Newsgroups: bit.listserv.christia
Date:         Thu, 30 Jul 1992 16:31:49 EDT
From:         JEK@NIHCU.BITNET
Subject:      children with learning problems

Ken,

You write that your 5-year-old has tested in the bottom 0.05% of the
IQ range. Several comments.

First, my family includes at least one person in the bottom 0.05% of
that range, and at least one person in the top 0.05%, and you might
be surprised at the number of contexts in which that makes very
little difference.

Second, I suggest that you look into the Montessori-type approach.
A typical Montessori apparatus is a block of wood about 2 by 2 by 10
inches with cylindrical holes in the top surface (not going all the
way through) and wooden cylinders fitting into them, with a knob on
each for easy removal. They are arranged in order of increasing
diameter from about 1 to 5 centimeters. The student takes them out,
mixes them up, and puts them back. If a student is too young for the
exercise, he quickly gives up, and we put it away for at least a
month. If he is too old, he quickly gets bored, and we put it away,
to be stored for the next child or given to someone who can use it.
But I have tried it with two children of two different friends of
mine, whose parents both said, "I can't imagine anyone's being
interested in that," and each child played with it delightedly for
an hour or more at the first sitting. (Someone who is not challenged
enought by regular trials can try it blindfolded.)
     The feature that I like is that reality does the grading. If a
child tries to put a thick cylinder into a thin hole, he sees that
this is wrong, not because a grownup tells him that it is wrong, but
because it won't go in, no matter how hard he tries. If he puts a
thin cylinder into a thick hole, it will go in, but rattle around,
and there will be another cylinder that will not fit later on.  He
learns to think of the right answer as the one that fits the
physical reality. Altogether too many youngsters get the idea that
the right answer is the one that the teacher says is right, the one
that gets them good grades, the one that gets them a smile of
approval, etc. I have encountered college students, engineering
majors, to whom it had never occurred that there was any better
reason for doing addition by carrying the tens digit than that their
teachers required it. I want them to understand that carrying gives
the right answer, and why it gives the right answer, and that the
right answer is the one that correctly predicts how many eggs you
will have altogether if there are 23 in the first basket and 18 in
the second (or correctly predicts whether a bridge will hold up).
     When I gave children the cylinder problem, I did it for them
once, and then said, "Now you do it," and walked away. The child was
working on the blocks, and thinking about the blocks and how they
fit together, rather than thinking about getting a cheer from me.
     You might read some of Maria Montessori's books, and then look
for a school in your area, or buy some of the materials (alas, they
are not cheap) or make some of them at home.

Another group to check out is The Institute for the Achievement of
Human Potential in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  It is run by Glen
Doman, author of HOW TO TEACH YOUR BABY TO READ and HOW TO TEACH
YOUR BABY MATH, and other books. He is controversial.

Third, you and Lyn and Kyle all have my prayers, that you may face
boldly the challenges that God has placed before you.

 Yours,
 James Kiefer
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU