Description:
Special care should be taken to ensure students the opportunity to explore career possibilities and to assist them in aligning these possibilities with interests and abilities. Assistance is often needed to recognize where interests and abilities might be used in college planning and career decision-making.
Why is this important?
High ability learners are often multi-talented, and this can cause more difficulty in making career decisions.
Tips/Suggestions:
Tips for Counselors and Teachers of High Ability Students
- Offer challenge and choice
- Allow high ability kids to be and work together.
- Foster a culture of achievement; encourage all to work hard.
- Use guided readings to discuss the emotions and dilemmas of characters or historical figures.
- Foster a culture of appreciation and acceptance of individual difference.
- When kids are working together, encourage the process of collaboration, not just the end result.
- Encourage trying new things without penalty. Allow mistakes.
- Be careful with assignments. When a high ability student is unclear about expectations, s/he may work for several hours on an assignment you may have meant to take 30 minutes.
- Teach study skills and organization to high ability kids.
- Conduct discussions on social skills, good listening, consideration, respect for all.
- Promote journaling, creative writing, drama, and music as ways to discuss feelings.