Gifted children may do poorly in school

Gifted children often do poorly in school.  This is true so often that it sounds cliche.  A math story problem illustrates one way this happens:

“If there are 3 apples and you take away 2, how many do you have?”

Unfortunately, tests and worksheets often contain this sort of grammatical ambiguity.  A student who struggles with math might put a wrong answer, or no answer, because they have difficulty translating the story into numbers.  The average student will likely convert this into “3-2=1.”  The gifted student, however, may write “2” . . . because the question asks how many apples you have, not how many are left. If you take two apples, then you have at least two apples; maybe more if you already had some… until you eat some or give some away or lose some . . .    The student may not see the “obvious” answer, while seeing so many possible answers that they get lost.  It sometimes helps for the teacher to explain to the student that test writers aren’t looking for the right answer; they want the simple answer.

Gifted and Learning Differenced

If your child is both gifted AND has a learning difference such as dyslexia, testing ambiguity becomes an even bigger problem. Dyslexia often accompanies highly creative thinking. Tests tend to discourage creative thinking! I recommend this handbook if you want to learn more: To Be Gifted and Learning Disabled.

by Yvonna Graham, M.Ed.

www.dyslexiakit.net

@GrahamYvonna