Debbie -
I found working with DS10 using Aleks last year to be a very eye-opening experience. I use terms like: "Balanced Push" and "parenting him through it" - sounds better than an 8 year old melting down. We only used it for a few months because I wanted him to be the one who was motivated, but we accomplished a lot of math and learn-to-learn. It was a slow, difficult and painful process and I was grateful for every moment, although perhaps not exactly during every moment - LOL! He learned to check his work! He learned to rely on me to teach something. That includes listening to another human being know something he doesn't know - not easy. He never learned to make much use of the explaination text or use it independently - Perhaps because the 5th grade level had more complicated concepts? Perhaps he needed to be shown rather than read text?
Just a week ago we clashed over his Math homework - he had missed the class on "Scientific Notation" and I wanted him to read from the book because he couldn't figure out the homework from "just looking" and I want him to learn how to learn. He wanted me to "just tell it" for Goodness Sake! How could I be so cruel? Withholding information like that! Some nerve! I did acutally cave after 10 long minutes of gently insisting that he read, and there were tears. I've talked to a few homeschoolers and the suggestions of "why" range from "he's lonely" to "low frustration tolerance" to "unused to learning the normal way" to "lazy."
I'm looking for more opportunities to fight this war. I expect it will be a seige. OTOH - he's much farther ahead of the game than I was, trying to learn how to learn without family support while away at college. Good thing I was pretty and had good social skills. Perhaps peers are the best teachers of "learn how to learn" skills anyway?
this kind of thing is the best demonstration of the "special needs" of gifted kids I've ever seen.
Love and More Love,
Trinity
