Tutoring for Underachieving Gifted Students

Parents often think that tutoring is for students who are falling behind in subjects such as math and reading, but it can actually help gifted students who lack motivation.

Gifted students who lack motivation are often considered underachievers. According to James R. Delisle and Sandra L. Berger of Kid Source Online, www.kidsource.com, underachievement is a behavioral issue that can be changed and corrected. They also note that underachievement has been described by many experts as a 'discrepancy between a child's school performance and some ability index such as an IQ score'. Underachievement often involves students having a negative perception of their own abilities.

Tutoring for Gifted Students

Tutoring, either one-on-one or in a group setting, can help build a child's academic self-esteem, but it is important to first decide what type of program would work best for him or her. Your decision should be based on the environment in which your child would feel most comfortable. Make sure that positive reinforcement and encouragement are part of the tutor's teaching strategy. Simple words of encouragement can help build a student's self-esteem.

Other underachieving gifted students do not have self-esteem issues at all, but rather feel as though they are not challenged. If you feel uncomfortable with your child skipping grade levels, tutoring may help rejuvenate your child's interest in learning by providing new academic challenges. Consider finding a subject that your child is interested in and then find a tutor who specializes in that field. Choosing such a subject can make it easier for the tutor to maintain the student's interest during the sessions.