Brainworks® - Strategies to Motivate the Twice Exceptional (2e) Student
Strategies to Motivate
the Twice Exceptional (2e) Student
Part 2 of 2
"The only one who can tell you 'you can't' is you, and you don't have to listen."
- Nike
| ASK THE EXPERT |
Question
Even though people say I am smart, my grades seem to depend on the teacher’s teaching style. If the teacher has variety in the presentation, I tend to pay attention. I can’t handle straight lecture, especially in a monotone voice. Boring, boring! My brain goes to sleep or starts to wander. I like it when a teacher gives me the big picture first using a graphic. Then the details don’t get so mixed up. If I can’t see it in my mind’s eye, it is hopeless. Just reading over material to study for a test has never worked for me. I need tricks to help me memorize; otherwise, I lose interest and quit studying. Do you have any suggestions to help me?
Answer:
You are describing the typical way a 2e student thinks. I have listed below tricks and strategies that will help you in the classroom and at home.
- Identify and use your gifts and talents.
- Design strategies in area of strength i.e. art talent –– draw a picture to explain the meaning of a vocabulary word. Make it funny or weird to help it store in your memory.
- Think about the big picture before the details.
- Write thought-provoking questions to hook your interest in the topic as you read.
- Use graphic organizers to tie complex information together as you read.
- Use color to organize concepts as you read.
- Use satire, metaphors, and analogies to explain concepts on note cards.
- Combine names and dates on a timeline.
- Tap into your excellent communication skills and advanced vocabulary.
- Write discussion questions (how and why) as you read. Ask the teacher these questions during class discussion.
- Share some unknown fact you discovered about the topic during class discussion.
- In lieu of written compositions, ask if you can do videos, audiotapes, Power Point presentations.
- Find an adult mentor outside the family to enrich your talent.
- Encourage your parents to tell teachers about your special talents or interests as a potential bonding tool.
- Design strategies to compensate for weaknesses.
- Time management weakness
- Set project deadlines for each part of the assignment. Put them on a calendar.
- Try to turn in each section of the project as it is completed instead of waiting until the main deadline.
- Learn how to estimate time by timing your tasks.
- Have set time for homework.
- Track amount of time spent on homework. If it exceeds what is recommended for your grade level, have your parents notify the teacher orcounselor.
- Focusing weakness
- 2e students retain 90% of the information if they have to teach it to someone. Find someone to teach. It will make you smarter!
- Memory weakness
- Use mnemonics –– Form a word or sentence using first letters: The great lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior) for the word HOMES.
- Create lists from textbook information.
- Watch for clues: headings, subheadings, words like first, second, many, stages, examples.
- Create flash cards: questions and mnemonics or picture on the front; answers on the back.
- Self-test (goal: 3 seconds per card)
- Use color to organize information and notice patterns (Ex: spelling –– red for vowels and blue for consonants)
- Note taking weakness
- Listen for verbal cues such as "Listen carefully." or "You should remember this."
- Copy information following these comments using key words, phrases, or short descriptions.
- Tape record the lecture and fill in notes from the recording before going to bed.
- Use laptop computer for note taking.
- Time management weakness
For further reading on this topic, read "The Twice Exceptional Student: High Potential; Low Performance" by Carla Crutsinger and Lori Bivens, Brainworks Newsletter, Fall 2007.
Next topic: Carla's 10 Commandment's for Students
