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Definition of Highly Able Learners
Students labeled as highly able learners will differ significantly from one another, but they are tied together under one definition due to their need for educational modifications usually in the form of doing advanced curriculum or additional projects and assignments. This need is due to a specific aptitude in one or more areas that can often lead the student to actually not doing their best in class despite their aptitude due to boredom and frustration.
For one example, The State of Washington defines them as “students who perform or show potential for performing at significantly advanced academic levels when compared with others of their age, experiences, or environments.” (Washington State Legislature)
What this definition misses however, is that highly able learners often need specific teacher interventions in order to achieve their potential. When lesson plans don’t explicitly describe how to take work to the next level, students who are highly able can sometimes disengage from the class or even turn to misbehavior.
Students may be gifted in one subject while performing averagely or even well below average in other areas and still be labeled as gifted. For example, a student may be gifted in learning foreign languages, but struggle with mathematics. This creates an interesting situation where students can sometimes be labeled as highly able learners and also have one or more learning difficulties. This shows the importance of teachers communicating with each other to help elucidate an entire student’s experience before making judgements.
Identifying Highly Able Learners in the Classroom
Students that are highly able learners are often described by their teachers as…
- Quickly grasping new concepts naturally.
- Able to get high test grades despite not paying attention/doing homework.
- Or conversely, getting low test scores despite clearly having good understanding.
5 Targeted Interventions for Highly Able Learners
1: Include extra credit questions or work.
Some misperceive extra credit as being for weak students who need the extra points, but the students who take advantage of this type of work are actually the stronger students. This makes sense as students who are already struggling with the workload are unlikely to add more to their plate, even if the extra credit activity is quite easy. This shows that extra credit work should be designed for students who finish assignments early or need an extra challenge.
Rather than making bonus questions low hanging fruit to tempt weaker students to push themselves, make extra credit the true challenge while perhaps making the easier questions part of the mandatory test. This approach gives the students who need more time or depth with a subject the chance to push themselves further and not get bored while students who are struggling will get the points they need as the easy question can still be included within the main portion of the test.
Additionally, having ways to extend projects or papers will be key in ensuring that the varied pace of the classroom is appropriate for all students and doesn’t require the teachers full attention to push students to the next level. Having optional ways students can take their thinking with a project or paper further will be an easy answer for those students who always ask “I’m done, what do I do now?”.
Rather than having to spoon feed next steps to students on the fly, preparing something to keep everyone busy the whole class period will free the teacher to help struggling students one on one and discuss new ideas with students ready to move on when the time is right.
2: Give highly able students a choice .
One thing to keep in mind is that extra work should always be extra. Don’t add unnecessary work to a student plate even if they seem to be totally on top of everything. A student might be overachieving in one class, but desperately behind in another and appreciate the break. As long as a student is doing their required work and achieving well, it should be up to the student if they would like to invest more into the class.
Teachers should sit down with students who are doing very well and have a conversation about what the student would like to get done in the class and discuss options for how the student can use class time appropriately to complete classwork and achieve their goals.
This can be a great conversation to have in parent teacher conferences, but there will also probably need to be occasional check-ins throughout the year to keep the student on course and encourage good habits that may have slipped.
3: Help highly able students consider professional opportunities.
While the first place to challenge students is certainly in the classroom, some students who are doing particularly well might benefit from seeing how the subject could play a part in their lives after schooling. This will certainly look different for younger students versus older students, but there are many ways students could start to consider how what they’re learning might prepare them for the future.
Younger students might benefit from writing a research paper on a job or a field that they’re interested in discussing what professionals in this field do and how what is being taught will be useful in such a career. This will encourage students to imagine various futures, think practically about what they’re learning and make mindful connections to what is being taught.
For example, a young student might be interested in being some sort of scientist when they grow up. They could write about how scientists have to make calculations, run experiments, and write their findings and discuss how Math class, Science class, and English class will help them prepare to be a scientist. This is good for helping students see how school can help them in their futures and helping them make mindful connections between their school work and the outside world.
Older students have a few additional options that may be available to them to consider depending on their resources and where they live. Many companies offer middle and high school students opportunities to shadow professionals or even do internships to get a hands-on feel for what their future could look like. Additionally, teachers can help high school students to begin crafting a resume. Not only will this give them a practical document to take with them into life, but it can act as a template that they can add to as they continue to get more experience.
This can also be used to help students discuss holes in their resume. Many students who overachieve in the classroom will be lacking in extracurricular and volunteer experience. If a resume feels too stuffy, students could also work to build themselves a website using a free tool like WordPress or Wix. Having students create a website that can act as an online portfolio of their work as well as a representation of their professional selves is a great way to teach practical skills like website design as well as foster their creativity and self expression.
Another option teachers can keep in their back pocket for students who really need a greater challenge is a list of student competitions. Whether it be a science fair, writing contests, or speech and debate competitions, these larger events are great for challenging high level students to show their best work and perhaps even boost their resume with a high placement or even a win at a competitive level.
4: Foster independent learning habits.
Research shows that one of the largest determiners of whether highly able learners underachieve or reach their potential is their self motivation. (McCoach and Siegle) This is because self motivation connects to how much students value their goal. When students can choose their own goals, it not only empowers them to feel confident, it fosters independent learning not reliant on the teacher spoon feeding content.
While creating extra credit questions and ensuring projects have a clear extension aspect is a good basic practice for teachers to keep students engaged, at the end of the day, high level students should begin working on ways to extend their own learning independently. A teacher’s goal is to create independent learners who have a clear set of strategies they can employ when they want to learn something new. Teachers can encourage students to develop their own learning objectives and assign themselves work that will help them get there.
Younger students may struggle more with this, but even they can be taught how to look for books to read that push their reading level and subject understanding. They can also keep a learning journal where they keep track of new things they’ve learned and write down ideas to learn more. Encouraging students to make their own goals and giving them feedback when they need can be a great way to push students further without taking a lot of teacher time to craft whole assignments just for one or two students.
5: Don’t let highly able students bypass the basics.
Highly able learners often struggle with doing simpler tasks because they feel they are too easy and they feel that they already know what is being taught. This is no excuse for students to not do assigned work and students allowed to pick and choose what they do and what they don’t want to do during school are often not prepared for the work world where not every task is always a thrilling dopamine filled experience.
Everyone has to do things they don’t particularly enjoy, whether it is a boring work task or applying for schools or jobs, students need to understand that there are certain basic expectations that they can just skip because they’re smart.
Being able to do simple tasks efficiently, quickly, and with a high level of accuracy is a very important fundamental skill many highly achieving learners struggle with later in life. Students should be completing the work assigned to the whole class at a high level before the move on to extra work. No student is “too good” to complete the coursework their peers are doing. Students who are allowed to skip what the rest of the class does to do what they feel is best often struggle with arrogance.
Students should respect the work the teacher has put into planning lessons for them and do them to the best of their ability before expecting the teacher to go above and beyond for them. Creating extensions may be a best practice for teachers, but students are not to expect teachers to be at their whim to entertain them.
If the coursework of a class truly is not serving a student due to their abilities, they should be moved to a more challenging level of the class. While teachers should always create activities that can be done at a variety of skill levels, parents should not expect teachers to basically create an entirely new course for their child.
Students who challenge themselves to get their work done quickly so that they can move on to more fun challenges and tasks will be better prepared for real life where adults are constantly pulled between instant gratification and getting what they need to do done. This will also help create humility in students and not allow them to think they are better than others. The tips in this guide will help teachers to create students who have a solid work ethic as well as the tools to continue bettering themselves for the rest of their lives.
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References
“Definition—Students Who Are Highly Capable.” WAC 392-170-035: Washington State Legislature, apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=392-170-035.
McCoach, D. Betsy, and Del Siegle. “Factors That Differentiate Underachieving Gifted Students from High-Achieving Gifted Students.” Gifted Child Quarterly, vol. 47, no. 2, 2003, pp. 144–154., https://doi.org/10.1177/001698620304700205.
