Teaching gifted students in geography classrooms

Glavni cilj ovog rada jest utvrditi i analizirati iskustva i stavove nastavnika geografije u osnovnim i srednjim školama u Republici Hrvatskoj u radu s darovitim učenicima u nastavi geografije. U radu se analizira pojam darovitosti, karakteristike i identifikacija darovitih učenika, pristupi u radu s darovitim učenicima te njihov položaj u odgojno-obrazovnom sustavu Republike Hrvatske, s naglaskom na geografiju kao nastavni predmet. U svrhu pisanja rada provedeno je anketno ispitivanje nastavnika geografije u osnovnim i srednjim školama u Republici Hrvatskoj. Rezultati istraživanja ukazali su na aktualnu problematiku rada s darovitim učenicima koja polazi od nedostatka vremena unutar redovne nastave za kvalitetan, individualizirani rad koji im je potreban kako bi se njihova darovitost kvalitetno usmjeravala i razvijala. S obzirom na to da je još uvijek aktualan Pravilnik o osnovnoškolskom odgoju i obrazovanju darovitih učenika iz 1991. godine, prijedlog novog kurikuluma iznosi prijeko potrebne promjene u radu s darovitim učenicima, koje ne uključuju samo rad s njima već i njihovu identifikaciju, suradnju sa stručnim službama i roditeljima te primjenu nastavnih materijala primjerenih za rad s darovitim učenicima.The main purpose of this thesis is to identify and analyze geography teachers' experiences and attitudes in working with gifted students in geography classrooms in elementary and secondary schools in the Croatia. The thesis analyzes the concept of giftedness, characteristics and identification of gifted students, approaches in working with them, and their position in the educational system of Croatia with an emphasis on geography as a school subject. For the purpose of writing the thesis, a survey among teachers of geography in elementary and secondary schools in the Republic of Croatia was conducted. The results of the research point to the current issues of working with gifted students, starting from the lack of time within regular lessons for the high quality, individualized work they need in order to to streamline and develop their giftedness properly. Given that the current Ordinance on Elementary Education and Educating Gifted Students from 1991 is still in place, the proposal of the new curriculum provides the necessary changes in working with gifted students, including not only working with them but also their identification, cooperation with professional services and parents, and the use of suitable teaching materials