There’s a common misconception for gifted students: school is easy for them. While gifted students can be exceptional in their academics, there are a number of challenges they face. Many of these challenges can go unnoticed which can significantly affect gifted students. Today I want to highlight how individualized education can help alleviate these problems as well as other ways gifted students can be accommodated to reach their maximum potential!
The Common Misconception: Giftedness Equals Success
Circling back, I want to discuss the many challenges that gifted students face. Just because a student is gifted doesn’t mean they always succeed academically. Gifted students have unique learning preferences that many schools don’t properly accommodate. In addition, when teachers and other students find out that a student is gifted, expectations can change. This is the unfortunate reality for many gifted students where the classroom dynamic shifts to increase pressure on the individual. Because of this, the traditional classroom environment is often not doing enough to accommodate the student’s learning style and preferences.
Hidden Struggles of Being Gifted
1. Emotional and Social Challenges
A gifted student can often feel isolated from their peers. This is especially evident the younger the student is. The gifted student may not understand why this is happening which can lead to further frustration. In addition, gifted students may put too much pressure on themselves when it comes to performing academically. This feeling of perfectionism contributes and fuels academic anxiety and in extreme cases can result in social withdraw.
2. Boredom and Lack of Engagement
For a gifted student, the pace of the classroom can lead to a severe lack of engagement. A gifted student who is not stimulated may be bord which then leads to disengagement, further resulting in a decrease in academic performance. This often comes down to how the typical classroom is taught. Often times, large classroom settings teach to the average student. What I mean by this is the content is best adjusted and catered towards the average performing student. Students who are struggling or are advanced end up feeling left out and disengaged. Once this disengagement happens, the student struggles to stay on task and pay attention in class.
3. Twice Exceptional Learners
Texas.gov defines twice exceptional learners as:
Students who are gifted may also have a special need or disability. The term “twice-exceptional,” also referred to as “2E,” is used to describe gifted children who have the characteristics of gifted students with the potential for high achievement and give evidence of one or more disabilities as defined by federal or state eligibility criteria. These disabilities may include specific learning disabilities (SpLD), speech and language disorders, emotional/behavioral disorders, physical disabilities, autism spectrum, or other impairments such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Many gifted students fall into the category being 2E, which can further alienate them in the classroom. Many typical school environments will not recognize the support these students need which can result in them falling behind or losing motivation.
How One-on-One Learning Helps
One-on-one learning is the solution for gifted students. Whether the student is 2E or gifted, each student thrives in an environment that is catered towards their learning style. This is something The Tenney School has been doing for over 50 years! Over our time helping students in a one-on-one setting, we’ve seen first hand how an individualized education can help them. In these settings the class pace is entirely dictated by the student. Is the student grasping concepts quicky and ready to move on? The teacher can speed up the pace. Is the student struggling to understand a complex topic? The teacher can slow down the class.
This not only helps keep gifted students engaged and stimulated, but can assist them in reaching new heights that weren’t possible at their previous learning environment! Accommodations are a big focus for gifted students too. With a smaller learning environment, the teacher is able to better implement 504 accommodations that may not be readily accessible in a typical classroom.
Unlock Your Student’s Potential
Are you interested in seeing how a one-on-one learning environment can help your gifted student! I recommend checking out our in-person school: The Tenney School for more info! In the meantime, you can check out our scheduling page here at TenneyTutors where we offer the same private school teachers as personal tutors! This is a great way to see how our teachers can help your student achieve new heights!