All children‘s names have been changed.
Back to: Indicators of Possible Intellectual Giftedness
Example by Ilona Lemm, Büren
Jacob (6;0) loves challenges and always participates when there is a somewhat more demanding activity. He also likes to play games for older children.
If he is given the choice of a number of tasks of differing degrees of difficulty he will go by interest. If the challenges are for example in the mathematical field, he will decide in favour of the most difficult problem.
If the given tasks are not from one of his favourite areas, he will intentionally choose the least demanding.
Drawing, for example, is not something he considers very meaningful, so he wants to get it over with. He doesn’t try too hard and draws inaccurately.
Published in German: May 2011
Example by Ute Bleienheuft, Cologne
Lona (4;9) told me she went to a music school and had attended 6 times already. She said it was fun alright, but oftentimes she found it boring, too, because they were doing things over and over again. We talked a little more about her going to that school and it was my impression that there were too many repetitions for her and her need for physical activity was not met sufficiently.
Published in German: May 2011
Example by Heike Brandt, Remscheid
At home Lars (3;11) demands his parents’ attention with a vengeance. He wants to be occupied with games all the time. When playing something he already knows he shows great boredom and wants to cut it short. If his demands for activities are not met he reacts with an outburst of rage.
He plays with LÜK*-toys that are designed for children far beyond his age: He works on those for children in first grade.
* LÜK = brandname of a line of didactic toys
Date of publication in German: October 30th, 2008
Example by Hanna Vock, Bonn
At the „Jugenddorf-Christophorusschule“ in Braunschweig (Brunswick, Lower Saxony), which had been offering special curricula for gifted children, in 1992 the school’s psychologist Christa Hartmann would disclose to prospective students in their initial interview:
“At this school we never review anything.”
Later she told me that she would watch closely how students reacted to this announcement: If they showed any insecurity or inquired as to how they were supposed to prepare for an exam in case they had missed out on some lessons, it would have to be reconsidered whether this school was the right place for them.
The gifted, however, regularly reacted with great relief to this policy…
Date of publication in German: October 30th, 2008
Back to: Indicators of Possible Intellectual Giftedness
Translated by Arno Zucknick
Copyright © Hanna Vock 2008, see Imprint.