by Michael Bond, VAGTC     There are many reasons why gifted students have been underachieving on the NAPLAN and in the regular classroom. Often gifted students are not challenged during their primary school years and they can then become disengaged with school. Many gifted students are bored and thus develop poor work habits. The key is to identify and engage gifted students in the curriculum as early as possible.

Students all over Australia in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will be sitting the NAPLAN in May. The assessments are designed to provide students, parents and schools with valuable information about student progress and school performance.  In particular, there now seems to be a greater emphasis on ensuring that the high achievers and gifted and talented students are also performing as expected on the NAPLAN.

There are strategies that schools can implement to assist gifted students achieve their potential both in NAPLAN and in the regular classroom. Some simple strategies include: …

• Some form of grouping for gifted and talented students in advance classes or pull-out programs.
• Provision of appropriate extra-curriculum programs that may include during school and after school activities.
• Supportive adults in the school setting which may include teachers, counsellors or mentors.
• Assisting gifted students in developing a peer group. 
• Providing an engaging curriculum that is differentiated to meet the needs of the gifted student.

It has been widely reported that gifted students can experience a variety of social and emotional difficulties that include depression, stress and anxiety, extreme sensitivities, perfectionism, social isolation and more.  Gifted students may experience some, all or none of these difficulties. Parents can assist their children in addressing some of these difficulties and help them work towards achieving their potential to succeed at school.

Some important strategies to consider include helping your child develop their organisational skills, having realistic expectations, learning effective test taking strategies and learning to enjoy the learning process at school.  It is also preferable to have effective communication channels between the school and home.

Becoming a More Organised Student

It is important to assist your children in developing good organisational strategies. This includes being able to prioritise tasks, plan strategies to complete units of work and set deadlines to achieve components of a task. Parents can assist in modeling and guiding their children in learning this skill. The use of a student diary can assist with this process.

Creating Realistic Expectations

Student, parents and teacher need to have expectations that are realistic and achievable. Gifted children may need some assistance in defining what an achievable outcome is in a certain period of time. Gifted children often set standards according to their mental age rather than their chronological age.

Develop More Effective Test Taking Strategies

Students need to learn to attempt as many questions as possible and to return to questions they are unsure about on assessments like the NAPLAN and classroom assessments. This will ensure that the test will be completed on time and is a less stressful activity. Gifted children can spend too much time trying to perfect the answer for one question and run out of time on their assessments. 

Enjoy The Learning Process

Gifted children need to learn that not all tasks are assessment tasks and that these tasks are not a measure of their self-worth. Furthermore, many tasks such as homework and projects are a form of practice. Students should be encouraged to try their best and find a balance between submitting a perfect piece of work and work that is “good enough”.

Finding a Balance in Life

Gifted children can easily become engrossed in tasks and continue until a task is perfect. This may include completing many hours of homework on a daily basis. A balanced lifestyle includes taking breaks to eat, relax, listen to music and socialise. Having an organised routine and lifestyle can assist in finding this balance.

Effective Communication With School

As a parent, you want to develop an awareness of how your school is catering for the needs of gifted students. This should include the provision of a differentiated curriculum in the regular classroom. Many schools also have a gifted and talented education coordinator.   By staying in regular contact with the classroom teacher and gifted and talented education coordinator you can develop a greater understanding about how your child is progressing at school. This includes their social, emotional and academic development.

The NAPLAN is a snapshot of how students are performing on a particular day. Parents and teachers can assist gifted students through providing a safe and engaging learning environment that challenges the student to try their best on a regular basis. Catering for the needs to gifted students needs to be an ongoing concern of parents and teachers.

About the author:

Michael Bond is the Gifted and Talented Education Coordinator in the Junior School (K-6) at Oxley College and Vice President of the VAGTC. He has also worked as a Gifted and Talented Education Special Project Manager. He advocates for gifted education on the Teaching and Learning Committee at Oxley College and has assisted in the development of a Gifted and Talented Education Program at the College through serving on a Gifted and Talented Education Working Party. Michael has worked in Government and Independent schools and has taught in Australia and the United States of America. He has a Master of Science in Education specialising in K-6 Education and a Bachelor of Information Systems degree as well as a Diploma from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

About the VAGTC

The Victorian Association for Gifted and Talented Children will be holding their biannual conference on September 8 and 9, 2011. The conference is called “Unmasking the Possibilities”.  This conference is aiming to enable participants to become more proficient in understanding and identifying the 75% of students who for multiple reasons present in schools with masked gifts and talents. For more information people can log on to: www.vagtc.asn.au.

For more YourKidsEd resources on learning differences, click here.

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