6 Big Differences Between High Achievers And Truly Gifted Learners
Are you enthralled by the process of learning or simply subject to unwieldy curiosity?
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A | Shutterstock While they share a great deal of intellectual similarities, there are some big differences between high achievers and truly gifted learners, especially when it comes to their day-to-day experiences and general life struggles. While both might feel misunderstood in social and intellectual settings, like experts from the National Association for Gifted Children argue, the degree of their disconnect often varies based on several different internal and external factors.
Although each might excel intellectually, they often cultivate different mindsets around learning and the accrual of knowledge, at least according to licensed gifted intervention specialist Erin. Especially in traditional institutions like universities or Corporate America, these differences between high achievers and truly gifted learners can be subtle — based on their internal process, individual goals, and personality traits rather than their outward success.
Here are the 6 big differences between high achievers and truly gifted learners
1. High achievers know the solution
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Psychologist Carl Beuke Ph.D. argues that high achievers are more concerned with reaching their goals — they're "solution-oriented" — rather than focused on failure or the intricacies of what they're learning. For example, they may study for a test to get a good grade, unconcerned with learning the material in an all-encompassing way that contributes to greater practical use or understanding after the test.
They know the right answers, but may not know every "why" or "what if" to the same degree as truly gifted learners.
2. Truly gifted learners know the exception
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The International Gifted Consortium ("IGC"), whose experts specialize in research for the "profoundly gifted," explain that truly gifted learners tend to be more focused on the nuances and intricacies of the things they learn than higher achievers.
Their innate curiosity often drives them past the threshold of typical learning, allowing them to see the complexities that are generally overlooked by other people. They likely know the answer or solution to things, but unlike high achievers, they also know the "what ifs."
3. High achievers complete assignments
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According to Ruth Gotian, EdD, MS, chief learning officer and associate professor of education in anesthesiology at Weill Cornell Medicine, high achievers tend to excel with intrinsic motivation, especially for completing assignments and getting their tangible work done.
They do well in institutions that are assignment-driven, from school to the average workplace, because they have great time management, practical productivity skills, and motivation.
4. Truly gifted learners struggle to start assignments
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Motivation to do well is one of the big differences between high achievers and truly gifted learners, as gifted people often struggle with procrastination over starting their tangible assignments and projects.
Gifted child expert Dr. Barbara Klein suggests that procrastination is a consequence of the pressure and perfectionism many gifted children experience. They push off projects and assignments, worried that they're struggling to maintain the high standards they've set for themselves and that others tend to hold them to.
5. High achievers are motivated by grades and praise
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Business mentor Anna Lundberg argues that high achievers are motivated by praise, recognition, and external validation. While there are many big differences between high achievers and truly gifted learners, they share one similarity with being concerned with criticism and negative feedback, although they may navigate through it differently.
High achievers are motivated by these tangible recognitions of their intellect, not just because it motivates them to combat procrastination, but because it feeds into their self-assuredness and self-esteem.
6. Truly gifted learners are motivated by the applications of their knowledge
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Truly gifted learners tend to ask themselves: "When will I ever use this?" They're more focused on how they can learn the practical side of the material, rather than just seeking the praise and validation of doing well on a single assignment or getting a good grade on a test.
According to Dr. Michelle Ronksley-Pavia, a lecturer in Professional Experience and Special and Inclusive Education at Griffith University, it's this curiosity that gives truly gifted learners the ability to shift, be flexible, and adapt to new environments and situations. Unlike high achievers, who may take more time to learn the rules and regulations that govern their spaces, gifted learners do better with finding their place.
7. High achievers utilize opportunities to practice skills
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High achievers often practice their knowledge and skills in order to retain new information and remember what they've learned. Think: flashcards to study for a test or a math worksheet to practice unique problems.
According to research shared by Ferris State University, there's a variety of techniques and tactics for information retention, including discussing it with others or studying privately. They even report that people who teach other people new information retain the greatest amount of knowledge: over 90% of new information.
8. Truly gifted learners retain knowledge without practice
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While gifted students still benefit from the practice and usage of their skills, according to the Davidson Institute, they often have a better foundation for understanding and retaining new information than their high achieving counterparts. They have complex thinking structures that allow them to think deeply about new information and skills, compartmentalizing the importance of what they're learning to retain it.
9. High achievers pick up concepts through instruction
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Generally privy to the benefits of traditional instruction and institutional setups in education, high achievers tend to learn best in rigid classroom environments. Whether it's with a teacher or in a clearly defined alternative classroom setting, these high achievers do their best work, retain the most information, and learn more when they're placed in these kinds of environments.
According to the Victoria State Government's Department of Education, high achievers also do best with clearly outlined and defined goals and expectations — typically set by teachers, bosses, and mentors in these traditional institutions.
10. Truly gifted learners learn concepts spontaneously
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Unlike high achievers, truly gifted learners tend to learn concepts and retain information more spontaneously, referring to their own unique expectations for learning, uniquely set goals, and eccentric modes of learning.
Experts at Canon City Schools also suggest that gifted learners grasp concepts quickly and can make connections faster and more efficiently without the instruction high achievers need to succeed.
11. High achievers enjoy school
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Associating school with academic praise and an inherent venue for more direct external validation, high achievers tend to feed into a cycle relying on a commitment to rigid academic rules and the associated self-esteem it feeds into.
Walden University experts add that because high achievers find school relatively easy, feeding into their validation and self-esteem driven tendencies, the process of learning is more fun to indulge in.
12. Truly gifted learners dread school
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While truly gifted learners may enjoy flexing their curiosity muscle and the general process of learning, they tend to struggle with the traditional expectations and regulations schools prioritize. Especially considering they tend to experience more depressive symptoms and anxiety than their peers, according to a study published in Gifted Child Quarterly, their success in rigid classroom structures and learning processes is one of the biggest differences between high achievers and truly gifted learners.
Another study from Intelligence suggests that people of high intelligence or truly gifted learners also experience more psychological struggles than most like over-excitability, ADHD, and overstimulation, which add onto the stressors of their school and traditional academic experiences.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.