Managing Students With High Potential

in #steemiteducation6 years ago (edited)

What do you do when you find a student that processes information better than others?

And not only that, what steps do you take as a teacher when you see that this student is very observant, intuitive and come up with ideas that solve problems?

This can happen to you. And the reactions are different. Some educators might see it as a threat and they react badly, trying to diminish the student's potential. On the other hand, other educators treat this student like the rest of the class.

I honestly don't think that either approaches do any good. For obvious reason, it is unjustified that some teachers might feel threatened any student's potential. On the contrary, it should be marvelous to find a mind that think and act differently than the herd; a student that without wanting, perform above the average and show diverse skills.

In addition, it is a bad idea to keep the student in the same level of the rest, not only because it can slow down his progress but also because it can bore him; and as a consequence, he loses interest. That's why there are cases when some students don't do very well in school. And they're mistakenly judged.

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Proceed to higher levels

This type of student needs to have more serious challenges. That's what their minds long for. To begin with, students showing more natural skills must be moved to higher levels. I understand that some educators might be afraid to do such thing. The social shock can be hard if a younger student faces older ones. But there are ways to handle it that allows a better and smother integration into his new environment.

IF the student is not moved up, he'll definitely have a hard time. He'll notice that others won't keep his pace and see the topics in class as useless. And the worst thing is that his behavior might irritate the teacher in the class.

Thus, it is imperative to grow his potential in a space that let him bring up all his thoughts and ideas. With proper monitoring, of course, lessons are to be tailored. And the assessment must be well-designed.

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How to manage their time

I must confess that I once encountered a student with so much potential that every time he spoke I was always surprised. He was so superior than his peers that he could see things that was hard for other youngsters from his same age. And since that was a time where the classes where one on one (private institution), I took a different approach with him.

I didn't teach him the same way as the others. I put aside the books or any material the institution provided and we basically talked. The conversation sometimes went into other directions, but it didn't matter because he was free to express without boundaries and I was able to take his insights and show him their practical usage.

Sometimes, it is better to have this approach. With students like this, we should not cage their acumen and imagination. On the contrary, we must let them fly. In the same way, by doing this, we as teachers fully enjoy speaking with any student that show such high level.

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Recommendations

In history, there have been many great minds that have done poorly in school. And the reasons were the ones I described above. The potential of some of those minds got lost in time because they were misunderstood. Educators and the educational systems didn't know how to treat them.

Boys and girls with elevated capacities should be taught and assessed differently. That's a fact. So, the idea must be offering an environment where they can freely unwind. A place where teachers use custom methods for each student.

The authorities also must support and sponsor these students by offering financial help if needed, and by creating centers, or by just providing the resources to accommodate them in the proper environment.

@edave

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