Studying as a gifted student
By: Amber Damen When: Friday 10 March | 14.00 – 15.30h Location: Museumpark - MP.H07.039
The Week of Giftedness focuses on spreading knowledge about giftedness throughout the Netherlands, including at RUAS. Friday 10 March from 14.00-15.30, we invite colleagues and students to join the informative and interactive talk: “Studying if you are gifted”
What is giftedness? How to recognise it? Are there specific advantages or disadvantages or special training needs? Students, staff, and teachers will engage in a discussion led by Amber Damen, educator of secondary school teachers at the Post HBO department, and giftedness specialist at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences.
Contact: damam@hr.nl.
Read the interview below
“It's nice to be gifted”
Amber Damen - Educator Post HBO at the School of Health Care Studies. Also, giftedness specialist at our institution and founder of the national network giftedness in higher education (HB-HO)
"Students and also colleagues sometimes do not know themselves that they are gifted. In the Netherlands, we have long had the idea that gifted children are science nerds, autistic whiz kids who are socially awkward and pedantic. That’s partly true as some whiz kids do stand out. The vast majority of highly gifted people function well, are socially adept, have a much broader outlook on life, and therefore also in their choice of study or work. It really doesn't always have to be the field of Rocket Science that a gifted person will end up working for. Why not in education or healthcare?
When I was still working at the PABO, I discovered that I had many like-minded people. You discover the same humour, associations, interests. Being gifted is not that special, by the way. Five per cent of the population is not a very percentage. When you walk through the shopping arcade and see all those people around you, you are really not the only one.
For one subject a laborious grade of a 5.5, the other grade is an easy nine.
Why should colleagues and students come to my workshop? We need to get rid of those misconceptions. Trying to discover the students who are super active alongside their studies at a high level. With music, specific sports, language, history, politics... And in between taking their exams. For one subject, they score a 5.5 every time with much effort, and for another subject, easily nines and tens because maybe they are more interested in the subject. To pick those students out at, for example, the PABO, Nursing or Marketing Management and engage with them. If necessary, put them in touch with a coach and thus motivate them and make them feel more at home. So, not only paying attention to grades, but also to what students do outside their studies!
Anyone can come, even if you are a novice in this respect. It's about becoming more familiar with the high giftedness. There are many more gifted people than you think, even in your surroundings. I suspect about five per cent at RUAS, over 2,000, are part of our community. With high and low motivation, often top-down thinking which doesn't always fit into the teaching methodology. This is something teachers can learn to be aware of. It is about the welfare of this group of students.
There’s no need for negativity. Being highly gifted is fun and has many advantages. They pick things up very quickly, play an instrument at high-level or master a sport in no time, for example.
That these students and staff also feel at home at our institution. That is the aim of my workshop!