There is still a lot of work being done in the field of underachievement in gifted students and one area that has been looked at is building the self esteem of the student.
Different research methods have been trialled recently to see what works best to lessen the amount of students who are underachieving in our schools.
Some tools have looked at ways to:
- enhance motivation through self interest projects with built in depth and complexity
- Learning how to set goals and regularly check in with a mentor (trusted teacher, older student or a link with a local university or interest group)
- Grouping with like minded individuals within and out of school.
And although these interventions are not all boosting the academic side specifically, they do help. When a student has a good friendship group, when they believe in themselves and when they see themselves achieve goals – they will naturally perform better academically.
So where to from here?
Schools need to consider how we help students to bond with like minded individuals, to build self esteem through challenge and to understand their strengths and weaknesses in a positive way.
More must be done to help all students – not just our gifted to reach their full potential.
A great way to do this is to raise the awareness of teachers about who gifted students can be and how we can help them.
Contact me
Contact me if your school needs assistance in training your teachers in the area of Gifted Education.
Gifted Education Musings 