Underachievement Among Gifted Thinkers

It is apparent now that a student can be given all the bells and whistles of time and social collaboration, but if the student is not motivated into action, it is all for naught. So, we're back to how to motivate the underachieving gifted thinker! We're back to the teacher, teaching practices, and making learning real and authentic.

The student I speak of is doing a research project about survival. He has been reluctant to do much of anything outside of taking quizzes which can be prepared for, taken, and aced. What the Chrome Book is now allowing is freedom for him to document what he is doing as he builds his survival fort. In the real time action of learning, he has begun to ask questions and seek information. Taking pictures with his Chrome Book and annotating the images has breathed new life into a lethargic project.

This would certainly work for all students once they learned how to use the tool. Hands-on learning, especially in middle school, is deep learning....surely!

Student Responsibility

One situation that has become apparent with this study is the way students have been led to think they have limited responsibility for their own learning. It seems they come to class unable, or unwilling, to take ownership for what needs to be done. Parents back this notion when they contact me with concerns about their student's grades when he/she has missed deadlines, did not accomplish tasks during a grading period, or had internet issues at home for a day or two. I am expected to make everything right without mentioning the student's part in making anything right.

The biggest issue with digital learning, and using the web-based free apps, is that most students are unprepared to accept the responsibility that easy access to all necessary materials affords. They expect to be handed the work piecemeal, and pretty much dictated to about each step of learning. The education system has done that very carefully through all the grade and by the time I get them in 7th and 8th grade, students wait to be told what to do.  When tasks are not done, there are excuses, and reasons, and outright deceptions (dare I say it, lies!?). Once the excuse stage has passed, the parents are involved by whatever story is told at home to enlist sympathy.

Yes, having access to everything needed to be successful can be a blessing, but it can be curse as well. Next semester, I believe the first week will involve parents looking over the website and seeing for themselves what is available for the students to use to accomplish their work: lesson plans, rubrics, handouts, flashcards, quizzes with deadlines, and tutorials. It will also be made apparent that if there are internet issues, the student must be pro-active and ask for hard copies!  I am not a mind-reader. Gifted as I am, I have never mastered the art of knowing what's happening in someone else's home. Go figure!

Mind reading can be a messy business. Better to be
pro-active and ask for what's needed!

Testing Out -- another version of the plan

Here we are in another snow storm with a break from school, again. Some students are taking advantage of these windows of opportunities and working on their EasyBib notes and blogs. Some students, however, are falling further and further behind...as if the digital work does not exist outside of school. These few examples tend to be students who have not taken this research class previously, in any incarnation (written or digital).

All students have the opportunity to work ahead and test out of lessons. but that plan seems to cause confusion because from what I see they try to test out without reviewing the handouts and tutorials at the class website.

Hindsight: next semester, the website and test-out instructions will be sent home to students before the semester begins. In that way they arrive ready to start, either taking and applying the lessons from the beginning OR going directly to their projects. In this fashion, digital connections can be established up front before school starts. Parents will be involved immediately and students will be keenly aware of home-to-school connection of coursework.