[danenania]

I believe that in Japan, they deal with this disparity by asking the top students to help teach others in the class. It seems like an interesting approach in that teaching something well requires a much higher bar of understanding than doing well on a test, and it’s an excellent way to reinforce knowledge for the one doing the teaching.

So the top students get a more difficult challenge than just coasting along, and the other students benefit as well. And, of course, it promotes teamwork and solidarity.

I’m sure there are downsides too. Perhaps it could create tension between the “teacher’s pets” and the others?

[vidarh]

My two best teachers (this was in Norway) took two very different approaches. One basically gave me a free reign to move ahead of the rest of the class and brought in more advanced text books for me, let me suggest my own homework etc. It took extra work for her, so I was lucky she put in the effort.

The other did what you suggest, and would have me go around and help others as soon as finished my own work. It was useful as a means to learn to understand what other people found difficult and why. It might not have helped that much with my understanding of the subject (maths) itself, but it helped with problem solving skills - having to come up with different ways of explaining things or approach a problem from different angles to whichever one I thought was most obvious when that "obvious" angle didn't work for someone else, and I think that was useful.

[kstenerud]

This is also how the school houses of old worked. You'd have all ages present since the population was so small, and the older kids would teach the younger kids while also doing their own studies.

This was a big help for socializing skills and empathy, since you were no longer segregated by age or sex and were exposed to many age groups with their own challenges throughout your early schooling.

[geomark]

That seems to be true, that teaching something solidifies one's understanding. Trouble is when top students are always teaching things that are well below their capability, rather than pushing onwards and upwards to more challenging levels. A balance between the two might be better, which is hard to do even in smaller classrooms.

[nkingsy]

IMO school is mostly about socialization.

Sticking the smart kids in one classroom or segregating their work means they don’t gain empathy for those who aren’t as gifted with academics. I’d argue the most important skill for a smart young person is empathy.

[david38]

Well, knowing how to “play with the other children”.

Social skills that work with a variety of people are something you can’t get by studying alone.

That said, it doesn’t take years and years to learn.

On the other hand, there have been numerous studies conducted by educators regarding what to do with the “best and the brightest”. Above all, we have learned what NOT to do. What you don’t do is make too big a deal out of it. The label rapidly becomes their identity and they hold onto it for dear life. This translates into becoming highly risk averse. In time this means they get passed by the average students who don’t have such fear of “no longer being considered a genius” and happily take more risks.

We know a few points * don’t talk about it much, it’s just “fun stuff” the kid is doing * let him do it. Kids learn to hate school that makes them feel bored * let them ease out or drop out if it without guilt or warnings about how their future will be average

Being “gifted” is one thing. Having the self drive to show something for it over a period of years is another.

[netjiro]

And it is also a waste of resources. The top slice of population can do amazing things if given resources and time. Why waste that? It's the most crucial resource we have!

[pengstrom]

It's only waste if you don't find helping others valuable.

[6DM]

I don't consider it a waste of resources. It will help them develop their leadership and communication skills. This will be essential if they want to motivate a team of people to achieve something later in life.

[netjiro]

Great, I agree in principal, but run the numbers.

Is it worth spending 1h of the day learning new things then 7h teaching others? I say that is wasteful.

[qqn]

"When one teaches, two learn."