The Covid 19 pandemic and the resulting working at home has raised the question of preferred learning by academically gifted students. It is a common complaint by gifted students that the school system does not always serve them. The recently enforced home learning has removed, for many of these students, the burden of group study in mixed ability classes.
There are several valid reasons why they should voice an opinion on home study versus the school system. It has long been a policy in schools generally to “mix” the students in groups so that there are students of variable intelligence, work ethic and behaviour in the same group. This puts a burden on the achieving (and possibly gifted) student to raise the level of achievement in their particular group. And whilst the gifted student is expending time and effort into raising this standard, other less achieving and unmotivated students may be holding them back at times.
Home study has brought this issue to the fore. Gifted children can work at their own pace, complete work in good time which releases them to enjoy other pursuits. They no longer have to listen to students ask the same questions and to hear the same answers. They already know the answers. Their time can be much better utilised, they no longer feel like work-horses for the rest of the group and can generally feel much more in control of their learning and, therefore, their future.
Read the following story from a child learning from home.
