Category Archives: Mastery

Underachievement

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There are many influences in a gifted child’s life that can contribute to underachievement, – health issues, family, relationships, and school. We will focus on part of the educational experience.

For many gifted children,the ordinary school setting quickly becomes uninteresting and unexciting. The enthusiasm, curiosity, and excitement quickly disappear.

Educational modifications can nurture and restore the motivation zeal and enthusiasm of a gifted child. It is important, though, not to simplistically think that all underachievement and motivation problems can be solved if only the correct educational options exist.

Children’s behaviors are not just random events. All behaviors, even maladaptive ones, are motivated to meet some need.  In order to change another person’s motivation, find something that he want or needs – a motivation that already exists within him.  Then perhaps you can modify and redirect tht motivation.  (Webb)

It is up to the adults to figure out what the child’s motivations are and assist them with redirection.

If a child is already in a pattern of underachieving, it may be necessary to get professional help. What I am addressing is ways for teachers to help have an impact on motivating the gifted child through creative activities.

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The Case for Working With Your Hands – NYT article

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One of the best articles on the connection between education and work:

The Case for Working With Your Hands

There are many gems, among them:

“It is a rare person, male or female, who is naturally inclined to sit still for 17 years in school, and then indefinitely at work.”

“A gifted young person who chooses to become a mechanic rather than to accumulate academic credentials is viewed as eccentric, if not self-destructive.”

“For anyone who feels ill suited by disposition to spend his days sitting in an office, the question of what a good job looks like is now wide open.”

“An economy that is more entrepreneurial, less managerial, would be less subject to the kind of distortions that occur when corporate managers’ compensation is tied to the short-term profit of distant shareholders. ”

“A good job requires a field of action where you can put your best capacities to work and see an effect in the world. Academic credentials do not guarantee this.”

The article is full of them.  Read and enjoy.

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Gifted Children Get Mixed Messages

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Mixed Messages
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Our society thinks it is wonderful to reward athletes, musicians, actors, and artists.  Entire industiries spend billions of dollars on these fields.  But what about the intellectually gifted?  They get mixed messages.

It’s good to be smart . . . as long as you’re not too smart.  Too smart makes you a nerd, an egghead, and a teacher-pleaser.  It can even make you a target for suspicion, resentment, and open hostility.  

It’s good to get high grades . . as long as you don’t talk about them.  That’s bragging, and besides, you might injure someone else’s self-esteem.  

It’s good to score high on tests . . as long as you keep this fact to yourself, or within your small circle of similarly brainy friends. When Gifted Kids Don’t Have All the Answers, Jim Delisle, Ph.D., & Judy Galbraith, M.A. (2002).

It seems the only time it is “cool” to look smart is when you are applying for college.  So many services help students score higher on tests and write superior essays to get admitted to desireable colleges.  Everyone seems to brag when they get into a prestigious school, but what about the rest of the time?  Is being smart only desireable when it can get you what you want?

It’s the mixed messages and skewed perceptions of giftedness that make the label more of a burden than a blessing.  It’s the insensitive, uninformed comments from teachers, peers, and/or parents that make gifted kids want to downplay, deny, or hide their giftedness. When Gifted Kids Don’t Have All the Answers, Jim Delisle, Ph.D., & Judy Galbraith, M.A. (2002).

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Encourage Children to Identify and Surmount Obstacles

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Buying low and selling high means defying the crowd. And people who defy the crowd – people who think creatively – almost inevitably encounter resistance. The question is not whether one will encounter obstacles; one will. The question is whether the creative thinker has the fortitude to persevere.

Sternberg states that, parents and teachers can prepare gifted children for these types of experiences by describing obstacles that they, their friends, and well-known figures in society have faced while trying to be creative; otherwise, children may think they are the only ones confronted by obstacles.

To help children deal with obstacles, parents and teachers can remind them of the many creative people whose ideas were initially shunned and help them to develop an inner sense of awe of the creative act. Suggesting that children reduce their concern over what others think is also valuable.

When children attempt to surmount an obstacle, they should be praised for the effort, whether or not they were entirely successful. Teachers and parents can point out aspects of the effort that were successful and why, and suggest other ways to confront the obstacles.  (Sternberg)

Having the class brainstorm about ways to confront a given obstacle can get the class thinking about the many strategies people can use to confront problems. Some obstacles are within oneself, such as performance anxiety. Other obstacles are external, such as the bad opinions of others.

Gifted children will need a great deal of fortitude throughout their lives to persevere in the face of obstacles. This skill is absolutely crucial and needs to be reinforced at all grade levels as children enter different stages of development.

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Cultivating a Life of Mastery

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Another important aspect regarding the motivation of gifted children is to help them understand the path of Mastery. Mastery is usually a term used in reference to mastering a task or a standard. It is usually seen as the completion of a task. You have mastered it, so it is now time to go on.

The path of mastery involves relatively brief spurts of progress, each of which is followed by a slight decline to a plateau somewhat higher in most cases than that which preceded it.

A reflection on mastery gives a deeper awareness of the learning process, a longer-term view. We all need to develop areas of  life where we want mastery.

In our story, the teacher knew she had standards that needed to be met. There were limitations of time and several competing needs in the classroom.

But now she also understands that mastery is a path, it is a decision to commit to a practice, such as being a creative teacher in limiting circumstances. It is a practice with intrinsic motivations, you want to practice and you will keep trying even when it seems you are not making any progress, because you understand the experience of the plateau on the path of mastery.

Committing to a path of mastery in your personal life makes it easier to integrate these concepts into the classroom. It becomes part of you and the way that you talk to the children and teach the class. When you develop a longer-term perspective on the learning process it is easier to have more patience with the students who feel frustrated.

And you begin to see new ways to infuse what you already do with more wisdom.

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