The National Association for Gifted Children define giftedness as being able to demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude or competence through documented performances in the top 10% of higher in at least one domain. If your child has been evaluated and is classified as being gifted, enrolling him or her in private school may open up more learning opportunities that are catered towards his or her interests. Here are 3 particular features you should look for.
Accelerated Learning Programs
Gifted children tend to have higher levels of aptitudes and can pick up learning materials with ease. With this said, gifted children tend to move through the materials taught in class in a quicker manner and can easily get bored learning at slow paces. To encourage your child to be able to learn at his or her own speed and to go further into specific concepts of interest, make sure that there are different types of accelerated learning programs offered at the private school.
The type of resources that are offered in these accelerated learning programs can make a world of a difference. You want to make sure that your child will be able to get the help he or she needs to further explore certain topics. This can be achieved with teachers that specialize in certain subjects. You should consider the type of background that each teacher has and how it pertains to the subject he or she is teaching.
Resources for Competing in Academic Competitions
To further encourage higher levels of thinking and comprehension, getting gifted children engaged in their own learning is important. One of the easiest ways of doing so is to allow these children to engage in extra curricular activities, like academic competitions. The private schools should have sufficient resources that allow your child to participate in these competitions with other like-minded children. Resources may include advanced learning materials or even equipment for hands-on work.
This may include special extracurricular programs that foster specific skills and talents at more advanced levels. The teachers should be trained on how to tackle these academic competitions and be able to mentor participants one-on-one in order to nurture each student's unique talents or abilities.
Additional Workshops that Foster Hobbies
Activities like chess, computer games, creative writing and reading are often overlooked in public schools; however, being able to indulge in these activities can really help foster the creative minds of gifted children. With that said, you want to look for additional workshops that can help your child hone in on a specific hobby that he or she may be interested in.
Conclusion
The abundance of resources provided at private schools help nourish gifted minds. If your child is considered to be gifted, he or she will have a much easier time growing and expanding his or her knowledge in a private school rather than a public school. Look at all of the different types of accommodations that each private school can make for your child when making a decision on enrollment.
