Posted by Kay in Cal on 15:51 Sep 13
or is this a fallacy based on non-gifted kids, or simply extrapolted from what "seems" right?
I only have a 5 year old, so obviously I can't "prove" by my own child, but everything I read about gifted kids (particularly profoundly gifted, which is my own experience) says that gifted children really do learn more quickly and require less repetition. In other words, they won't "forget" their arithmetic just because they learn algebra at 9. Heck, don't you have do use arithmetic to do algebraic problems anyhow?
My only experience is with a ds who remember EVERYTHING. He remembers all the little poems from FLL, which we started 2 years ago. Quotes from television shows. Movie actor names. The information on the back of every Pokemon card. I understand that not all of this will be retained, but won't it be enough to build on?
There have been discussion here and elsewhere about kids moving forward and fears they will "forget" the basics... but isn't part of giftedness that the do in fact learn faster, keep the information longer, and not need the same sort of repetitive set-up as other children?