High Flyers are not like other students. Every child is special and different. Even offspring of the same parents can have different experiences and capabilities, more so students in the same class.
Coming from diverse cultural backgrounds and upbringings, these only push them more far apart on the scale.
One child prefers to have a few friends while another is friendly with a lot of students. Another is thrilled to start classes each day while one can’t wait to get back to his unfinished drawing at home.
In the same way, the intelligence quotient of kids differs from child to child. Some kids find it easy to grasp “difficult” concepts and quick to solve mind-rapping questions. These kids love studying, tend to ask a lot of intelligent questions and of course, come top of the class.
Some of them might find it hard to have a lot of friends while others relate well with their peers. These types of kids can be called high flyers. They are always eager to learn and excel.
Having this kid in your classroom keeps you on your toes as a teacher. If this is not properly managed, other kids can feel left out during class activities.
Tips To Help You Excel with High Flyers As a Teacher
The following tips can help you navigate turbulent waters and come out strong if you have high flyers in your classroom.
Put Them to the Test
Give high flyers advanced tasks and materials to stimulate their minds if they are bored. These materials can be researched before learning periods and kept at hand. Apart from sharpening their already great skills, these tasks open their mind to a whole new world of learning.
Recognise Their Needs
To recognise the needs of high flyers in your classroom, you have to observe patterns and work with them based on their interests. For example, a high flyer might be more in tune with solo activities than group activities while another is passionate about a specific subject like mathematics.
Encouraging them to chase after their interests while incorporating tasks to help them is the way to go.
Promote Curiosity
There is an insatiable thirst for knowledge in high flyers. They want to know more and read more. Provide them with activities, games, books and opportunities to spark their creative minds which will make them ask more questions and think critically.
Provide a Variety of Learning Options
Every child learns at a different pace and way. Some children are faster at understanding theory-based subjects while others are extremely great at mathematical calculations. Also, some kids prefer learning with videos while others love listening to their teacher to understand a concept.
Tailoring your teaching to accommodate different kinds of students is a must if you have high flyers in your classroom. Though this is not an easy fit, it can be achieved with collaboration from the school heads.
Encourage Teamwork
The importance of teamwork cannot be overlooked at this age and the earlier a child learns how to work with others in a team, the better he/she comes to terms with this concept.
It is important to encourage high flyers to work with others in the classroom. This can be achieved by creating groups where students of diverse learning styles are paired together. Doing this helps them to develop patience and understanding when dealing with other kids.
Promote Chances for Leadership
Allow high flyers to take on leadership roles in the classroom. This is because they are great at understanding concepts and can help their peers do the same. They can also spearhead discussions and other class activities.
Encourage the Development of Social and Emotional Skills
It is a common place for high-flying students to go short on grooming their emotional and social skills. They might find it difficult to make friends. Encourage them to communicate with their peers by organising activities where groups have to be created.
Open Communication
High-flying students might find it difficult to communicate effectively. Stimulate them to communicate by having one-on-one conversations with them where they feel free and comfortable sharing their personal experiences with you.
Conclusion
As a teacher, you will meet a variety of students in your classroom for each academic year, especially high flyers. Saying yes to open communication, teamwork, providing different learning options and developing their social and emotional skills are some of the strategies that you can use to keep your high flyers at the top of their game.
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