Trying to understand better

[Kfamily]

Sorry, my thoughts are rather scattered and it shows in this post...:confused:

ETA: Sorry, this is long too...

 

 

I'm not sure if my younger dd fits the gifted description....she's very bright and motivated (and has some very unique characteristics)....but I've never had her tested and I'm not sure where she fits....

This is part of the reason I'm not very active on this particular board...I've never been completely sure I should post here...

 

I'm trying to sort out some thoughts I have about her, and I definitely have no one here (IRL) that I can talk with about this. I would love if I could safely share my thoughts here. I want to do everything in my power to help my dc learn everything that they would like.

 

Is it typical for any of your dc to want to learn about something...and then choose materials that are completely out of their range intellectually with which to learn it? My dd does this and I'm trying to understand better why she does this. Why does she choose books/resources that are too difficult for her when she could choose to start at a beginning level and learn from here? I guess I'm trying to figure out what draws my dd to the more difficult books even though she has some trouble understanding them.

 

Some examples:

 

My younger dd has been interested in astronomy for a while now and I do plan on teaching her astronomy this fall for science. She recently added the ideas of time and space to her area of interest. Madeleine L'Engle books provided the inspiration for this addition. We've watched many documentaries about astronomy and will watch many more for certain. Because of her new interest in time and space she's been reading Einstein's Cosmos by Michio Kaku. She's still working on this despite the fact that I'm certain many ideas are going over her head. She admits that she doesn't understand everything (and she does come to me for certain words and we look them up together....but they are often words that I know little about myself and would need more time and study to better explain to her) but insists that she is enjoying the book. I have noticed that she reads small sections at a time and needs complete quiet for her reading. I think its great that she approaches it this way and completely encourage her to do it this way.

She just ordered Parallel Worlds by the same author (along with War Horse, the book, and The Black Stallion...:lol:) so she intends to read more, I guess.

I've decided to add physics to our study of science this year to give her some background, especially since she has had no study of physics yet. I'm hoping some basic background will help her a little. My question is really why does she choose to learn about it this way. Why does she choose these books? In her defense, we could find no books in our library system on the subjects of time and space written at a child's level. I found her in the adult section looking through the books they had on the subject. She picked Einstein's Cosmos. I thought she might not really enjoy reading it and would lose interest, but instead she sticks with it. And then ordered another book by the same author. And this is in keeping with the way she approaches learning, so I shouldn't be surprised. I know the rapid learning growth comes and goes and it had been awhile since she had had one, so I think this may be why I've been caught off guard.

 

She has always loved animals, and her recent passion has been for whales and dolpins. She researches and reads and keeps notes about her passions for the moment. She's insisting she wants to read Moby Dick. Her father tried to gently suggest she wait to read this book but she seemed determined that this book would not be too hard for her. *(We (dh and I) are not the type to restrict her reading habits or make her feel as if something is too hard for her...he was just suggesting she might should wait until she was older...I added this so that others reading this don't assume we restrict her...we definitely know what she is capable of....) I'm just trying to sort out what goes on in her mind when she chooses to go for everything in such a big way.

We've agreed that we will read some advanced books together....her challenge books to help meet her needs in this area. I've also worked very hard and feel good about some new literature approaches for her that will incorporate rich literature that is age appropriate and yet add heavier discussions with it. We'll be studying and adding to some books by George MacDonald, Anne of Green Gables (with Evangeline...one of her chosen challenge books), books by Tolkien (she's already read The Hobbit and LOTR) and some others.

 

Is motivation the key ingredient here? Is there something about how she learns that I'm missing? (This is highly possible...:lol:) I'm just not sure if I'm

ever keeping up with her. I felt as if recently we had settled on enough material to keep her challenged and now I'm trying to catch up again. I find this all confusing because she's not overly accelerated in math (she's been picking up speed again after slowing down for awhile). She has always done well in math, but she isn't learning algebra like some children we read about here on this board. I have been planning some more movement in math (she's currently getting some basics down...getting quicker at her facts...etc.) and have Hands-On Geometry, Patty Paper Geometry and Singapore Challenge Problems.

 

Is this normal for her to try to take off big bites of knowledge long before she has a base to really understand it? Does this question even make sense? :lol:

Is the drive to know more more powerful than her actual abiltiy? Does this even make sense as a question?

 

Any suggestions or opinions would be appreciated. Thanks!

Edited July 20, 2012 by Kfamily

[Embassy]

Just some thoughts...

 

Maybe the books that she is choosing aren't out of her reach. Maybe they are feeding her interests well. Some children also learn better by encountering more difficult material. My son used to be quite interested in astronomy and I know much of the math in the books he read went over his head. However, it turned out that not only did he learn astronomy, but he also learned several math concepts just by reading the astronomy books.

 

I must admit that I've also held back my child from reading Moby Dick.:blushing: I've never read it and felt that I would also need to read it for discussion purposes and I had no interest in reading it especially if parts of it would go over my son's head. Maybe next year...

 

That said, I think it is best to follow her lead here. If she is interested in the hard stuff then don't hold back. Is is possible that she is a non-sequential learner? Maybe she doesn't need a step-by-step approach to learning. Is is possible that she learns better by seeing the whole picture? Also, she doesn't have to be accelerated across the board. Some kids are advanced in only some areas.

[Barbara H]

I sometimes enjoy reading stuff that's over my head too. Sometimes it has been from necessity (like trying to make sense of medical information) and sometimes it is just because I enjoy challenge. So, I agree with the suggestion to follow her lead. She's getting something out of it or she wouldn't be putting her time into it.

 

I'd provide her a range of materials and allow flexibility as she makes her choices. I'd try not to give it a lot of attention one way or another - so don't try to convince her she can't do it and don't make a big deal when she can. My guess is that you are right that there is a lot she's not understanding, but she's probably picking up more than you think she is. It is really a fantastic thing to have a kid who is motivated and able to persist when material is difficult. This trait will serve her very well in life.

[Kfamily]

Thank you both so much! :grouphug:

This has been so helpful to read.

[quark]

Please note that anything I say is pertaining to my limited experience with my only child. That said, your post really resonated with me. I wanted to reach out and provide any comfort I can (haven't read other responses and apologies for repetitive info if any).

 

Is it typical for any of your dc to want to learn about something...and then choose materials that are completely out of their range intellectually with which to learn it? My dd does this and I'm trying to understand better why she does this. Why does she choose books/resources that are too difficult for her when she could choose to start at a beginning level and learn from here?

 

On first impulse, I want to say a big yes. This is how my son chooses to learn too. But thinking about it a little more, and I know I might be way off base, is she comparing herself to anyone in particular? An older sib perhaps? I ask this because I was like this. I wanted to read harder books because my brother was doing it and I wanted to be very much like him. That said, it wasn't my only reason, I also enjoyed the books to the extent I could understand them. Again, I could be way off base and it could just be her preferred way to learn. She could be choosing these books because the others within her reach may not be answering some of the questions she has (or she doesn't realize she has until she reads these books?).

 

Why does she choose these books? In her defense, we could find no books in our library system on the subjects of time and space written at a child's level. I found her in the adult section looking through the books they had on the subject. She picked Einstein's Cosmos. I thought she might not really enjoy reading it and would lose interest, but instead she sticks with it. And then ordered another book by the same author. And this is in keeping with the way she approaches learning, so I shouldn't be surprised. I know the rapid learning growth comes and goes and it had been awhile since she had had one, so I think this may be why I've been caught off guard.

Yes, it could be one of those spurts or leaps. They tend to sneak up on you don't they? I like to be prepared so I sometimes pre-buy books (I also enjoy hoarding books lol) just to be prepared. But after buying them, I stay out of the way. I just leave them at eye level for him to discover. I'm not much good at teaching science and he learns so much on his own anyway.

 

FWIW, I really think it's wonderful that she's so self-motivated!

 

She's insisting she wants to read Moby Dick. Her father tried to gently suggest she wait to read this book but she seemed determined that this book would not be too hard for her.

My son wanted to read it too and we let him. Yup, unabridged version. I wanted to wait to pre-read but life got in the way and I decided what's the worst that can happen? I'm now listening to it in the car (audiobook) and my son is getting a second go at it thanks to this. It was interesting to see him enjoy the book and the challenge that went with reading it. Interesting to hear him form opinions of the story and shaking his head at some of Melville's rambling and now I finally get why he used to say all these things about the book. It's interesting because the roles are reversed. I'm discovering it and he's telling me "I told you so".

 

I felt as if recently we had settled on enough material to keep her challenged and now I'm trying to catch up again.

Lol, I both love and get exasperated by this.

 

I find this all confusing because she's not overly accelerated in math (she's been picking up speed again after slowing down for awhile). She has always done well in math, but she isn't learning algebra like some children we read about here on this board. I have been planning some more movement in math (she's currently getting some basics down...getting quicker at her facts...etc.) and have Hands-On Geometry, Patty Paper Geometry and Singapore Challenge Problems.

You don't have to be accelerated in math to be gifted/ wise beyond your years/ well-read etc ya?

 

Is the drive to know more more powerful than her actual abiltiy? Does this even make sense as a question?

I would think of her drive as a good thing. A very positive thing in fact. Good for her. ETA: There are lots of kids with ability but it's the drive that leads them further/ deeper/ creates more meaningful, challenging experiences (at least imho). Edited July 20, 2012 by quark

[Kfamily]

Oh, thank you so much! I can't describe what a relief and comfort it is to just be able to discuss this. Everything you wrote makes so much sense.

 

And yes, she does have an older sibling that she probably tries to keep up with in some ways. Fortunately, they do have different interests (although they do have plenty of shared ones) and this allows them both to have their own areas. I don't worry about this as much as I used to, because my younger dd has really been carving out her own self identity in this last year or so.

 

I can't thank you (and everyone else who has responded) enough for taking the time to give me such thoughtful replies. It really helps!:grouphug:

[boscopup]

I'm not sure if my younger dd fits the gifted description....she's very bright and motivated (and has some very unique characteristics)....but I've never had her tested and I'm not sure where she fits....

This is part of the reason I'm not very active on this particular board...I've never been completely sure I should post here...

 

The others handled your questions well, but I just wanted to say that there is no testing requirement to post on this subforum. ;) In fact, the subforum isn't necessarily for "gifted" kids. It's for "accelerated learners", meaning kids working above grade level. That could be a K'er doing 1st grade math (which is probably pretty common in bright students) or a 3rd grader doing algebra (much more rare).

 

So feel free to post here. Your girl sounds like she would fit right in, using materials that are clearly "above grade level". ;)

 

:grouphug:

[Emerald Stoker]

nm

[Lecka]

I think she could be learning things in layers. She gets some kind of framework as she reads right now, so she can know what is important to pay attention to in an area, and where it is going.

 

Then more and more little details get filled in. The layers get richer. She makes more connections.

 

All of that can happen over a lot of time and exposure.

 

But if she is drawn to starting with a framework like a big ladder with spaced gaps, that is fine. She doesn't have to build rung by rung with everything filled in neatly from bottom to top.

 

I tend to think she is not richly understanding this book like she would if she went into it with more background already developed. But you have to start somewhere, and I don't think it is a wrong place to start.

 

My Mom always does the opposite -- when she wants to learn about something, she starts in the kids section of the library, and gets a little book that will be a synopsis with lots of pictures. Then she goes on to the books from the adult section. That is what works for her.

 

I think it is similar though -- a way to get the framework before going into detail to some extent.

 

I see it called things like "top down," "big picture," "holistic," "whole-to-parts."

 

edit: My 7-year-old son seems to be this way, too. It is less pronounced, though (or on a different scale). Basically -- when something comes up, he will want to look at his Usborne Encyclopedia or a DK Eye Wonder kind of book. He gets the big overview that answers all his big questions that way. Then he is ready for more details. He doesn't do nearly as well with a "traditional" order, b/c he doesn't know what is important or where it will fit. Well, and it will not be interesting to him and he won't pay attention or be able to predict what he wants to know. So for him it is more of a necessary strategy, for him to have background knowledge, so that he can have comprehension as he learns.

 

Also -- I think The Dyslexic Advantage is a good book for this learning style. I am pretty sure that is where I read the thing about the ladder rungs, and I really like that. There are some learning style things that are helpful for parents of kids with dyslexia, but they can apply to other kids as well, in my opinion.

Edited July 21, 2012 by Lecka

[Kfamily]

Thank you all so much. I really needed to read all of this.

[cmb6]

I really enjoyed reading this also.

 

I know for my DS, part of this is that many materials for early elementary have a great deal of (unacknowledged) handwaving going on.

 

We've been at this just long enough for me to see that if he thinks he is getting something, he is, and not necessarily exactly what I would hope or expect him to get, but still something useful.

 

Heather