What does Underachievement look like in Gifted Students?
Poverty leads to many unfortunate challenges for the children it affects (refer to the "Poverty" link above). As a child might struggle with social, emotional, and physical needs, an educator may find that their student who is full of potential will begin to struggle academically. One of the most prominent indicators of this struggle is underachievement.
According to the article, "The underachievement of gifted students: What do we know and where do we go?" from the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, authors of the article site Rimm (1995) in his definition of underachievement among gifted children as, "youngsters representing a significant discrepancy between a student’s school performance and some index of ability. While underachievement among gifted youth is most frequently defined academically, the notion of underachievement must also extend to youngsters who fail to operate at a level commensurate with indicators of superior ability in any area of human pursuit" (Reis & McCoach, 2000).
It's important for educators to recognize underachievement in students so that not only students are developing to best of their potential, but also to help avoid the potential of a downward spiral affect of continuous, "negative feelings about self-worth, doubts about self-efficacy, and questions about identity" (Reis & McCoach, 2000).
Causes of Underachievement
In the book The Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Children the authors created a list of causes of underachievement in gifted students in general.
Since the needs of gifted children in poverty may be exacerbated this list is very useful to teachers. Below is a list of examples of causes of underachievement that will most likely affect gifted students living in poverty.
Overcoming Underachievement in our Classrooms
-Mentoring Groups (gender based, interest based, social and emotional needs based)
-Enrichment Classes during and after school
-Small/Pull-out Classes
-Strong Administrative/Teacher Advocacy
-Fostering Students Nontraditional Gifts
-Assessing Possible Learning Disabilities in Particular Subject Area
-One-on-one Counseling
-Bibliotherapy (Book Club Ideas: Books about talented people who had to overcome many challenges)
Gifted Hands
The Pact
Sonia Sotomayor
Elizabeth Blackwell
-Cinematherapy
Movies with Gifted Characters
August Rush
Gifted Hands
Steve Jobs
Akeelah and the Bee
The Pursuit of Happyness
Movies Featuring Gifted Kids (and Adults!)
Poverty leads to many unfortunate challenges for the children it affects (refer to the "Poverty" link above). As a child might struggle with social, emotional, and physical needs, an educator may find that their student who is full of potential will begin to struggle academically. One of the most prominent indicators of this struggle is underachievement.
According to the article, "The underachievement of gifted students: What do we know and where do we go?" from the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, authors of the article site Rimm (1995) in his definition of underachievement among gifted children as, "youngsters representing a significant discrepancy between a student’s school performance and some index of ability. While underachievement among gifted youth is most frequently defined academically, the notion of underachievement must also extend to youngsters who fail to operate at a level commensurate with indicators of superior ability in any area of human pursuit" (Reis & McCoach, 2000).
It's important for educators to recognize underachievement in students so that not only students are developing to best of their potential, but also to help avoid the potential of a downward spiral affect of continuous, "negative feelings about self-worth, doubts about self-efficacy, and questions about identity" (Reis & McCoach, 2000).
Causes of Underachievement
In the book The Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Children the authors created a list of causes of underachievement in gifted students in general.
Since the needs of gifted children in poverty may be exacerbated this list is very useful to teachers. Below is a list of examples of causes of underachievement that will most likely affect gifted students living in poverty.
- Peer pressure to be like everyone else
- Isolation from classmates
- Family dynamics (too-low or too-rigid expectations)
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Low self-esteem
- Possessing nontraditional gifts that do not fit teachers' expectations
Overcoming Underachievement in our Classrooms
-Mentoring Groups (gender based, interest based, social and emotional needs based)
-Enrichment Classes during and after school
-Small/Pull-out Classes
-Strong Administrative/Teacher Advocacy
-Fostering Students Nontraditional Gifts
-Assessing Possible Learning Disabilities in Particular Subject Area
-One-on-one Counseling
-Bibliotherapy (Book Club Ideas: Books about talented people who had to overcome many challenges)
Gifted Hands
The Pact
Sonia Sotomayor
Elizabeth Blackwell
-Cinematherapy
Movies with Gifted Characters
August Rush
Gifted Hands
Steve Jobs
Akeelah and the Bee
The Pursuit of Happyness
Movies Featuring Gifted Kids (and Adults!)