Independent learner

[Guest]

I typed this up over on the K-8 board, but I really don't want it to come across as a bragging post, so I moved it over here. I'm hoping that this will all sound familiar to another mom and that I can get some guidance....:tongue_smilie:

 

I don't really know what I'm looking for, but if your child is very independent, self-motivating, structured... how do you school them? With my dd5, teaching feels "right". I feel like I am teaching her stuff. With my DS7, though, I have never felt like I teach him anything. Yes, I have seen a progression in his learning, but I don't feel like it's coming from me.

 

DS is so very independent and very structured, as well. He takes his Awana book into his room every year and basically teaches himself the entire thing. He has "his" flashcards that he drills his stuffed animals with (and thus learns himself). People ask me how he learned to read and I say, "um, he took the entire curriculum into his room and did it himself during his naptime." I say this not to brag (he has plenty of faults and shortcoming, as we all do!) but hopefully to connect with some other moms that have similar kids?!? The last few days of school, he has gotten very bent out of shape if I am not on schedule and he is constantly going into my teacher binder and pulling out his work and just does it. I was thinking today about when I was in second grade, and I had a (very interesting) teacher that put all our work for the week into a folder and gave us the responsibility of spreading it out over the week and getting it all done. (I remember that my mom hated that she did that, and now that I'm looking at how little my 7yo is and how much responsibility that was, I kind of understand.) I can't help but wonder if there is something to that idea, though. On the other hand, I don't remember quite how that worked. Basically right now, DS will do all his worksheets and then we will go through afterwards and do all the teacher "lessons" afterward, which basically feels counter-productive since he's already done the worksheet for that lesson. :tongue_smilie:I guess I just don't feel like I can keep up with him now that I am schooling another and am not devoting 100% of my attention to him. I understand life can't be like that, I'm guess I'm just wondering if there's anything different that I can be doing to help him thrive and not frustrate him.

[Dmmetler]

I have a similar DD, and I've come to realize that the more I let her do on her own, the happier she is. So I pick a lot of materials that let her be self-directed, and let her know she can come to me if she needs me. There are a few things we do together-any foreign language, for example, and MCT LA (because it's written for discussion and because it's just plain fun!), but she's been reading the "Read alouds" for SL to herself since a few weeks into core 1 when she asked me if she could.

 

This year I'm going even farther-instead of giving her material a day at a time, I'm giving it to her a week at a time, and letting her decide what to do first/when-but still reserving mornings to do schoolwork. If she wants to work all day Monday and do a week's work, that's great, she can either go on on Tuesday or do something else of her choosing-as long as by Friday, she's met the minimum :).

[8filltheheart]

Well, this is probably a minority opinion, but I personally do not believe that students are capable of "independent learning" except at the lowest base levels of cognitive skills, especially at younger ages. Moving thought processes up through higher cognitive processes beyond knowledge and understanding to evaluation/synthesis requires teacher interaction. Worksheets are low level "flat" education. Discussion/interaction offers the opportunity for students to be challenged to process ideas more deeply, etc.

 

As far as not being able to adequately keep up w/a 7 yr old b/c of adding a 5 yr old, I'm not sure I can or should respond to that one b/c I am completely befuddled by the contention.:lol: I can't even wrap my head around why or how that even factors into teaching a 7 yr old. Many homeschoolers are teaching large numbers of multiple grade levels and spending significant amts of time w/each student.

Edited August 16, 2012 by 8FillTheHeart

[Dmmetler]

I think it depends on what the learning is-for example, a lot of homeschool curricula for K-3 expect the parent to do a lot of reading aloud. If your child is an independent reader and doesn't LIKE being read to, as my DD was, it worked quite well for us to read the books separately and then come back and discuss them. This works for any reading-based subject. It also works well for DD to do her math practice/review on her own, but then go over whatever is new material with me. And some materials are more self-teaching than others. All told, it's enough to give a child who WANTS to be independent the feeling of independence, without necessarily turning them loose to do everything on their own.

[8filltheheart]

I think it depends on what the learning is-for example, a lot of homeschool curricula for K-3 expect the parent to do a lot of reading aloud. If your child is an independent reader and doesn't LIKE being read to, as my DD was, it worked quite well for us to read the books separately and then come back and discuss them. This works for any reading-based subject. It also works well for DD to do her math practice/review on her own, but then go over whatever is new material with me. And some materials are more self-teaching than others. All told, it's enough to give a child who WANTS to be independent the feeling of independence, without necessarily turning them loose to do everything on their own.

 

If you are meeting w/your child to discuss what was read, then you are interacting w/her. Discussion is not "independent" and not the same as a child filling in worksheets on his own and interacting w/a book.

 

FWIW, I would not classify "independent reading" vs. "reading aloud" as a form of distinguishing between independent learning and teacher engagement.

 

ETA: I should also share that my kids don't even know what worksheets are. ;)

Edited August 16, 2012 by 8FillTheHeart

[SunshineMom]

8FilltheHeart, I would agree, young children aren't really capable of "independent work" unless that work is just measuring skills already mastered and by definition that wouldn't be considered "learning" (IMO). There is a difference between learning and acquiring knowledge. Would anyone care to discuss this?

[2smartones]

(I think the responses so far have been just a tiny bit off topic rather than simply answering the question the original asked.)

 

To the op, my advice is to compromise. Come to an agreement that certain things must be taught and done together, but other things may be done alone. Choose a stack of books, resources, learning aids, websites, etc. that the child can do as much or as little as they want anytime they want, but only after the assignments are done that must be done with you. Children can acquire knowledge very quickly on their own if they're motivated to do so, but it's up to you to teach them how to apply the knowledge they've gained independently.

[TippyCanoe]

.

[dbmamaz]

I dont believe any statement which explains that all kids learn something in the same way or need the same thing out of an education.

 

Some kids are much more independent learners. thats fine, imo.

 

I would look in to some sort of work-box set up, where he can find his work and do it himself. You could even fill up a week of work for him

 

BUT . . there should still be SOME things you do together . . .reading literature and discussing it, playing some educational games, etc. Plus you have to make sure you actually check his work to make sure he's getting it, and of course be available for questions.

 

my youngest is a very independent kid. He likes to do some things together (mostly math, oddly) but really struggles to listen to someone talk about a subject. Now that he's finally starting to read fluently, i intend to let him do more independent work. When he was younger, he did a lot on Time4Learning because he just much preferred that.

 

there is no one right way to teach every child. teach your child the way your child needs to be taught.

[AK_Mom4]

Here is what "working independently" looks like for us.

 

First, I take time on Sunday afternoon to do my prep work - gather all the materials and write out in the planner what needs to be accomplished in each subject that week.

 

DD11 starts in the morning by getting her planner and choosing what to work on. We have some guidelines - music practice and math have to be completed before lunch - but she can choose the order and timing of the subjects. She gets the things she needs from the stack (prepped by me on Sunday), reads thru the lesson, then checks in with me to make sure she understands what she is doing. When she finishes the lesson, she gives it to me to be corrected, marks it as done in the planner and then goes on to the next thing. She works at her desk next to me or reading on the couch.

 

I very rarely have to teach her in the traditional "me lecture-you listen" sense because she can generally understand the instructions herself. I choose curriculum that is NOT teacher-intensive. Mostly these days (she's 6th grade) I am an extra set of hands for projects and an extra set of eyes to help catch her mistakes.

 

DD11 doesn't work alone, but she does work independently (I hope that distinction makes sense!). We used this same process when she was younger and I was homeschooling 2 kids.

[Guest]

I'm still here and I am digesting everyone's input. :lurk5:

[8filltheheart]

I'm still here and I am digesting everyone's input. :lurk5:

 

Monica,

 

What sort of input/feedback are you seeking? You have received a variety of perspectives.

 

To expand briefly on my OP, a 7yr old is limited to a 7 yr old's understanding of the world. So, in reading a history topic, for example, do they possess the knowledge, experience, or wisdom to take what they are reading and see varying views on the same event? Do they understand what outside factors influenced the event/person, etc beyond what is contained specifically in their reading, etc?

 

These links show the difference between gaining knowledge (the sort of learning mastered from reading and completing worksheets) and activities that assist children in engaging on a more complex level.

 

http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2009/05/25/the-best-resources-for-helping-teachers-use-blooms-taxonomy-in-the-classroom/

http://www.celt.iastate.edu/pdfs-docs/teaching/RevisedBloomsHandout.pdf

 

One of the greatest joys I have in teaching my kids is simply sitting and talking w/them and getting them to think about things from different POV and scenarios. I can see their little minds churning and making connections to ideas that had not occured to them on their own.

 

Also, I don't use graded curriculum, so they progress at their level of ability vs. what is covered in standard graded texts or packages. So, for example, I have had a 3rd grader that was able to parse very complex sentences (basically on a high school grammar level.) I would sit w/her and I would just keep adding concepts over time as she quickly mastered simpler concepts. Working w/her directly allowed her to progress at a pace that matched her natural abilities and kept her interested and challenged.

 

FWIW, one way to approach this w/2 children would be to have him reading silently or working on math while you are working w/your 5 yo and then work w/him when you finish w/her.

 

ETA: I was just reading some other links that came up in my google search for the other links I posted, and I came across this one. These are basic graphic guides that visually demonstrate simple ideas. http://www.exploratree.org.uk/

Edited August 17, 2012 by 8FillTheHeart

[Guest]

Monica,

 

What sort of input/feedback are you seeking? You have received a variety of perspectives.

 

 

I have received a lot of input and I thank you all for taking the time to reply. It has all been helpful to read.

 

I am definitely not looking to do independent work for subjects like history, science, and literature. I am totally of the mind that for his age and understanding of the world, we participate in these subjects together. Definitely.

 

I typed out a really long post, but it's kind of embarrassing. The gist of it is that my *concern* lies is wondering if in subjects, such as math and grammar, it is okay to let him be independent? I feel like it's taboo to say I let my kid teach himself math or grammar. I mean, those are the most basic elements of schooling, right? Right now, nothing is challenging for him and he enjoys school immensely. So, as long as I am checking for understanding, is that terrible to do?

 

That is the long and short of my questioning. ;)

[SunshineMom]

I love the look of exploratree. 8-how have you used these? I have enjoyed creating my own general mind mapping but these are more directive.

[Free]

I typed this up over on the K-8 board, but I really don't want it to come across as a bragging post, so I moved it over here. I'm hoping that this will all sound familiar to another mom and that I can get some guidance....:tongue_smilie:

 

I don't really know what I'm looking for, but if your child is very independent, self-motivating, structured... how do you school them? With my dd5, teaching feels "right". I feel like I am teaching her stuff. With my DS7, though, I have never felt like I teach him anything. Yes, I have seen a progression in his learning, but I don't feel like it's coming from me.

 

DS is so very independent and very structured, as well. He takes his Awana book into his room every year and basically teaches himself the entire thing. He has "his" flashcards that he drills his stuffed animals with (and thus learns himself). People ask me how he learned to read and I say, "um, he took the entire curriculum into his room and did it himself during his naptime." I say this not to brag (he has plenty of faults and shortcoming, as we all do!) but hopefully to connect with some other moms that have similar kids?!? The last few days of school, he has gotten very bent out of shape if I am not on schedule and he is constantly going into my teacher binder and pulling out his work and just does it. I was thinking today about when I was in second grade, and I had a (very interesting) teacher that put all our work for the week into a folder and gave us the responsibility of spreading it out over the week and getting it all done. (I remember that my mom hated that she did that, and now that I'm looking at how little my 7yo is and how much responsibility that was, I kind of understand.) I can't help but wonder if there is something to that idea, though. On the other hand, I don't remember quite how that worked. Basically right now, DS will do all his worksheets and then we will go through afterwards and do all the teacher "lessons" afterward, which basically feels counter-productive since he's already done the worksheet for that lesson. :tongue_smilie:I guess I just don't feel like I can keep up with him now that I am schooling another and am not devoting 100% of my attention to him. I understand life can't be like that, I'm guess I'm just wondering if there's anything different that I can be doing to help him thrive and not frustrate him.

 

You should check out some of the Project based learning/ Interest Led Learning threads. Your son seems to be the type who will thrive in such an atmosphere. Try searching for threads tagged with "interest led" or "project based learning".

 

Here are some of my favourites:

Project Based Homeschooling: Directing Self Learners

Teaching "outside the box" - or "Now what?"

[Tanikit]

My 4 year old has been doing Horizons K math for a while now - I taught her to form numbers at the beginning and made sure she understood the concepts but the worksheets become very repetitive and so she now knows how to do them and wants to be independent. Since she can read the instructions herself she can figure out what they want and do it almost entirely on her own and usually that is what she chooses to do and then I check it. However when I feel that she has been on her own in math long enough I pull out another curriculum and see if she can do that mostly independently too. I am however always around to help and usually teaching other math concepts happens with games around the house before she gets to it in the curriculum.

 

I don't think there is a problem letting a child do worksheets independently and if they can read the examples or figure out how to do it alone then thats fine too, but you should be there to teach. A child who learns to read by themselves has always been taught something indirectly - no child can know what sounds the letters make unless someone has told them (and yes there are children who work it out by seeing words around them that they know - such as "milk" written on a carton etc but someone still had to keep saying milk when the milk carton was around) You cannot put a baby in a room with written speech and no one talking around the baby ever and expect it to read. I imagine that then things were just introduced in the correct order for that child but that it differed significantly from the formal phonics based teaching associated with learning to read.

[8filltheheart]

I have received a lot of input and I thank you all for taking the time to reply. It has all been helpful to read.

 

I am definitely not looking to do independent work for subjects like history, science, and literature. I am totally of the mind that for his age and understanding of the world, we participate in these subjects together. Definitely.

 

I typed out a really long post, but it's kind of embarrassing. The gist of it is that my *concern* lies is wondering if in subjects, such as math and grammar, it is okay to let him be independent? I feel like it's taboo to say I let my kid teach himself math or grammar. I mean, those are the most basic elements of schooling, right? Right now, nothing is challenging for him and he enjoys school immensely. So, as long as I am checking for understanding, is that terrible to do?

 

That is the long and short of my questioning. ;)

 

I don't believe it is wrong per se, however with my children I would most likely interpret it as an indication that he would benefit from greater challenge and that the current work is at too low a level for his abilities.

 

I love the look of exploratree. 8-how have you used these? I have enjoyed creating my own general mind mapping but these are more directive.

 

I haven't ever used them. They just reminded me of visual representations of the types of simple discussions I have w/my kids all the time.

[2smartones]

I typed out a really long post, but it's kind of embarrassing. The gist of it is that my *concern* lies is wondering if in subjects, such as math and grammar, it is okay to let him be independent? I feel like it's taboo to say I let my kid teach himself math or grammar. I mean, those are the most basic elements of schooling, right? Right now, nothing is challenging for him and he enjoys school immensely. So, as long as I am checking for understanding, is that terrible to do?

 

That is the long and short of my questioning. ;)

 

The lack of confidence in your writing is very apparent. It's hard to know what to do when you're afraid of messing up your child for life or wondering if the grammar police will come banging on your door telling you what a horrible mom you are for neglecting your child.

 

Don't worry!!! Seriously!! Some kids really DO learn the basics of math and LA on their own (which is easiest to do in the grammar stage, of course). When they get the basics crammed into their heads (at lightning speed, no less), then you'll be able to hold their hands into the next level of learning. WTM doesn't work on a step by step basis with accelerated learners. If you have a 7 year old who has devoured the grammar information and is begging for logic, go for it. WTM is a suggested guideline, not a rulebook.

[Guest]

You should check out some of the Project based learning/ Interest Led Learning threads. Your son seems to be the type who will thrive in such an atmosphere. Try searching for threads tagged with "interest led" or "project based learning".

 

Here are some of my favourites:

Project Based Homeschooling: Directing Self Learners

Teaching "outside the box" - or "Now what?"

 

I'm looking forward to reading through some of the great links in this thread this weekend. I clicked on one of the threads and it looks great...but long! lol.

 

I don't believe it is wrong per se, however with my children I would most likely interpret it as an indication that he would benefit from greater challenge and that the current work is at too low a level for his abilities.

Well, this is the underlying issue that I need to deal with. I've spent the last few years listening to people tell me how I was going too fast and doing too much with him. I listened and now it's biting me in the butt because he is very behind where I really think he should be.

 

The lack of confidence in your writing is very apparent. It's hard to know what to do when you're afraid of messing up your child for life or wondering if the grammar police will come banging on your door telling you what a horrible mom you are for neglecting your child.

 

Don't worry!!! Seriously!! Some kids really DO learn the basics of math and LA on their own (which is easiest to do in the grammar stage, of course). When they get the basics crammed into their heads (at lightning speed, no less), then you'll be able to hold their hands into the next level of learning. WTM doesn't work on a step by step basis with accelerated learners. If you have a 7 year old who has devoured the grammar information and is begging for logic, go for it. WTM is a suggested guideline, not a rulebook.

 

LOL! You think? :) I had a friend tell me the other day (on a completely different issue) that I am afraid of failure. Yup! That's me!

 

Sometimes I think I need to stay away from these boards because I tend to be so influenced by what people say here. On the other hand, I have learned SO much here! What's a girl to do? I will learn one day...when the kids are grown and gone. :) On a serious note, I am really going to think about some of these responses and links this weekend and hopefully come up with some strategies for going forward.

[boscopup]

I don't believe it is wrong per se, however with my children I would most likely interpret it as an indication that he would benefit from greater challenge and that the current work is at too low a level for his abilities.

 

:iagree: I'm wondering if the OP needs to bump the kid up to a level where he NEEDS to be taught because he can't figure it out on his own? If he's whipping through worksheets independently, he probably knows the material already.

 

For grammar, we switched to KISS. Grade-leveled grammar materials just weren't challenging at all. DS1 is a lot like 8's DD that she describes - he understands much higher level grammar than is typical for his age. Because of him, when people are saying R&S English is so difficult, and I'm looking at R&S 4 (which I have used bits and pieces of with him), I think "This is so simple! How is this hard at all?!?" My 3rd grader could have done R&S 4 in 2nd grade without a problem. So instead, we use KISS, which uses REAL sentences from literature. It can get difficult. The kid has to think rather than following a pattern. You can move through it at whatever pace you need. You just work your way from level 1 to the end. When you're done, you're done with grammar. This program lends itself to discussion, because sometimes the "answer" could be one of two different options, either one technically being correct.

 

For math, I likewise had to work at a higher level, and then we finally got to new material that I needed to teach. Though he does Life of Fred independently, and if he uses AoPS, he'll do that independently if he's able (as it's designed to be done independently... all that text is basically the teacher talking :D).

 

This year, I've had DS1 work more independently, meaning I teach the new material then set him free to work on some exercise. That has been helpful while adding in a K'er. I haven't had any problem getting both done in the same day though. The K'er has maybe an hour of school total. The 3rd grader has about 3.5 hours. So that's 4.5 hours, plus interruptions and distractions, and since 3rd grader can do his math exercise independently or write a paragraph from a keyword outline independently (ie, I don't have to be "at elbow" like I used to), I'm not needed for nearly as much time.

[boscopup]

Well, this is the underlying issue that I need to deal with. I've spent the last few years listening to people tell me how I was going too fast and doing too much with him. I listened and now it's biting me in the butt because he is very behind where I really think he should be.

 

When you were going faster/doing more, was he happy with school? Were you happy? Were people saying you were going too fast just because your son was ahead of grade level, or was there something you were complaining about that made people think you were going to fast?

 

Sometimes people do go too fast, and their kid starts struggling and can't cope. Sometimes people are not going too fast, but their CHILD is going so fast that the parent is trying to hang on for dear life. That's more common on this board, I think. ;)

[TippyCanoe]

.

[Bang!Zoom!]

I think 7 years old is a notorious age for uneven abilities; I really do.

 

I'd also take a look at the complexity of the worksheets, these sound like they could use a second look over.

 

Half the challenge I think, in teaching at home is the ability to mix it up across subjects, the work isn't directed toward one mass goal like it sometimes can be in a group instruction with 20 kids.

 

I wouldn't pause for much longer inner reflecting, but instead spend some of that energy rethinking the materials he's working with in different subject areas.

 

Kids can be years ahead in one area, on level in a few more basics, and really struggle in others. I don't think it's too often it's a smooth ride figuring that out.

 

Good luck with it.

[Guest]

Well, I bumped him up an entire level of math. It's a long story, but I already have the whole next level and I think it's probably where he's supposed to be. I didn't tell him that I moved him up and while he was doing the worksheet after our lesson, he was still singing his "it's so easy-peasy" song. I think we'll hang out here for awhile and see how it goes. :)

 

I guess if that's what I got out of this whole thread, it's a good thing.

[boscopup]

Does your curriculum have a placement test?

 

You may need to go up more than one level, or speed through what you have. When we were using Math Mammoth, we went through 1A-4A in a calendar year. We skipped things he knew. He was solid on all of 2B, so we skipped that whole book. I did chapter or end of year tests to determine if he could skip. I was never wrong when I suspected he could skip the chapter. Now that he is â€where he really isâ€, he isn't bored and thinks math is fun. It's still easy sometimes, but it's at least more interesting.

[FairProspects]

This year, I've had DS1 work more independently, meaning I teach the new material then set him free to work on some exercise. That has been helpful while adding in a K'er. I haven't had any problem getting both done in the same day though. The K'er has maybe an hour of school total. The 3rd grader has about 3.5 hours. So that's 4.5 hours, plus interruptions and distractions, and since 3rd grader can do his math exercise independently or write a paragraph from a keyword outline independently (ie, I don't have to be "at elbow" like I used to), I'm not needed for nearly as much time.

 

I think you are lucky with this though. We are running a very light schedule right now and both kids still need me for every. single. thing. A big part of this is dyslexia/attentional issues, but I don't think it is that far outside the norm for the age, so I don't want to set up too high of expectations for the OP. :)

[AK_Mom4]

Well, I bumped him up an entire level of math. It's a long story, but I already have the whole next level and I think it's probably where he's supposed to be. I didn't tell him that I moved him up and while he was doing the worksheet after our lesson, he was still singing his "it's so easy-peasy" song. I think we'll hang out here for awhile and see how it goes. :)

 

I guess if that's what I got out of this whole thread, it's a good thing.

 

Confession time - I, too, am a "skipper of levels" :D. For DD11 and DS16 (when he was homeschooled), we skipped several grade levels along the way in order to keep the challenge level high enough.

 

I don't want to kick off a "go deep instead of fast" debate here.... just wanted to let you know that I understand and that you aren't alone. Sometimes you just need to skip and keep skipping to get that bar raised high enough. I also found that DS16's behavior improved greatly when he was working at the right level. When things were too easy, he would be irritable and grumpy.

[Free]

Sometimes I think I need to stay away from these boards because I tend to be so influenced by what people say here. On the other hand, I have learned SO much here! What's a girl to do?

 

That is me too...because when you see other kids doing amazing things you do wonder if you are limiting your child by not doing all of that. But I have learnt to take the cue from my own child and meet him where he is. I keep telling myself take it slow and add just one thing at a time because, seriously, my brain gets too overwhelmed with all the options out there.

[boscopup]

I think you are lucky with this though. We are running a very light schedule right now and both kids still need me for every. single. thing. A big part of this is dyslexia/attentional issues, but I don't think it is that far outside the norm for the age, so I don't want to set up too high of expectations for the OP. :)

 

The OP says her son is taking stuff to his room and working independently, so it sounds like he is ready to work independently in the same manner - he's already doing it. :)

 

Obviously, a child with LD's will take longer to get to independence, but I don't see the OP dealing with that issue.

[ELITEANDLOVINGIT]

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CD8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Focw.mit.edu%2F&ei=bQUwUP2-Cc3tqQGPn4HQBA&usg=AFQjCNFBNOAX9EIl0VFG21mzzhexsAL3Mw&sig2=PHhAO-k-ufl9O3Z2EOZ91A

 

Have you tried the open courseware from MIT? Basically it is clickable and self directed. He would need a text and you would need to review the materials that he is using. I have considered some of the science for my daughter.

[8filltheheart]

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CD8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Focw.mit.edu%2F&ei=bQUwUP2-Cc3tqQGPn4HQBA&usg=AFQjCNFBNOAX9EIl0VFG21mzzhexsAL3Mw&sig2=PHhAO-k-ufl9O3Z2EOZ91A

 

Have you tried the open courseware from MIT? Basically it is clickable and self directed. He would need a text and you would need to review the materials that he is using. I have considered some of the science for my daughter.

 

Most of MIT open courseware courses are college level courses and the science courses typically have math pre-reqs that are going to be byond the reach of even advanced 7 yr olds.

 

They do have some high school enrichment programs like guitar or speaker construction that are meant for gifted 7th graders up. http://ocw.mit.edu/high-school/courses/#speaker

 

These courses are meant to for gifted high school students: http://ocw.mit.edu/high-school/introductory-mit-courses/

 

However, I do not imagine any of these meet the needs of the OP unless there are sections of MIT opencourseware that I have not seen.

[rafiki]

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