Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums GT Research non-linear follow up

lsa - just one minute ago, I got off the phone with my DS5's montessori teacher (who thankfully is very into learning about all this stuff in order to better serve her students). Among other things, we talked about the very issue of simple is hard vs complex is easy, and she related a story about how ds was uninterested in a bunch of simple works that eventually lead to a more complex "stamp work" (I think this is math work). Apparently, he was able to do the more complex work first, and after doing that he had a better understanding of the simpler works that lead up to it (like the thousands beads). In effect, he is learning backwards, which is just how the theory is described (kind of like complex vs. simple is an adjuct principle to whole vs. part) - I am eternally grateful that his teacher understands this!! I can't believe it. Meanwhile, I could hardly articulate the principle, but somehow the teacher understood what I was trying to say.

We really lucked out with her. DS5's twin brother, who is probably more balanced between visual-spatial and auditory-sequential, has a very different teacher (older, more than 20 yrs experience) at the same school, who I can imagine bristling at the idea of me, a mere mom, giving her educational tips LOL.

Wow, snowgirl, I have teacher-envy! I wish our Montessori teacher had been like yours. She's a gem!

We were given the standard "must complete task a before moving on to task b" at our school, and DS6 (then 4) just didn't do any language arts stuff for the first half of the year. DH and I finally advocated HARD for him to be allowed to skip the "easy" stuff, but it was such a battle!

*sigh* Pat that teacher on the back for me, would you, please? She's the kind we all want!

Oh, Kriston, don't I know it. How on earth am I going to get DD7's teacher (at the same montessori school) to understand this??? She is finally reading at grade level thanks to vision therapy, etc. The other day she picked a chapter book off the shelf to read, and her teacher (who I otherwise like very much) made her put it back, said that she "wasn't ready for it yet." Made dd read Frog and Toad first. I wanted to scream - here I was just so glad she was finally willing to take a chance at trying to read anything at all!

I'll just have to take a leap of faith - conferences are in three weeks. Fortunately I have DS5's little stamp work story to use as an example, though it doesn't really translate over to the subject of reading quite as well. I'm going to bring in my VSL articles, but I am certain some teachers (especially other DS5's) may feel insulted or imposed upon.

The good teacher is very young - I think this may be her first classroom - and very open to new ideas. She was already talking about how the info I was providing will help with other students she has. It was pure luck (she took over the class last year when the original teacher went on maternity leave and later quit).

oops, time to pick up dd...gotta run...

Ugh. The "put the book back" stuff makes me crazy.

Honestly, I can't imagine refusing to let a child try something harder. If they want it, what's the harm? If they can't do it, they'll either figure it out or put it back and get something easier. If they can do it, why shouldn't they?

So dumb!

So I have studied the list of the auditory vs. visual and I cannot make sense of it for me or DS. Are we supposed to be one or the other? Sometimes we're strongly one or the other, but more often we are stongly neither or weakly both. For example auditory--enjoys algebra and chemistry Visual--enjoys geometry adn physics. I Enjoy Algebra and Geometry and didn't care much for chemistry or physics (although I got A's). i just don't see any pattern at all for either of us. Is that weird?

Nope. It's not weird. It just means you and your DS aren't strongly one or the other. You can learn using many different learning styles.

It probably makes life easier for you, actually. You can learn more or less equally well if you read, listen to a lecture or look at a graph. People with a strong preference for just one learning style probably wouldn't be able to say the same.

<shrug> No biggie.

Very interesting. I've only half "read" what has been said here before about VS learners but I read the links and I think my DS10 is definitely VS. I'm as confused about me as asc though. I hate being "talked" to (i.e. lectures/auditory) and prefer to learn by doing. But I am very sequential. But I always see the big picture. But....well you see what I mean. I must be one of the "mix" Dottie was talking about. I also have a bit of a photographic memory. I'd put essay type questions into outline form and then could read the outline in my head for tests. Where does that fit in?

I am definitely going to have to look into this for DS10. Anything to help me understand that boy better!!!

I think I'm visual but I'm also very sequential. I did the outline thing for studying, too, EandCMom. I think the photographic memory thing is a visual trait--we "see" the page in our heads.

Actually, I didn't realize how visual I was until I started writing my novel. As I was trying to describe a character that I was creating or a setting, I realized that I would see a "picture" of the person or place in my head, and then the hard work for me would be to try to find the right words to describe that vision.

A trick: think about what you were doing yesterday at this time.

Did you see yourself doing it, or did you think of the words "fixing dinner" or "typing on the computer"?

If you saw the picture, you probably tend to be more visual. If you thought of the words, you're probably more something else.

Thank you very much. Just checked the NYPL and they did not have Upside Down Brilliance. Amazon has one for $195. And as for do they buy it if you request? No. NYPL doesn't. They search for a library that does and then borrows from them. I am still waiting for my copy of Miraca Gross' book that is suppose to come from some University that lends it to NY.

These posts are great.

Ren

Silverman's "Raising Topsy Turvy Kids" is good, too, and it's still in print, isn't it?