är gjord utifrån en socialkonstruktivistisk samt -sociokulturell teoretisk ansats med kvalitativ fokusgruppsintervju av lärare. Med hjälp av hermeneutisk analys och ett fokus på socialkonstruktivismens teoribildning samt sociokulturell teori visar denna studie att, det bland lärare, finns en stor osäkerhet kring begreppet särbegåvning, både gällande vad det innebär att vara särbegåvad samt hur dessa elever kan uppmärksammas i skolan.

The diploma thesis deals with practical assignments of the district round of the physics olympiad in category G, so called Archimediáda, for the district of České Budějovice. The content consists of a set of practical assignments having been piloted at primary schools outside the district of České Budějovice. One of the assignments was selected for verification at the participants of the district round of the physics olympiad in category G of the school year 2018/2019. An analysis of the elaborated pupils' ways of solving the assignments and their results follows.

TITLE: Mathematics Teachers and Their Professional Development AUTHOR: Jana Pávová DEPARTMENT: Department of Education SUPERVISOR: Doc. PaedDr. Stanislav Bendl, Ph.D. ABSTRACT: This thesis is focused on Mathematics Teachers and Their Professional Development. The thoretical part describes the Czech system of in-service education of teachers in the context of lifelong learning. It introduces its legislative classification and describes an alternative classification. The following part offers the list of information resources, which are useful for Mathematics teachers and the list of what the current offer of further education courses for Mathematics teachers is, including selfstudying activities. The relevant links are quoted in the appendices. The empirical part analyses, interprets and evaluates the qualitative research among Mathematics teachers, which determines their experience with in-service education/professional development, their attitudes and opinions in this field. Furthermore, this part analyses their attitudes from the constructivism in Mathematics teaching's point of view. KEYWORDS: Maths teacher, further/in service education of teaching staff, teacher's professional development, educational portals, the Union of Czech Mathematicians and Physicists, Maths competitions, constructivism in Maths...