How to make your child gifted?
How to make your child gifted?
Gifted
children are those who have outstanding abilities and are capable of
high performance.
The question
of whether genius is innate or acquired has not been answered by the scientists
yet. THOMAS EDISON gave his
famous formula for genius as 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.We often hear statements such as “She is a born
artist”, or “He’s a natural athlete”, or on the contrary “Success never came
easy for me” or “He is a self-made man”. Those who manifest giftedness
obviously have some inborn factors plus the motivation and
stamina (выносливость, стойкость) to learn from and cope with the rigors (raigors) of
living.
Therefore,
giftedness depends not only on inborn ability but also on the way the ability
is developed as the person grows. It also depends on the extent to which the
person is interested in the field of their talent.
Psychological
research held by a professor at the University of Chicago showed none of the
120 talented people showed remarkable talent in early life. It was effort and
firmness that made the difference. They showed the ability to pursue their
chosen field over many years until they made it to the top. The fastest took 12
years and the slowest took 25.
Parents play
a great part in the development of their child’s talent or gift. According to
the research, high achievements were not the result of parental pressure and
drilling. Their specialization began as an amusement and an exploration shared
with a parent, which grew into a lifelong passion.
Scientists
say that parents themselves do not need to be experts in the
field of their child’s future talent. The father pf a famous mathematician
would say “this is a half and this is a quarter” while feeding him an omelet at
breakfast.
Psychologists
also advise that during the early years of learning parents or teachers should
be less concerned about the correctness of a child’s work. They
should encourage the child’s interest and involve them in field-specific
playful activity and exploration. Besides, any effort and little achievement
should be applauded by parents.
According to
the research, the opportunity to explore and play and the encouragement to do
so can enhance the performance of many children and the talents of some will be
exceptional.
The danger
is that some parents apply pressure on their children. This way may produce an
anxiety which is completely counter productive, as scientists say.
Another
research showed that children stimulated and pushed hard by their parents, who
were actively involved in what their children did, demonstrated a lower level
of alertness and happiness than those in more balanced families.
Supportive
parents, on the other hand, actively helped their children to follow their
interests and praised their results whatever standard was achieved.
The children
who did best in the study mentioned were those whose parents were both supportive
and stimulating.
To crown it
all, to bring up a gifted child and for them to achieve high results in the
area of their gift, it is necessary from their very childhood to involve and
interest them in playing and exploring. Parents should take up the approach
of support and stimulation, should encourage and praise them, they should never
be pushing and never put pressure on their children.
Questions
1. Do you
agree that gifted children do not need training or special drifting, they will
always excel at what they do due to their genetic inheritance?
It has not
yet been proved by scientists that genius is 100% inborn. They are still
arguing whether it depends on genetics or on hard work and hours spent
training.
I believe
that even if one is a born genius and has some outstanding talent if they do
not get appropriate training and do not practice enough it is impossible to
excel.
2. Do you
think if your parents had brought you up differently, that they could have made
you happier or more successful?
I think
definitely, yes. But I can’t complain because they used a model of bringing up
children very characteristic of that time and class. For example, I didn’t like
reading before my first year of College, to my mind, just because I was pushed
into it by my parents. They could have tried to interest me in reading and show
that it is fascinating and that it is something like playing or even better.
Yes. Of
course what I would do the same is give them as much love as my parents gave
me. But of course I would simply spend much more time playing, reading,
discussing with them than my parents did with me due to the fact that they were
too busy earning a living when I was growing up.
4. What
is illustrated by the lives of Picasso, Mozart?
It is
believed that geniuses such as Picasso and Mozart were simply touched by the
divine finger. But a deeper study of the history of their lives showed that it
weren’t only their inborn abilities that made them geniuses.
Scientists
insist that their outstanding performance was owed to day-to-day training,
effort and hard work. And of course their parents played a big role in the
development of their skills.
Pablo
Picasso was copying still lifes
(натюрморт) at the age of eight under the direction of his art
teacher father.
Mozart’s
father, Leopold, who was an instrumentalist and a highly ambitious teacher of
music did his best to ensure that his son became a successful musician. The
young Wolfgang had few opportunities to play outdoors or make friends with
other children and he was subjected to a very unusual childhood regime. From
his earliest years a large proportion of the child’s time was devoted to
musical activities and practicing.