There are many misconceptions about gifted students among adults. Some believe that they are always disruptive, that they never require assistance, or that they are excessively intelligent. However, the reality is that gifted students often struggle with numerous issues. They simply have different requirements than other students when it comes to handling these difficulties.
Myth #1 Gifted students are lazy.
Truth About Perceived “Laziness”:
Gifted students are often very energetic and motivated to learn. However, some of them may become aloof because they are not challenged enough in class. This can make them appear to be lazy.
Solution to a Gifted Child’s Lackadaisical Attitude:
If a gifted child you know becomes distant or seems uninterested, try to be understanding and patient. They may just need a break from learning things that don’t interest them, so they can focus on what does.
Myth #2: Gifted students are smart at everything.
Truth about Giftedness:
While they are often intelligent, each gifted student has their own abilities. Some students are good at math while others might excel in creative writing. Therefore, you may have to “teach” the gifted child how to learn based on their own interests.
Solution to Avoid Mismatched Expectations:
Each subject should allow for asynchronous learning, so that students can work at their own pace. This is especially important for younger children. Also, encourage independence and spend time together as a family doing things everyone enjoys. Finally, help your child learn how to function well in an environment where everyone is working at different levels of ability.
Myth #3: Gifted students are robots.
Truth about Gifted Students’ Behavioral Differences:
Gifted children often have interests and personality traits that set them apart from their peers. While many gifted children are well socialized, they may struggle to balance their advanced knowledge with their childhood innocence.
Solution to Remain Open to Gifted Children:
Young gifted children should be given opportunities to safely interact with both their peers and adults in a variety of social scenarios. They crave companionship with their peers, but also enjoy stimulating conversations with adults who work in fields of interest to them. Parents should provide a safe framework within which their children can build unique experiences. At other times, it is best to let them work independently to give them a sense of confidence and comfort.
Myth #4: Gifted students are spoiled.
Truth about the Gifted Stigma of Being Spoiled:
Gifted students sometimes have to work hard to fit in with their peers and avoid backlash from professors. For example, let’s say your child knows an advanced way to solve a pre-algebra problem. However, if the instructor counts off for not following the method she used in class, even though they may get the answer correct, gifted students may have to shift their mindset to accept alternate methods which they find elementary and tedious just to keep in line with their peers and avoid backlash from professors. In some cases, gifted students work hard at fitting in, so they will turn off their genius and sacrifice their intellectual abilities to survive socially.
Solution to Address the Appearance of Special Treatment for the Gifted:
rewards for their talents, not because they are innately superior. It is important not to ignore or belittle their efforts, as this can often lead to spoiled behaviour. It is important to remember to encourage gifted children, as they often have a lot of energy and participate more. However, they are still children with feelings, and so should be given
Myth #5: Gifted students don’t need help.
Truth Regarding the Help Needed by Gifted Students:
One of the most harmful myths is that gifted students don’t have any “special needs.” Gifted students actually see the world much differently than their peers, and when they realize this, it can be very traumatic, confusing, or disruptive.
Theodore was a gifted student who always excelled in school because he was placed in classes with other students who were on the same level intellectually. When his parents moved and he had to switch to a regular classroom, he was bullied by his classmates who were struggling to keep up with the curriculum. Theodore felt like an outcast and began to hate school.
Solution to Support Gifted Scholars:
Grouping students by ability level allows them to learn in a safe environment without worrying about social dynamics.
Myth#6: Gifted students will succeed no matter what.
Truth about Gifted Success Rates:
This harmful belief, that gifted students don’t need help, is definitely not true. In fact, less than 20% of identified gifted students receive specialized services from their school or local school board. The ones who don’t receive services have a higher likelihood of not reaching the same potential as their peers.
Think of a tree. Just as a tree needs a safe and nourishing environment to grow, so do gifted children. unattended, unfertilized, and unprotected from the elements will result in slow or no growth. The same is with gifted children. Academic and life success is about cultivating a safe and nourishing environment for which the child can become productive.
Solution to Successful Outcomes with Talented Students:
Develop programs to mentor gifted children or collaborate with professionals who provide guidance, supervision, and other services. Improve schools’ support for gifted students by providing breakout rooms, customized programming, and immersion groups.
Myth #7: Gifted Students Already have Access to Multiple Resources and Help.
Truth About Resources for Gifted Children:
Parents of gifted children worry that their child may not be able to keep up in school. Although their children have been given many advantages, they may not have access to the resources or help they need to succeed. This can put them at a disadvantage if they are not given the opportunity to learn in an environment that challenges them.
Solution to Providing Resources for Gifted Children:
Many gifted children do not have the resources they need to succeed in school, so many parents opt to homeschool them.
There are three main reasons why resources for gifted children are often poor: a lack of understanding of what giftedness is, a lack of funds, or a reluctance to provide more services for students who are already doing well in school. However, there are solutions to this problem. Gifted education programs can be funded through private donations or public grants. Teachers can be trained in how to work with gifted students, and schools can create enrichment opportunities for these students. With the right resources, gifted children can thrive and reach their full potential.
Here are Seven tips for dealing with giftedness that have worked for our team and partners:
1. Find out as much as you can about your child’s gifts and talents.
If your child is struggling in school and not excelling in math, music, or science, it may be time to seek out a tutor or different teacher who can help him or her. Talk to other parents, teachers, and guidance counselors for recommendations.
2. Understand how giftedness is measured and performance standards are set.
The use of standardized tests is one way that schools can measure student achievement in areas such as math and science.
3. Embrace your child’s gifts and talents.
If you have a gifted student, find a way to make sure their gifts are utilized. Gifted students often approach life in creative, original and unique ways and should be encouraged to continue doing so.
4. Don’t expect your child to become extraordinarily gifted in every subject overnight.
Some talents are fostered by others while others come naturally without any outside influence.
5. Don’t be afraid to ask your child questions and to listen to his or her answers.
Gifted children are typically more open than you would expect because they are eager to share their knowledge and experiences.
6. Be patient!
Parents should provide their children with space and time to learn according to their individual needs and interests. Some days they may need more time than usual to process new information, while other days they may be more focused and able to engage in sustained concentration on a project or subject. Parents should trust their children to pursue learning in the way that makes the most sense to them, while still providing guidance and setting appropriate limits.
7. Stay educated.
Knowing more about giftedness will help you make better parenting decisions! However, there are no specific rules when it comes to raising gifted children since all parents have their own preferences and beliefs about what works best for their children in different situations.
In summary, gifted children aren’t always accurately understood or represented. The common myths about them can be harmful because they might cause people to have inaccurate assumptions. It’s important to remember that every gifted child is an individual with different needs and talents. To help them reach their potential, it’s important that they’re nurtured and supported.
Gifted Myths:
Don’t worry, I don’t think you’re a bad person for any of those things. It’s just that the word gifted has become so loaded that it’s almost impossible to hear it without all those loaded assumptions coming along for the ride. When the word “gifted” is used, it is often loaded with assumptions. People may assume that the person is a great student, that everything comes easily to them, or that they are easy to parent. However, these assumptions are often not true.
People tend to think of giftedness as something that is given to someone, like a present. They imagine gifted students as being the best in their class and assume that these kids have an easy time compared to others and that their parents are lucky. There are a lot of false ideas about gifted and twice-exceptional learners.
Being labelled as “gifted” can be seen as a negative thing by some people, as it is misunderstood. It is not easy to parent or educate a child who is considered to be “gifted”, as people often have the wrong idea about what this means. In reality, it is a difficult and challenging journey. However, it is one that is worth taking.
Gifted kids are asynchronous
Gifted children develop in an asynchronous manner, which means they are not developing evenly in the typical way. My son, for example, is chronologically seven years old, but intellectually he is more than twice that age. However, his social-emotional development is probably more on par with a five-year-old. This is because his thoughts are far Ahead of his emotions, leading to things like a seven-year-old who can’t sleep at night because he’s afraid of bad things happening to society.
Giftedness and achievement are two entirely different things
Just because a child is gifted doesn’t mean he or she is a high achiever. The whole point of identifying gifted learners is to support their accelerated learning and keep them from becoming bored.
Gifted kids can have learning disabilities
High cognitive abilities can go hand in and with ADHD, anxiety and other learning disabilities. These kids are known as “twice-exceptional”: gifted and learning disabled. There is a whole population of twice-exceptional students who have difficulty getting their needs met in a public school setting.
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