“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.” Steve Jobs
Our gifted students can do grade-level work with little instruction, but how do we demand excellence?
- Demand sufficient evidence to back up answers (I always need three pieces of specific evidence).
- Return low-quality work (even if it’s correct) to be redone.
- Demand scholarly attitudes towards peers.
- Accept only high-quality, ability-appropriate resources.
- Offer examples of people (historically and currently) who have produced excellence.
- Demand increasingly specific responses (especially in writing).
- Ask students to analyze the habits of their peers who they think produce high-quality work.