Kudos to DS8 for his words of wisdom shared with DS5!
Advanced or challenging work may seem punitive to a child, depending upon the circumstances under which it is administered, and may aggravate a child's sense of justice/injustice.
For example:
- advanced work which separates a child socially,
- advanced work which seems to have a purpose of letting a child know "you're not so smart",
- advanced work which is not introduced in a positive manner,
- advanced work which a child is expected to puzzle through on their own, without any teaching/instruction or walk-through,
- advanced work given without encouragement,
- advanced work without offering help or assistance if needed,
- advanced work after which the child is not commended for effort and persistence.
Many gifted kids can plainly see that they are required to produce greater results for lesser rewards than classmates, and this can lead to problems with self-esteem, a sense of inferiority, social isolation, and underachievement. These things can have a negative impact on a child's character development.
The idea of challenging work is not to create social barriers and/or emotional difficulty, but to stimulate the child's intellectual and academic growth at his/her zone of proximal development (ZPD), while providing support and encouragement.
Unfortunately, "challenge" may become a
buzzword like "differentiation" in that it can mean a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g a person wants it to mean at the moment, therefore gentle probing may be needed to gain clarification of what the "challenge" consists of. Learning the the 5Ws (Who, What, Where, When, Why... and How) may help parents understand whether the "challenge" was a positive element added into the child's learning experience, or whether it created a
toxic environment.
