Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.
Conventional education will refer to when a teacher teaches the students holding chalk and writing on boards to explain the theorems and facts. Traditional learning having less exposure to practical applications makes learning slow.
But with the time when everything is developing at a very fast pace, teaching has also been changed significantly. Now even conventional education has adapted the interactive methods over the years. Schools that always used repetition and memorization techniques to educate pupils have adapted the 50-50 criteria of education. For instance, they show a PowerPoint presentation or a video of information for 15 minutes and then perform the taught activity practically for the next 15 minutes.
These methods have made learning easy and exciting, and students are learning things faster than ever. Now the question is, who are advanced learners, and how do you recognize their unique potential?
This is how you know if you have an advanced learner or a gifted child at school or home.
They are Always Curious: If you have a gifted child around, you may have to do some mental exercise as those advanced kids always have a thirst for knowledge. They ask many questions about the world around them, and normal answers won’t satisfy them. They always ask detailed questions and develop new ones out of the solutions you provide to them.
Their curiosity always goes beyond simple interests and assignments. Sometimes they may ask questions that are out of your sense, and you may get frustrated by their questions. It is important to acknowledge their uniqueness and avoid shutting them off every time they ask a unique question. Discouraging them will demotivate them, and future learning attempts will shut down.
They Come with new and original ideas: While normal learners attempt the assignments according to teachers’ methods, the advanced learners always come up with new and unusual ideas for doing their tasks. Special kids come with a progressive imagination, thus they can be seen creating their own codes, new stories and songs, etc.
They prefer adult conversations: Did you ever say to a child don’t speak when elders talk? Next time you may appreciate a child having a conversation with an elder. The unique thing you will notice about a gifted child is they use strong vocabulary in their talk. They understand and use more words than their peer group.
It may be due to their extra reading habit and their sensitivity to new words, which allow them to guess the meaning of the word according to the context. As a result, they like to talk to their elders and better understand them than their peers. It may result in them being isolated and detached from their friends due to their extra intellectual ability.
They have self teach skills: Children who are advanced in learning may learn reading and writing way before they learn in school during their primary studies. It is because they have good memories.
It is estimated that a typical primary student needs a 10-15 times repetition of a word to memorize it, while the advanced learners may need to encounter the term 1-2 times, and it is already in their minds. They don’t need to practice for a long time to learn a new skill, as they are quick learners.
Now you know who the advanced learners are. In normal conventional schools, they don’t get the kind of exposure and growth deserved by them as they have gifted skills and need advanced learning to grow in their lane.
Some special kinds of advanced learning schools provide the right kind of exposure and information to these children. You can visit Allaccelerated.org to learn more about advanced learning education. Here is what those schools provide to your special children.
They provide independent study: In advanced learning schools, the students can select the academic topic according to their interest and show their strength the most. The teachers provided to them acknowledge all the learning parameters, i.e., teaching pace, needed materials and the method of teaching, etc.
The individual study doesn’t force them to run the rat race and polish their skills which they are interested in.
Availability of professional mentor: An advanced learner with high knowledge and strong curiosity may benefit by contacting the specialist of that area through the progressive schools and get the opportunity to learn from the specialist itself.
A normal teacher may not teach the special child according to their grasping level, but a higher grade mentor will guide the student on the right path effectively by sharing his own experience and knowledge with him.
They motivate students to create their interest center: The advanced learners who have great interest and knowledge about a particular subject or area may be inclined to share their ideas with others in their class or schools.
Normal schools may not provide them such opportunities, while in advanced learning schools, they are provided such offers frequently, so the specialists can visit them and distinguish their growth.
They ensure the persuasion of tiered assignments: Tiered assignments work where the student has a keen interest in a particular subject but has not developed any outcome yet.
They can do challenging tasks if provided regularly. For instance- if a teacher offers a student a math assignment, an advanced learner may complete the task in other steps than standard teaching, or they may be able to read tricky words and sentences.
In advanced learning schools, they don’t drop the assignment after getting it finished. Instead they stimulate the students to pursue them as tiered assignments further.
They provide exposure to extension activities: By managing their study time, advanced learners are provided the extension activities to meet the challenges of their exciting subject and understand the subject in depth. Open-ended study methods and exposure to real and high levels of problems stimulate them to solve those problems.An advanced learner is often noticed when he enters the school. A student may progress the grades faster than their peers in any particular subject or area. If their potential is not acknowledged, they remain at the same level of growth. If you have such a kid around, try to understand their uniqueness and encourage them to grow and develop their skills further.
