MATHEMATICS FOR GIFTED CHILDREN

(MATEMATIK UNTUK KANAK-KANAK PINTAR)

Membina pengetahuan

• Bagaimana pelajar membina pengetahuan?• Pintas cerdas dan perkembangan kognitif adalah saling

berkaitan.

Cognitive Development:• Cognitive development is the construction of

thought processes, including remembering, problem solving, and decision-making, from childhood through adolescence to adulthood (Healthofchildren.com, download 23 Dis 2010).

• Cognitive abilities associated with memory, reasoning, problem-solving and thinking continue to emerge throughout childhood.

• Growing in young children:– Physically – mentally

• Influence of environment & experience.

Behaviorist Perspective – cognitive dev.:• Behaviorist researchers such as John Watson

(1878–1958) and B. F. Skinner (1904–1990), - they believe that children are completely malleable.

• Role of environmental factors in shaping the intelligence of children are important – as providing certain behaviors rewarded and others discouraged.

Constructivist:• Piaget's theory of cognitive development • The most well-known and influential theory of cognitive development

is that of French psychologist Jean Piaget (1896–1980). • First published in 1952, grew out of decades of extensive observation

of children, including his own, in their natural environments as opposed to the laboratory experiments of the behaviorists.

• He proposed a more active role for children.• He envisioned a child's knowledge as composed of schemas, basic

units of knowledge used to organize past experiences and serve as a basis for understanding new ones.

•

Read more: Cognitive Development - stages, meaning, average, Definition, Description, Common problems http://www.healthofchildren.com/C/Cognitive-Development.html#ixzz18sp6pbcD

Aktivity:• Discuss about the importance of behaviorist &

cognitive theories in T&L.

Memahami pintar cerdas

• Apa itu pintar cerdas.• Mengenali gifted children adalah sangat

mencabar – mereka tidak homogeneous.• Adakah memadai untuk dianggap pintar

cerdas dengan melihat mereka memperoleh markah tinggi, banyak pengetahuan atau “kotak ilmu!”?

Miskonsepsi tentang gifted(Brunswick, 2007)

• 1. Gifted students are high achievers.• It is true that some gifted students are high achievers but

not all are gifted. • One of the biggest issues today in both gifted and regular

education is underachievement (McCoach & Siegle, 2003).

• Often the reasons are complex and have more to do with issues outside of school such as stress, instability, family situations and societal values. Nonetheless, the power of the school to turn this around can be very significant.

2. All children/people are gifted.• Although all students are unique, have a

valuable contribution to make, have relative areas of strengths and deserve an education that allows them to reach their potential (whatever that may be), not all students are gifted (Coleman & Cross, 2005).

• 3. Gifted students will do fine with or without special programming.

• Some gifted students will do fine in spite of an unchallenging school experience.

• This is particularly true if their parents provide enriching activities outside of school.

• However, some turn off, never develop good work habits and motivation, and for all intents and purposes their giftedness “dies”.

4. Gifted students come from advantaged homes.

• Some gifted students, and many of those who are identified as such, do come from advantaged homes but there are many gifted students from less advantaged backgrounds who do not stand out as gifted. The challenge is proper and comprehensive identification (Coleman & Cross, 2005).

5. Co-operative learning or other forms of group work are an effective way to meet the needs of gifted students.

• The advantages of co-operative learning are well documented and while it is important for all students to learn to work with others of differing abilities, heterogeneous, cooperative learning should be used sparingly and judiciously with gifted students.

• Often such experiences provide no intellectual challenge; the gifted student does a disproportionate, or sometimes no, work; and the total experience is negative (Robinson, 2003).

6. Gifted students have trouble getting along with peers.

• Often gifted students are leaders, both in and out of school, and throughout their lives.

• The exception may be those who are “profoundly gifted” and may have little in common with age mates in terms of interests (Terman & Oden 1935; Gross, 1993). However, even with this population this is not always true.

What is gifted?

• Discuss what is gifted?• What are roles of a teacher?

Copyright © 2008, CASRC, all rights reserved.

• What is child development? Child development is a process every child goes through. This process involves learning and mastering skills like sitting, walking, talking, skipping, and tying shoes. Children learn these skills, called developmental milestones, during predictable time periods.

Children develop skills in five main areas of development:

• Cognitive DevelopmentThis is the child's ability to learn and solve problems. For example, this includes a two-month-old baby learning to explore the environment with hands or eyes or a five-year-old learning how to do simple math problems.

• Social and Emotional DevelopmentThis is the child's ability to interact with others, including helping themselves and self-control. Examples of this type of development would include: a six-week-old baby smiling, a ten-month-old baby waving bye-bye, or a five-year-old boy knowing how to take turns in games at school.

• Speech and Language DevelopmentThis is the child's ability to both understand and use language. For example, this includes a 12-month-old baby saying his first words, a two-year-old naming parts of her body, or a five-year-old learning to say "feet" instead of "foots".

• Fine Motor Skill DevelopmentThis is the child's ability to use small muscles, specifically their hands and fingers, to pick up small objects, hold a spoon, turn pages in a book, or use a crayon to draw.

• Gross Motor Skill DevelopmentThis is the child's ability to use large muscles. For example, a six-month-old baby learns how to sit up with some support, a 12-month-old baby learns to pull up to a stand holding onto furniture, and a five-year-old learns to skip.