Parents of gifted children know raising these kids is both a blessing and a challenge. The following resources provide valuable information on how to offer the support and guidance needed by gifted children.
Are You Praising People the Correct Way?
How do you praise people? When your child achieves a good mark on a test or assignment, do you say to them "you must be really smart at this", or do you say "you must have worked really hard "?
In a 10-year study, psychologist Carol Dweck and her team at Columbia studied the effect of praise on students. She found that those children who were praised for their hard work did better in subsequent work, they were happier, and worked harder than those who were praised for being smart. Apparently, when acknowledging good effort students associate the achievement with the work, not their smarts, so they will continue to work well.
If you praise the student for being smart then when they fail they feel that their failure was evidence that they weren't really smart at all. This increases stress levels and they won't be as eager to tackle a challenge. If you praise the student for their effort, then when they fail, they assume that they just need to work harder to succeed.
Those people who have had to work hard all their lives and their efforts have been recognized are those who have developed good work habits, are happier and aren't frightened of failure. This will take them much further than someone who is smart and doesn't put in a good effort. Congratulate someone on the hard work: not their brilliance. Let their brilliance shine through their work!
Carol Dweck's Mindset Research:
1. Presentation that explains the difference between fixed and growth mindset
http://cbpen.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/page-presentation-mr-lb.pdf
2. How Not To Talk To Your Kids – the Inverse Power of Praise
http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/
3. The Praise A Child Should Never Hear
http://blogs.wsj.com/informedreader/2007/02/13/the-praise-a-child-should-never-hear/
Parenting the Gifted Child
How Parents Can Help Gifted Children
Nurturing Giftedness In Young Children
20 Tips For Nurturing the Gifted Child
Also, there is some excellent information on gifted students at the Gifted Kids Network.
Educational Websites
How can I help my children find educational resources?
Getting Students Connected - curriculum specific internet resources by grade and subject
Huron County Library
Stratford Public Library
Media Awareness Network - Media and Internet Education resources for parents
Search Tools and Techniques - from Getting Teachers Connected
Knowledge Ontario - Thomson Gale - obtain a login and password from your teacher
Grolier Online - obtain a login and password from your teacher
Where are some good sites for students to use for both educational and entertainment use?
And yes, there are other video sites other than YouTube to look at.
Let's learn how to surf safely.
Books
A suggested reading list for parents of gifted children
Coping for Capable Kids. Cohen, L.M., Frydenburg, E. Prufrock Press (1996)
The Gifted Kids Survival Guide: A Teen Handbook. Delisle, J., Galbraith, J. & Espeland, P. Free Spirit Publishing (1996)
The Gifted Kids' Survival Guide for Ages 10 & Under. Galbraith, J. Free Spirit Publishing (1998)
Helping Gifted Children Soar: A Practical Guide for Parents and Teachers. Strip, C.A., Hirsch, G. Great Potential Press (2000)
On the Social and Emotional Lives of Gifted Children. Cross, T. Prufrock Press (2000)
Perfectionism: What's Bad About Being Too Good? Adderholdt-Elliott, M and Goldberg J. Free Spirit Publishing Inc. (1999)
The Survival Guide for Parents of Gifted Kids: How to Understand, Live With, and Stick Up for Your Gifted Child. Walker, S. Free Spirit Publishing Inc. (2002)
When Gifted Kids Don't Have All the Answers. DeLisle, J. and Galbraith, J. Free Spirit Publishing (2002)
You Know Your Child is Gifted When…. Galbraith, J. Free Spirit Publishing (2000)
Where can I get software from?
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