The difficulty in teaching gifted students can be keeping them engaged and challenged. By preparing for and participating in academic competitions they remain motivated and excited. There are competitions for a variety of interests and talents. Here are a few to get you started.
- Philosophy: www.philosophyslam.org This competition is open for K-12th graders.
- Geography: www.nationalgeographic.com/society/ngo/geobee This is a competition for 4th-8th graders.
- Playwriting: www.youngplayrights.org/nationalcontest.htm Anyone under the age of 18 can participate in this competition.
- Economics: www.economicschallenge.councilforeconed.org
- Problem Solving: www.fpsipi.org Their mission is "to develop the ability of young people globally to design and promote positive futures using critical, creative thinking."
- Writing: www.aynrand.org The Ayn Rand Institute has an essay writing competition divided into two age groups.
- Academics: www.usad.com This Academic Decathlon is a team competition in ten different areas: art, economics, essay, interview, language and literature, math, music, social science, and speech.
- Long Term: www.idodi.org/index.php/challenges/team-challenges In the Destination ImagiNation Team Challenge, teams work together for a period of time - from weeks to months. They focus on one or more of the following areas: technical/mechanical design, structural/architectural design, theatrical/literary/fine arts, scientific exploration, and improvisation.
By participating in academic competitions, gifted students are given the opportunity traditional students are given every day in class. They are able to set a goal that is possible but not easy to achieve, work hard on something that may be difficult for them, learn from their classmates, start something without knowing whether or not they will meet success, and see a challenging task to completion.
As you can see, there is a competition for everyone. For additional information I recommend Academic Competitions for Gifted Students: A Resource Book for Teachers and Parents by Mary Tallent-Runnels and Ann Candler-Lotven.
