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[font=Comic Sans MS]I guess my question is how proactive are you in teaching them new ideas and concepts as opposed to reactively giving them more information. [/font][font=Comic Sans MS][/font] [font=Comic Sans MS]Like DD has a great concept of time and we are thinking about teaching her to tell time. I am certain we can do it in a few days, probably hours....but do I want to? Should I? Same with reading and spelling...she shows interest but I do not want to push her.[/font][font=Comic Sans MS][/font] [font=Comic Sans MS]An example on my reactive teachings, we all have allergies and since something is always blooming down here in the sub tropics...when she asked about why we sneezed, I explained about pollen. Now, when someone sneezes, she talks about the pollen in the trees. We were down in the Florida Keys this weekend and I explained about the dolphins we met, what 'Keys' were, about the different bodies of water, etc. But it was all based on answering her questions. [/font][font=Comic Sans MS][/font] [font=Comic Sans MS]She seems OK right now with our pace...but the why's are increasing...as are the 'what means' question. I love when she actually talks like a kid....so when I use a new word, like jealous, she asks 'What means jealous?' Of course, I explain and then she adds it to her vocabulary...:rolleyes: [/font][font=Comic Sans MS][/font] [font=Comic Sans MS]Thanks![/font]
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I say go for it, if she maintains her interest. Of course, as you said, don't push her, but let her take the lead. Our dd lets us know when she's not interested in something. I read somwhere (can't remember) that when they are always asking the 'why' type questions it is because they are wanting more information, even if they repeat the 'why' on the same thing they just asked you. Our dd has never cared for coloring. If I sit down with her and color, she will start coloring, too. However, after a few minutes she starts asking me to spell words with the crayons (she looks around the room and at books and picks out objects she wants me to spell). In seeing this, I know she is still not interested in coloring, just humoring her old mom. : D
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K, I would say that we are very proactive based on dd's questions. No matter the subject, she has lots and lots of specific questions, so we answer them. Because we go out to many kinds of activites and events, she was exposed to a lot and would constantly inquire about people's actions, musical instruments, food items, nature, etc. The more she saw, the more she asked; the more we answered, the more she needed to know. Example, several weeks ago, she saw two boys playing chess at the library. She talked incessantly about it; I really mean constantly. She watched them intently then asked dh over and over for weeks to teach her. He thought she would forget; um, he should have known better. Finally, he sat down with her, taught her all of the pieces and how they were permitted to move (one discussion and she remembered); she pushes him to "play" with her each night when he gets home.
She has many interests, and we indulge them, talk about them, buy things that interest her. One day, I looked at her bedroom. When we moved back here a year ago, I bought a nice mosquito net with beads (beautiful) and a dresser and hung some "cute" shelves. Since then, she has decided what she wants to add. Now, her room resembles a science classroom with human body cut outs, world maps, solar system maps and tons of books. She guides me, but when she shows an interests and asks questions, I give her the information that I have.
Mom, DD, too, hated to color and constantly asked me to write words. Now she insists on holding the pen and writing; she wants to know what medications I need for my back pain. :rolleyes:
One Solution
Provide meaningful choice
(print this and put it where you will see it every day)
Choice yields profound results -- from increased esteem, more sophisticated high-order thinking, more perseverence at low-order tasks, even increased classroom attendance.
For gifted kids, choice gives them the power to define themselves and know that they are exercising their own strengths -- including their own free will. This generates a level of future-orientation and big-picture thinking that forms a life-saving protection from the confusion and despair of the moment.
Choice does not mean "do whatever you want." It means "within these limits, do whatever you want." Sometimes the limits are rigid: "Do you want to brush your teeth now or after the movie?" Sometimes they are wide open: "Research any aspect of US History and present it in a meaningful format."
Note that, "You can choose to clean the dishes or you don;t get allowance" is not, in fact, meaningful choice. But, "You can choose to clean the dishes or wash the car" is a meaningful choice.
Differences
To understand highly gifted children it is essential to realize that, although they are children with the same basic needs as other children, they are very different. Adults cannot ignore or gloss over their differences without doing serious damage to these children, for the differences will not go away or be outgrown. They affect almost every aspect of these children's intellectual and emotional lives.
A microscope analogy is one useful way of understanding extreme intelligence. If we say that all people look at the world through a lens, with some lenses cloudy or distorted, some clear, and some magnified, we might say that gifted individuals view the world through a microscope lens and the highly gifted view it through an electron microscope. They see ordinary things in very different ways and often see what others simply cannot see. Although there are advantages to this heightened perception, there are disadvantages as well.
Since many children eventually become aware of being different, it is important to prepare yourself for your child's reactions. When your child's giftedness has been identified, you might open a discussion using the microscope analogy. If you are concerned that such a discussion will promote arrogance, be sure to let children know that unusual gifts, like hair and eye color, are not earned. It is neither admirable nor contemptible to be highly gifted. It is what one does with one's abilities that is important.
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