Challenges Faced by Gifted Students in Traditional Classroom Settings
It might not seem so but educating gifted and academically advanced students can be more than challenging. Gifted students tend to get frustrated in the conventional classroom setting since they feel the generalized pace to be too slow for them. They might even find their academically-average peers to be lacking.
Reasons Why Gifted Students Are Unhappy in Traditional Classrooms:
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They find the set-up pace to be too slow
Academically advanced students have their signature pace! They are perhaps even faster in solving problems than their teachers at certain times! The teacher is bound to teach at an average speed, keeping the capability of all the students in mind. The gifted students feel the average pace to be too slow.
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They feel they are wasting their time
Academically advanced students are students who love studying. They want every hour of their day to be academically productive, unlike most other kids. When the conventional school setting does not allow this to happen, they get disheartened and might even lose their growing enthusiasm in studies.
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They do not get to face challenging academic tasks often
Conventional school setting mainly comprises of class lectures and semesters. Such a plain routine bores the hell out of the genius students! It might be the case that only one student in his entire class is genuinely gifted. In that case, he gets the opinion that he is the best. This might lead him to get over-confident that might impact him badly in future when he comes across other gifted students. Gifted students specifically need consistent challenges in their curriculum to keep them getting better and better.
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They might need to indulge in unimportant activities
They might not be interested in weekend class parties or any such events that have nothing to do with academics. Remember these are students who can sacrifice anything to study more and master subjects. Certain events in traditional schools might not interest them. An excess of these events might hinder the growth of these students
Many people have a pre-conceived notion that it is easier for teachers to keep advanced students glued to their studies. But it is not the case every time. The better the student is in academics, the greater are his demands. It needs a lot of work on the teachers’ as well as the parents’ part to satiate the academic hunger of these studious lot. Parents and teachers often find themselves to be exhausted while adapting to the expectations of the gifted students. The learning needs to be a really higher level to keep them intrigued and engaged. They are not interested when they do not feel intrigued! Also, teachers and parents make sure that these gifted children reach their full potential by experiencing wholesome learning. So, teachers and parents themselves need to be prepared before getting this brilliant lot prepared!
Why Online Schools Are Best for Gifted Students:
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Keeping the students intrigued
It is not an easy task to keep the gifted student intrigued. However, online school courses have the potential to fulfill their hunger for knowledge. A genuinely gifted student is one who asks multiple questions about most minor topics in order to gain the purest form of knowledge. Virtual education promotes the “one-on-one focus” concept. The online teachers are accessible 24X7 to resolve the little to massive queries put forward by the students. This works in favor of these students who love to explore and enrich their understanding. They feel free to ask more and more questions and get access to resources that are just a click away!
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Enabling them to follow their own pace and research more
Gifted and talented students tend to do a detailed study of anything and everything. They try to understand the issues that lie deep within. Self- pace of study enables them to research more on the individual topic as per their suitable time-frame.
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Creating a comfortable study environment
Though it might not be expected, it is a true fact that gifted students have overwhelming emotions. They are in need for constant movement. Virtual education allows their parents and educators to develop learning environments that take care of these needs, thus creating a comfortable environment for them.
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Allowing them to customize their curriculum
A gifted student also has certain strengths and weaknesses. He might be several levels ahead in a subject while a bit average in a few other subjects. Online school courses allow them to customize their curriculums accordingly.
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Achieving their greatest potential
It is a big loss if a gifted student is not able to achieve his greatest potential at the right time, for example in the high school phase. This might happen due to unnecessary distractions or issues like bullying, drugs etc. Online schooling not only provides a safe learning environment for the child but also challenges his abilities. It incorporates rigorous assignments and several interactive activities. Thus, virtual education is the best possible tool for making a gifted student believe further in his own abilities and get even better and better for future goals. It makes sure that these students can realize their exceptional potential.
Gifted students are the pride of any nation. This category of students already runs high on self-motivation and self-drive. They do not need to be forced to study as average kids do. All they need is a relaxed and flexible learning environment that brings out their exceptional skills. Online homeschools do the same for them. They can happily research more, making full use of the online tools and resources such as an online library.
Moreover, virtual schools also have the specially designed online homeschool curriculum that is meant for such academically advanced kids. Availing these accredited courses, they can gain higher levels of education at an early age. The academically advanced high school students might as well opt for the curriculum that targets an early graduation.