– Since 1971, the “Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth” (SMPY) – one of the longest study about “gifted” children in history – has tracked 5,000 of the top students in America. The following of these high achievers for 45 years revealed some interesting things. For example, that even pupils with high IQs need teachers to be successful; and that the top brightest kids lead exceptional lives.
– Moreover, the SMPY research showed that so-called “genius,” “gifted” or “talented” children don’t get enough attention from their teachers, who tend to consider that the best performers in the classroom have already reached their “full potential.” As a result, a majority of the top students class time is spent helping their low-achieving peers, which is not the best way to move forward for everyone. Instead, the researchers suggest for teachers to avoid following a one-size-fits-all curriculum and create more individualized lesson plans.
– Any child’s “potential” is probably unlimited, and SMPY scientists think that “talented” students would benefit from skipping a grade. A not so common practice since many parents prefer to keep their child back, under the misleading assumption that an older pupil will be more mature and therefore more successful. On the contrary, research has shown that grade-skippers are 60 percent more likely to earn patents and doctorates, and even twice more in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields.
Albert Einstein – 1921 (Wikipedia)
