A competency-based approach to gifted education is presented which recognizes the importance of developing teaching approaches to meet the needs of individual children. The paper begins with a definition of giftedness and talent and a description of parameters in the planning and design of a curriculum for gifted pupils. Four differentiation strategies to meet individual educational needs are outlined: enrichment, acceleration, individualization, and grouping. Characteristics of gifted children and special qualities needed by teachers of the gifted are listed. Competency-based teacher education is described as an attempt to improve teaching directly, through scientific methods. Basic teaching functions are explained, along with teaching skills and competencies which support those functions. The final section discusses the change in the teacher's role from being the only source of knowledge to being a manager of educational resources. Classroom management techniques for effectively implementing this new role are reviewed. (JDD)