Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Strong on calculation, less conceptual?

Just curious if anyone else has kids like this and if it equates to a less mathy child in the end. Though DD has always been very interested in math patterns (she still expresses a lot of interest in math "tricks"), she struggles a bit with some things I'd consider more on the conceptual end. At the same time, she is extremely good at calculation and anything that is purely numerical. I taught her to subtract with carrying in about 5 minutes at age 5 or 6; multidigit multiplication also came to her instantly and flawlessly; I'm certain long division will be the same. She has all facts down and learning them was effortless--I gather this is not the case for many GT kids. She also is faster at calculating in her head than I am, though I am probably a bit dyscalulic.

However, she struggled with place value to the hundred millions (things like "How many thousands are in 10 million?") and with tricky number line problems and has persistent issues translating word problems. (It's fair to note that she is accelerated a grade in math and gets As, though.) She has, however, done well with kiddie algebra.

It seems like a lot of GT kids go the other way with math--more conceptually strong, less numerically fast and accurate. I'm curious if DD's pattern is more a sign that she may be less mathy--perhaps her strengths are more a result of more generalized skills, such as strong short-term memory. Last year's teacher recommended that we try to get her to join the school's math league, but she is resistant. I don't want to push her in this direction if she would be out of her league and annoyed, but I also don't want to be selling her short. She loves science--I could for sure see it as a long-term interest.

I don't have any achievement test scores and her IQ test was the RIAS, which gives very little info.

Sorry we're on the other side of it. I think the representation would be overall fairly equal, but I bet there are more of us with the conceptual types here because they tend towards square pegs. However, I don't think math discriminates between the thinking types, even if it seems to have a higher emotional appeal to the more abstract.

Hypothesizing that your DD will do great in math and then stumble a bit in Geometry then really excel in Calculus.

Curious if she has a great sense of time, great handwriting, and prefers to keep her space organized?

Great sense of time--hmm. Yes, I would say that this is accurate. Knowing what time it is is very important to her.

Great handwriting--yes, she has gorgeous handwriting and is also very artistic.

Organized--nope. Her room is messy, although not horrendous.

In general, she is a fiend for accuracy. She is also an extremely good speller and her language mechanics are very strong. I have never seen her write a run-on sentence, and she's been using semicolons since she was in kindergarten, when she called them "dot commas." I guess some of what I see in her is an incredible ability to pick up on and apply patterns.

(She's also very creative, though.)

My ds6 is a conceptual math kid. He is not thrilled about memorizing math facts. Not thrilled is an understatement.

Ultramarina, your dd sounds amazingly astute. Whereas, I need someone like your dd to notify me if I have lettuce stuck in my teeth as I am generally too preoccupied to remember to look at myself in the mirror on bathroom breaks.

Creative yet detailed is a brilliant combo - though I wouldn't know.

I guess creative and accurate is kind of unusual, isn't it? I haven't thought about that much! She's also really interested in abtract stuff, like philosophy. She's been really motivated by her recent school unit on civics and the constitution.

I confess, I may want her to be more interested in math than she is. She liked to play with numbers from an early age, much more so than her brother, who seems similarly competent but never sits around and talks about them like she once did. But she now says she doesn't like math and that it's hard. It's just difficult to tell if this is genuine or if she is reacting to the girl/math thing and the fact that she is experiencing some mild challenge in math this year (though a lot of that is artificial challenge created by the annoying curriculum).

Hmm. Not sure where DS8 weighs in. He doesn't have facts memorized and in general he's a very conceptual kid, but with math he's more calculation oriented than conceptual. Granted he has a language processing disorder, so I think that throws a wrench in things. Like your DD he gobbled up above grade level calculation stuff when he was 5 or 6, and has no problem with long division (although he's slow because he doesn't have his facts memorized so he has to calculate each step) but for LD conceptually he's fine. It's word problems (i.e. language based) that he has problems with.

DD9 also doesn't have all her facts memorized, and finds straight calculation quite boring. She loves her gifted math class because it is very conceptual. She says it's harder, which is why she loves it.

Yes, I fear this is very possible. I think an inherent interest in numbers has been deadened. She has always seemed to think about numerical patterns just in her spare time. I would NEVER do this, so it strikes me.

I would give a lot to have someone bright and mathy who is good with kids doing fun, exploratory math with her. This is not me. At all. DH is much more math-oriented than I, but I don't think he would know how to approach it, either. But she isn't as interested in logic puzzles, etc. She likes pure numbers. I think she enjoys the "cleanness" of solving problems. My math is incredibly rusty, but from what I recall, I bet she would like factoring.

That sounds like the answer to your basic question: Should you encourage her to try the math league? Seems like that might be the best hope to get that very sort of interaction both from adults and peers. If it doesn't click for her then no harm done?

I've lightly mentioned it, but she says she doesn't want to do it because she "isn't good at math." It's possible that she has some really out-there math kids in her class whom she is comparing herself to. She attends a gifted magnet. I'm not too familiar with this year's class yet.

Ah, sorry, missed that angle.