Understanding Variations in Giftedness and Achievement - Key Insights for Parents

1. Why Aren’t All Gifted Kids Alike?…what accounts for differences in achievement?

2. Learning Goals • What is the difference between high ability and high achievement? • What causes highly able students to underachieve? • What “secrets” can parents learn in order to help their gifted child (continue to) be a high achiever?

3. High ability:Much higher than average capacity to learn and master academic content High Achievement:Outstanding mastery of taught academic content High Ability does not always = High Achievement!!!

4. Highly Able (“gifted”) Mastery of content may require very little effort, and very few repetitions – “absorbs” learning May display obsessive need to master specific content May be unconventional and resistant to a system Internal/external characteristics may lead to underachievement High Achieving Usually works hard to master content, and may appreciate repeated opportunities to engage Drive to achieve, within a given system Usually works well within a system Excellent grades Both highly able and high achieving students show interest and excitement about learning . But…

5. What causes highly able students to underachieve?

8. Egocentrism • Normal and natural self interests due to brain growth • Unawareness of, and inability to appreciate, individual differences in ability • Unable to see themselves changing – attribute changes to others • Others’ needs for repetition not understood or appreciated

9. Perfectionism • Constant praise for ability generates both a need for perfection and a fear of inability to be perfect • Value shifts from learning to comparison • Fear of failure and comparison may lead to unwillingness to engage, or deliberate self-sabotage • Imposter syndrome

10. Need for self-efficacy • Different from self-esteem • Being vs. Doing • Drive to learn, with independence from adults • Individuation • Success with independent thinking

11. Asynchrony • Differences in cognitive, physical, emotional, social maturity • Young people show more amygdala activity than adults, and little prefrontal cortex activity • Appear to effectively inhibit task-irrelevant sensory input • May misinterpret or fail to deduce emotional information from nonverbal signals

12. Need for affiliation/social acceptance • Not comfortable with differences – don’t want to be recognized for giftedness • But awareness of being different • Need for cognitive peers; possible discomfort with age peers • Stress raises the amygdala’s affective filter

13. What “secrets” can parents learn, to help their gifted child (continue to) be a high achiever?

14. For your knowledge… • Zone of proximal development – connect your child with others of like development/readiness • Focus beyond “smartness” • Look for ways to enrich learning and interests – increase motivation to find out • Choice is a best practice • Avoid comparisons and win/lose situations • Fine line between encouragement and pressure • Acceptance ≠ Tolerance (of inappropriate behavior)

15. With your child… • Honesty is the best policy – address high ability in learning, asynchrony, perfectionism, etc. • Individual differences are valuable, and individuals should be valued, apart from their achievements • Provide specific praise about actions and products – not persons • Discuss ideas and encourage learning – biographies • Choice and realistic goal-setting • Listen and accept