Living With Live Wires

The aspect of adventure is something that really deserves a session of it’s own. I include it here because it is a context that can be used to teach most, if not all, of the creative strategies I have presented, and several I haven’t. Adventure can be a learning and practice tool that you use in many contexts of learning. Adventure allows us to develop and hone the skills we learn on a path of mastery and creativity.

Adventures do not have to be rock-climbing or hang-gliding or mountain climbing. It can be adventures in the classroom, as part of a lesson, a project, or through the imagination.

Adventures are exciting to children.

Adventure stories provide a useful framework. I use them as a device to frame stories that I want to tell children in the context of teaching other skills. You can use adventure stories and experiences to teach creative problem-solving. Especially: overcoming obstacles, but also, allowing mistakes, redefining problems, encouraging sensible risk-taking, idea generating,

Adventure stories are always a hit with kids, they can relate to them, they create energy and enthusiasm and kids are almost always up for engagement with you when you begin to tell adventure stories. And, discussions based on the adventures of others can also serve this purpose. The discussions can lead to writing assignments, the creation of games, creating a storytelling culture, making videos, doing plays. The projects possibilities are endless and can be interdisciplinary.

When I use adventures, real or imagined, I like to keep these aspects in mind:When you are on an adventure you must do a few things:

• Going in to an adventure, You must prepare, plan, research, talk to others, predict what your experience will be and what you will need to insure your success.   And, you must practice if this adventure requires skills

• While you experiencing your adventure, you must realize that the very nature of an adventure is exploring and experiencing the unknown..  And, wrapped within that unknown package are varying degrees of risk, uncertainty, and dealing with chaos at times. You have a challenge to overcome. You struggle and keep trying because you want to succeed. And you must, at all times, OBSERVE yourself, others and the environment closely.

• Coming out of a successful adventure, you have hopefully dealt with overcoming fear, anxiety, nervousness. You can see how important it is to continue trying and not give up in the face of challenges. You realize that sometimes you fail, but the most important thing is to keep trying.

In terms of social and emotional issues, going on small adventures help gifted children to experience those kinds of feelings in a safer environment, so they can practice their responses, discuss them and normalize them. Then, the bigger unexpected events in life will not be quite so overwhelming.

Besides, life is an adventure, developing our own creativity is an adventure and teaching gifted children is an adventure.

Buying low and selling high means defying the crowd. And people who defy the crowd – people who think creatively – almost inevitably encounter resistance. The question is not whether one will encounter obstacles; one will. The question is whether the creative thinker has the fortitude to persevere.

Sternberg states that, parents and teachers can prepare gifted children for these types of experiences by describing obstacles that they, their friends, and well-known figures in society have faced while trying to be creative; otherwise, children may think they are the only ones confronted by obstacles.

To help children deal with obstacles, parents and teachers can remind them of the many creative people whose ideas were initially shunned and help them to develop an inner sense of awe of the creative act. Suggesting that children reduce their concern over what others think is also valuable.

When children attempt to surmount an obstacle, they should be praised for the effort, whether or not they were entirely successful. Teachers and parents can point out aspects of the effort that were successful and why, and suggest other ways to confront the obstacles.  (Sternberg)

Having the class brainstorm about ways to confront a given obstacle can get the class thinking about the many strategies people can use to confront problems. Some obstacles are within oneself, such as performance anxiety. Other obstacles are external, such as the bad opinions of others.

Gifted children will need a great deal of fortitude throughout their lives to persevere in the face of obstacles. This skill is absolutely crucial and needs to be reinforced at all grade levels as children enter different stages of development.

Creative performance is often viewed as a solitary occupation. In reality, people often work in groups and should be encouraged in gifted children.

Collaboration can spur creativity. Teachers can encourage children to learn by example by collaborating with creative people.  (Sternberg)

Creative collaboration can help social skills when activities are guided so that everyone’ contribution is valued. As a class activity, it can increase trust for the introverted students to feel more comfortable sharing their ideas with other and with extroverted students to see it is acceptable and preferred for them to be themselves and not just conform to peer expectations.

An essential aspect of working with other people and getting the most out of collaborative creative activity is to imagine oneself in other people’s shoes. Individuals can broaden their perspectives by learning to see the world from different points of view. -

Sternberg states, teachers and parents should encourage their children to see the importance of understanding, respecting, and responding to other people’s points of view. This is important, as many bright and potentially creative children never achieve success because they do not develop practical intelligence. They may do well in school and on tests, but they may never learn how to get along with others or to see things and themselves as others see them.

Gaining practice in developing this perspective can help introverts come out of their shell. It can help them see that other people are not so different and do experience similar feelings. It can reduce their feelings of isolation and help them develop trust with peers and the teacher.

Introversion

Although some gifted children are extroverts, more often they are introverted when compared with typical children. When you combine introversion with the frequent lack of fit between gifted children and their age peers ( in terms of interests, skills, knowledge, sensitivity, and intensity), it is not surprising that gifted children, particularly those who are highly gifted, find that they have little in common with their age peers.

Introverts are not likely to approach new children; they are more likely to wait for others to initiate friendships. They need time to observe a situation before joining in and don’t feel the need for as many friends as extroverts do.  (Webb)

Peer Relationships

Every child – gifted or not – wants to feel connected with others. We learn from others how they think or do things, we compare our perceptions of the world with theirs, and we develop a sense of whether we are valued.

Peer relationships are issues for almost every gifted child. Because their interests and behaviors are often unusual and different from age peers, they may find few peers of their own age in their school or neighborhood. Gifted children with unusually high intellectual abilities, intensities, and sensitivities can have even more difficulties finding friends among children their age.  (Webb)

Challenging Values and Traditions

Webb states that gifted children, with their quick minds, logic, and ability to see more than one way to do things, can get into trouble for challenging tradition.

Telling a teacher that she is mistaken breaks tradition; customarily, adults are supposed to know more than children. But since incorrect information bothers gifted children to the core of their being and creates major discomfort, they feel that they must comment to reduce their stress about the situation.

Gifted children’s perfectionism, exacting nature, literal interpretation of events, and concern for truth and justice – especially in those who are auditory-sequential learners – motivate their strong reactions. Older children may be able to handle these situations more diplomatically by talking with the teacher after class rather than challenging her during class, but their reaction is still intense. Their moral sense and need for truth and justice are so strong that they must be addressed in the moment. (Webb)

We strive to find balance in our lives, and our gifted children must do the same. On the one hand, we want them to be creative, because that is where innovation and progress come from. On the other hand, there are times when we want them to respect tradition.