Kyron

I worked with gifted students in the Math Science Upward Bound program as well as being identified as gifted when I was in grade school. For these students, my main strategy will be to appropriately challenge them and allow them the space to help structure their learning. It can be frustrating as a gifted person to feel underwhelmed or underestimated which can lead to educational burnout which sometimes presents as a lack of effort. Gifted students also can have some other cognitive processing like Autism or ADHD which will require presenting them with unique challenges that will keep them engaged and focused. Gamifying learning can be productive for these students in particular as competitiveness can be a positive reinforcer for gifted students to feel like they are being challenged more than just academically.

Many of my students from the Math Science Upward Bound program had ADHD and I worked with them during the summer program where I would attend classes and monitor them. I myself had a learning curve in navigating how to work with and engage students but I have learned that students with ADHD need constant stimulation adapted to their needs to maintain focus. I would work with the parents also to address specific strategies to employ. For the virtual environment, I would try to focus on creating a space that was mostly free from distractions but that would also validate their interests in a way that could be used in tandem with their learning.