One of the biggest challenges for gifted students is motivation. Often, if the reason for learning something is not obvious and internalized, learning "because you'll need to know it one day", or "because it meets a Provincial Learning Outcome" or even "because you will get an A" are insufficient motivations to get the work started, much less completed.
An approach that will often increase motivation is Problem-Based Learning (PBL). PBL has been used in medical schools, like McMaster University, since 1969. Similar to Project-Based Learning, the premise is that we learn best when we are engaged, when learning has an integrative nature and when we are learning what we need to know right then.
With PBL, the problem drives the learning. Before being exposed to information on a topic, students are given a real-world problem to solve...the learning happens as the problem is solved, with the focus on the process. Because they can see the practical applications of what they are learning, and have the joy of discovery, the motivation to learn is more naturally and intrinsically present and what is learned, sticks. The role of the homeschooling parent becomes "the guide on the side, rather than the sage on the stage".
If you are interested in how you can apply this at home, there are a few resources below to get you started.
Warm Regards,
Carmen
Looking for inspiration?
Project-Based Homeschooling
http://www.amazon.ca/Project-based-Homeschooling-Mentoring-Self-directed-Learners/dp/1475239068/
Problem-Based Learning in your Homeschool:
http://www.rfwp.com/pages/shelagh-gallagher/#book-problem-based-learning-for-homeschoolers
Odyssey of the Mind BC: Generating Future Problem Solvers
http://www.odysseybc.ca/
Odyssey of the Mind is a school-based, international program that promotes creative problem solving for students from kindergarten through college. Under the guidance of a coach, teams of five to seven students learn creative thinking and problem solving skills while finding innovative solutions to a variety of technical and performance problems.
Conference "Our Kids" October 26,2013 Coquitlam
Speaker: Problem-based learning expert, Shelagh Gallagher
