Many parents of the gifted provide their children with outside opportunities for challenging, accelerated learning. Supplemental courses of high quality have never been more engaging or available through so many venues. Computer-based or online courses, independent-learning and correspondence programs, and university-sponsored classes held on college campuses are offered on a wide assortment of subjects, many of which may not be available in the children’s school (e.g., Chinese conversation, marine biology, and advanced computer applications). Plenty of students are enticed by these more interesting offerings, but just as many take classes in more traditional subjects (often...
Digest of Gifted Research
Welcome to the Digest of Gifted Research (formerly Duke Gifted Letter), published by the Duke University Talent Identification Program. The Digest is a trusted resource for research-based information about raising and educating academically talented children.
Sunday, August 6, 2006 - 18:42
As parents, we naturally want to prevent our children from experiencing extreme adversity, but, try as we might, there is only so much we can do to keep them safe. The world sometimes is an unsafe place, and for many children it is increasingly dangerous. Yet many children beat the odds. At least one in four is resilient, or able to achieve social competence and emotional health in spite of a history of acute or chronic stress.
Gifted children are often in educational situations that heighten their risk for adjustment problems because they have limited access to others with similar interests, ability, and drive or because they are not sufficiently challenged. The...
Sunday, August 6, 2006 - 18:38
The college visit can be an exciting experience for the prospective student and the parents, but don’t be surprised if you both experience a high stress level during the process. Knowing that the visits are emotionally loaded events can help both parents and students feel that their emotions and reactions are normal.
My husband and I have been through the college visitation and selection process with two of our children and are in the midst of it with our third child, a high school junior. As in all things, my three children were different in their approaches to this process. My oldest, Christine, turned her thoughts toward college soon after kindergarten. We began...
Sunday, August 6, 2006 - 17:15
Joann is interested in studying advanced biology, but her school biology curriculum does not extend beyond an introductory course. Silas is learning his physics material at twice the pace that his class is progressing. By the third grade Rena has mastered her elementary school’s mathematics curriculum, but her district prohibits students her age from enrolling in its middle school courses. Ramone has exhausted the advanced courses that his rural high school offers and wishes to dual-enroll in introductory university courses; unfortunately, a university is not nearby.
The Internet shows great promise for gifted and talented students who wish to have their...
Sunday, August 6, 2006 - 16:26
If your children are interested in the night sky, I recommend two astronomy kits, Star Explorer, by DaMert Company, and Star Theater 2, by Uncle Milton Industries.
Star Explorer is fun and versatile. The kit consists of the Celestial Seeker handheld unit with belt pouch holder, 20 constellation transparencies and myth cards, seasonal sky charts, and a small night-vision flashlight. Before going outside, stargazers study the appropriate seasonal chart and identify the constellations visible at that time. The flashlight aids viewing of the sky chart in the darkness. The accompanying myth cards show the star arrangement with a superimposed drawing...