Duke TIP

April 2008

Nurture the Nature: Understanding and Supporting Your Child’s Unique Core Personality

Heraclitus wrote, “Our own nature hides from us, but wants to be found.” Do you remember moments in your life when you asked “Who am I?” Perhaps you were interacting in a social situation in which you realized you didn’t fit, reflecting near a river or in your place of faith, or talking to someone you love. The self was somewhere that you needed to discover, and you sensed a primal drive to find it.

Parents, teachers, caregivers, and mentors are the most important guides in the child’s journey.

Wakin’ Up is Hard to Do: The Challenge of Sleep in the Teen Years

For many teenagers, fitting all their activities into a 24-hour day and getting enough sleep is an impossible dream. For their parents, rousing their teens every morning so they get to school on time is a big challenge.

Imagination

The study of gifted children's imagination was part of a larger investigation into their inner world as I described in "Mellow Out," They Say. If I Only Could: Intensities and Sensitivities of the Young and Bright. Gifted children were asked: What are your special kinds of daydreams and fantasies? How precisely can you visualize events, real or imaginary? With what sense or senses do you feel the most pleasure?

Didn't everything the human race created first exist in someone's mind?

Mathematics Achievement = Individual and National Success

Foundations for Success: The Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel

The Mathematics Advisory Panel, created by President Bush in 2006, was charged with making suggestions to improve America’s math education and student achievement using the best scientific evidence available. In their report, Foundations for Success, the panel calls on the U.S.

Brain Rules

More than just a superficial tease for a book, the Web site www.brainrules.net is part of a multi-media package. The book Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School, by John Medina, Pear Press, 2008, and accompanying DVD present the author’s 12 rules for a healthy, productive brain based on scientific research. Completing the suite, The Web site uses audio, text, graphics, and video to provide an experience-rich summary of the principles presented in the book/DVD combo.