Tv3 tonight-gifted children

byhookorbycrook

Programme on gifted/exceptionally able child at 10p.m.

silverharp

The DCU part was interesting but found the studio piece a bit nauseous, the presenter had no clue about the area.

tbh regardless of whether you think your kids are exceptional or not they are capable of learning more then any school will teach them. I see no reason why kids cant be exposed to philosophy etc. its not rocket science:D

littlebug

I agree that the studio bit was cringeworthy but the DCU bit did look interesting and looks like a great resource for kids that are interested in "extra" learning and meeting other like minded children.

For me though it didn't really answer the question about what is a "gifted" child as opposed to a very clever child. It stands to reason that there are going to be children that are smarter than average and obviously some who are always top of the class but where is the line between clever and gifted?

lazygal

Hi,
I did not see the show but I do work with children aged 3 to 6 years.
IME, a gifted child stands out a mile. I have worked with clever children, but they tend to just get things a little faster and do them better than average children. A gifted child is WAY out of the curve. They not only do things faster and better, they do them much earlier and constantly need a new and more difficult challenge.
My brother was one such child. He was reading at just over two and a half years and was constantly doing maths, language work and other academic things, played the piano and wrote all the time. He went to the Centre for Talented Youth as a teenager. Having said that, my parents worked hard to ensure he was sociable and he has loads of friends, works part time and goes to college and is extremely balanced.
So, to answer you can tell a gifted child when they come into the classroom. Most children are average or a little bit clever, but the truly gifted child is a rarity.

Sleepy

This is something that slightly worries me. My father's IQ is off the charts and, tbh, I don't think it's done him any favours in life. While I certainly hope my daughter is 'clever', I actually hope she's not too much so as most of the exceptionally intelligent people I've met or read about have problems with depression and / or normal social interaction. Should she prove to have her grandfather's intelligence, I'll be doing my best to focus it towards non-academic areas which are more likely to provide her with a happier life.

lazygal

Yes, the worst thing you can do is hot-house a child or focus too much on how intelligent they are. I have seen children become stressed out as a result of parents doing academic work after school - the children are 3 to 6!! Three hours of Montessori school (which comprises 1.5 hours "work", the rest is lunch and play) is enough for them! Mums and dads were doing more "homework" when the poor things should have been playing outside or having fun.
The latest nonsense I heard was a group of mums who hired a french teacher for "structured play through french"! Honestly, children need play much more than structures like that! Most children are average, some clever some slower, but forcing academics on them at a young age is a recipe for disaster.
PS. A friend of my mum's who had a child around the same time my brother was born was so upset when my brother was classified as gifted while her son was not similarly acclaimed that she went to every child psychologist going until one gave her son the gifted label too and then relentlessly set about educating him herself. 19 years later, he has rebelled completely and is boozing it up in Oz and finally having the play time he should have had as a 3 year old!

mymo

My daughter attends these courses and they are a life saver, she was getting bored in school and stressed about the work. I couldn't keep up with her reading and questions, and finally found out about this program from a teacher when she was 9.
I don't make a fuss about her learning, rather push her to spend time with friends, but she finds it hard to relate to kids her age and while she has some good school friends she gets on well with, she is regularly made fun of in school or teased about her ideas and things she likes. These courses have made her much more relaxed as she realized that she is not "weird" and that others like the same things. She meets kids her age that she can relate too and really loves the courses.
The only problem for me is the cost, I'm a single parent and struggling at the moment with the costs both for the courses and the cost of traveling to Dublin or Cork for them. But I will go without to pay for it as it has been so good for my girl and changed her so much, even the teachers have noticed the difference. She is more confident and relaxed in school now.

tscul32

I agree that a gifted child will stand out a mile. There's a lady on the rollercoaster website who was asking about her 3 yo who constantly spells 6/7 letter words, does math, does older siblings' homework. That to me would be gifted. I got my babycentre mailer for my 28mth old this week and it said by now he may be able to name one colour - that's what the average child can do. Now he knows them all and has done for quite some time, but by no means is he gifted, just a bright kid. I do think it's funny though that some parents whose children could also list off colours at that age think they're gifted just because they're quite a bit above average. The 'normal' chart includes a bottom, average and top. Gifted children aren't on that chart.

Aoifums

I didn't see the show, but they seem to have shown CTYI in DCU. That was a lifesaver for me in school. I was flying ahead of everyone else in primary and was the "weird one" because of it.
Being able to learn with other kids who were at the same level as me for a few hours every Saturday was amazing.

highlydebased

Aoifums wrote: »

I didn't see the show, but they seem to have shown CTYI in DCU. That was a lifesaver for me in school. I was flying ahead of everyone else in primary and was the "weird one" because of it.
Being able to learn with other kids who were at the same level as me for a few hours every Saturday was amazing.

I'd say the same- some of the best moments I've ever had have been in CTYI