What Gifted AP Students Need from Their Teacher

What characteristics should teachers possess to be successful educators of gifted students in Advanced Placement classes.

This job is not easy, I constantly make mistakes, but the students are what makes it worth it!

“[Kids] don't remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are.” ― Jim Henson

Teaching can be one of the most rewarding jobs, and one of the most exhausting. While some days it takes a toll on me, it would not change it for the world! A study that explored the perceptions of gifted students of their AP classes showed that one of the most common influencers of positive and negative perceptions of an AP class was the teacher. The students concluded that their experiences were more positive when they had teachers who were highly skilled, held high expectations, and showed personal interest in students (Mullet, Kettler, & Sabatini, 2018, p. 82). In this post, I explore and prove why these three characteristics of AP teachers are so important for AP teachers to possess in order for their gifted AP students to be successful.

Passion

A particular quote in a research study about passion really resonates with me. The quote is about why it is so important that we as teachers of gifted students show our passion in the classroom. A student said, “If the teacher didn’t absolutely love what they were teaching, then it kind of bored me because it bored them” (Mullet, Kettler, & Sabatini, 2018, p. 82). Another student in another interview said, “A teacher’s excitement transfers to students, causing them not only to see the value in their subject but also to become motivated to learn with similar fervor” (Vanerbrook, 2006, p. 142). When gifted students see that teachers are excited about the content, it rubs off on them. I can think back to my own AP experiences in high school, (10 years ago…) and my favorite teachers were those who were passionate and excited about their subjects. When teachers are excited and passionate about what they teach, they also tend to come up with strategies and activities that are exciting as well. This engages the students and give them more motivation. When gifted students are engaged and motivated, they are more successful in their AP classes.

I have my favorite units in the subject I teach and honestly, I am more passionate about some parts of the curriculum than other parts. However, I try my best to keep the passion alive, if not for the actual content; it is passion for joy of learning itself. As teachers, we should not only want to teach our students content, but we should also want to teach students the joy of becoming life-long learners. Finally, when AP gifted students are more successful in their classes, it increases their self-efficacy. Because many gifted students put pressure on themselves to be successful and some equate their worth with academic success, it is important that we as teachers do our best to increase their self-efficacy and self-confidence. Therefore, it is important that as teachers of gifted students, we remember to show our passion for our subject and for learning to our students. Our passion will hopefully rub off on them and allow them to be as successful as possible in our AP classes.

Intellectual ability

When teachers of the gifted are categorized as being expert instructors they have passion, but they also have expertise in their subject areas. Gifted students are smart, and they know when a teacher is an expert in their area or not. Students describe instances where ineffective teachers were not meeting their needs. Examples would be that some teachers would spend time in class watching movies about literature instead of using that time to have valuable discussion of analysis. Other students describe that a teacher would find material and keys on the internet (Vanderbrook, 2006, p. 141). Other gifted students recounted incidences where teachers lacked skills and knowledge. One student could tell that the teacher did not know how to do some parts of the lesson and therefore had another teacher come in to try to explain it. This still did not give the student confidence and the student felt that they could not even go in for tutoring because the teacher would not know how to solve the problems either (Mullet, Kettler, & Sabatini, 2018, p. 83).

Teaching AP Physics, each unit has a set of difficult problems and questions. I make it a point to always do the example problems, practice problems, homework problems, tests, quizzes, etc. all before I go in to teach the students. I have a degree in physics and I understand how things work, but going in to a lesson fully prepared helps students see that you are an expert in your subject, because you ARE!! I know life gets in the way and sometimes it is hard to prepare fully for the lesson. I am guilty of doing a lesson without fully being prepared. However, this cannot be a common occurrence when teaching gifted students. They need to trust that you are an expert in the field, providing them with the best education they can receive. This will also play into building their self-efficacy and confidence. If students understand that they are learning from the best expert educator that you can be, their success will be greater as well!

Understanding & Acceptance

When gifted students feel more comfortable in their classes and know their teacher believes that they can succeed, they will be successful (Kyburg, Hertburg-Davis, & Callahan, 2007, p. 205). Building relationships with your students is one of the most important parts of being a teacher, and in my opinion one of the most rewarding. “Students are aware when teachers were honestly invested” (Mullet, Kettler, & Sabatini, 2018, p. 81). As teachers of gifted students, it is important that we invest the time to get to know our students, care for them, and understand their needs to serve them the best we can.

Being a High School AP teacher, I get to see the upperclassman high school students’ graduate and then become successful adults. One of my favorite things about being a high school teacher is getting emails, letters, and notes through social media about how much students appreciate having me as a teacher. It is the best feeling to hear that a student is successful because you were their teacher. That is why I do what I do. If you are a teacher of the gifted and you have not formed relationships with your students, then start! You can start by getting to know them better. Add random questions at the end of quizzes, exit tickets, or warm ups to learn more about them. Have students fill out surveys at the beginning of the year about their interests and incorporate that into your lessons. Make sure to attend their sporting events, concerts, and shows outside of school because it shows the students that you care. When students see you trying to form relationships with them and that you care about them besides the classroom, they will care more in your classroom and become even more motivated to succeed.

References

Mullet, D. R., Kettler, T., & Sabatini, A. (2018). Gifted students’ conceptions of their high school STEM education. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 41(1), 60-92.

Vanderbrook, C. M. (2006). Intellectually gifted females and their perspectives of lived experience in the AP and IB programs. The Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 17(3), 133-148.

Kyburg, R. M., Hertberg-Davis, H., & Callahan, C. M. (2007). Advanced placement and international baccalaureate programs: Optimal learning environments for talented minorities? Journal of Advanced Academics, 18(2), 172–215.