We are committed to challenging young talented minds and stretching their abilities.
Herndon, VA (PRWEB) May 31, 2013
Advanced learners. They're the ones who breeze through class and find themselves bored, or the young writers who compose complex sentences using advanced vocabulary. According to the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), there are an estimated three million academically gifted children in grades K–12 in the U.S., or approximately 6% of the student population. So what are some of the hallmarks of an advanced learner? There are signs to look for and new, challenging online programs that can engage gifted students.
According to John Holdren, who helps oversee curriculum development for K12 Inc., America’s largest provider of technology-powered individualized learning for grades K–12, scholars of gifted education point to these readily recognizable signs:
Top Five Signs of an Advanced Learner:
1. Your child demonstrates advanced skills. Notice your child incorporating "fastidious" into conversations? Was she reading before kindergarten? Can he recite multiplication tables while his peers are still struggling with simple addition? Advanced learners tend to exhibit advanced academic ability as well as master basic skills with less practice. They also tend to respond well to teachers, parents, and other adults and crave structure, organization, and consistency in their environments. In most K12 public, tuition-free partner schools, an Advanced Learner Program (ALP) begins as early as kindergarten with exciting enrichment opportunities for these talented students.
2. Your child is an independent and motivated learner. Advanced learners may excel at working independently and have longer attention spans. For example, they may be the kind of children who hide in corners with chapter books and later describe the stories in great detail with remarkable accuracy. Advanced learners may also show a strong desire to learn more. One of the unique characteristics of K12’s ALP is its inclusiveness, encouraging motivated children who might not make an arbitrary cut-off for a conventional Advanced Learner program to participate in ALP activities.
3. Your child is observant and inquisitive. Perhaps your child shared an in-depth recollection of a program she recently watched about the solar system, and then asked a dozen questions about the planet Jupiter. Keen powers of observation and an inquisitive nature are common attributes among advanced students. They’re also often known as the kids who ask several "how" and "why" questions in a single conversation. These learners have a high level of curiosity about objects, ideas, situations, or events and a large storehouse of information on a variety of topics. If a student demonstrates skills well above grade level, K12’s individualized approach means they may be considered for placement accordingly.
4. Your child is a curious problem solver. Advanced learners may exhibit an intrinsic motivation to learn and explore. Their propensity for skill mastery can also enable them to thrive in problem situations or engage in spirited disagreement. With K¹², these students would be able to participate in ALP activities that build on their natural tendency, such as a national event about dinosaur discoveries that included more than 150 students around the country in an online session, with select students offering presentations about their favorite dinosaurs.
5. Your child demonstrates creativity. Educator and author Joseph Renzulli considers creativity an important factor necessary for the development of gifted behavior. Advanced learners are often original thinkers who seek new and unusual associations among seemingly unrelated objects, ideas, or facts. Children may also demonstrate advanced ability in the visual arts. K¹² nurtures this, and a number of K12 partner schools offer local enrichment activities, clubs, and special programs—all in addition to programs offered by K¹² at a national level.
"At K12 we have a long history of serving advanced and accelerated learners. We are committed to challenging young talented minds and stretching their abilities with flexible, individualized learning approaches and engaging enrichment opportunities," says Holdren. K12's Advanced Learner Program provides advanced learners with a broad selection of enriched courses in subject areas ranging from literature and world languages to mathematics and science.
About K12 Inc.
K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN) is leading the transformation to individualized learning as the nation's foremost provider of technology-powered online solutions for students in pre-kindergarten through high school. K12 has worked with more than 2,000 school districts and has delivered more than 4 million courses over the past decade. K12 provides curricula, academic services, and learning solutions to public schools and districts, traditional classrooms, blended school programs, and families. K12 's curriculum is rooted in decades of research combined with 21st-century technology by cognitive scientists, interactive designers, and teachers. K12 's portfolio of more than 550 unique courses and titles—the most extensive in the technology-based education industry—covers every core subject and four academic levels for high school, including Honors and AP. K12 offers credit recovery courses, career-building electives, remediation support, six world languages, and a deep STEM offering. The K12 Program is offered through K12 partner public schools in more than two-thirds of the states and the District of Columbia, and through private schools serving students in all 50 states and 85 countries. More information can be found at K12.com.