For many or most HG+ kids who are paying even a bit of attention, most everything makes sense on the first pass. I'm not saying they absorb the information completely, just that the ideas make sense.
I think this is what his math teachers are seeing. When I discuss particular problems, I see it too: he understands the material. And he's not shy about saying when he's unclear on a concept. But getting him to move from "clarity in understanding" to "accuracy in execution" has me stumped.
The last formal instruction he had for math was in 3rd grade, and he finished all the year's work in the first quarter. He used EPGY & ALEKS for 4th, 5th, 6th & pre-Algebra. He clearly missed out on the classroom & teacher aspects -- especially the required performance on testing. Both ALEKS & EPGY utilize "second chances" throughout, so he always had an extra shot if his wild first serve didn't score. He never had a teacher TEACH him how to attack problem solving. He never had to "show his work" until Algebra.
Suddenly, a kid meets something that doesn't make sense on the first pass. Now a bona fide cognitive challenge may exist, but it's isolated and the child has no idea how to approach it. Complicating the problem, he has only his limited experience to interpret what's going on. If geometry is the only class that's ever posed a problem for your son,he may decide that he's reached a limit. In this situation, it's natural to misinterpret what's going on (Example: "Those other kids are doing better than I am in Geometry, so they must be smarter than me."). Remember that based on his lifetime experience, getting a good grade results from being smart. Yeah, I know he's got a B, but it's from homework and he sees how the other students are doing on tests.
This is the part where thinking in a new way comes in. A student who always gets the basic idea on the first pass may have no concept that it's even possible to look at something that's completely baffling and figure it out by simply staring at it and thinking.
Yup -- he particularly lacks the persistence when faced with problem-solving. I would love to place him in a classroom version of AOPS... I swear that would help him a ton. No make-believe As for homework masking an underlying deficiency.
I appreciate all the comments on this issue. It seems so minor in the grand scheme of things, but I feel if he can just come down with a slight case of perfectionism, he'd be much better off!
Dandy
