question about intelligence--not sure where this goes

[captain optimism]

(I don't think this belongs in the Parenting the Gifted Child forum--it might go in Learning at Home and Beyond. Or somewhere. How about here?)

When you think about your child's intelligence, how do you conceptualize it?

Is it like modelling clay that his or her experiences are going to mold into knowledge and skills? Or is it like a cup, that she or he is going to fill with information? or do you have some other mental model of what's happening?

If your child has some extraordinary talent in only one area--a good musician, or athlete, or something like that--did that change how you thought about intelligence from before you became a parent? What about if your child has gifts and disabilities both?

What do you think your role is in developing your childrens' talents and abilities?

[LeftField]

This is interesting. I've never really thought about it this way. I do know that I don't agree with the cup analogy. I'm not really sure about the clay analogy either. I guess that maybe I conceptualize it as a little engine. Then, over time, they keep building and adding on. They start with a powerful little engine and they enhance it over time.

I think that my role is to faciliate their interests. I pay attention to interests and then I provide space and supplies. I help find answers to questions. My role is to provide tools that they will find useful. My role is to create the environment they need to learn in. I use my adult knowledge to seek out resources that I think they might enjoy. I am the facilitator and my goal is to help them teach themselves with minimal intrusion. This role could change as they grow older; I'm not sure. This just reflects my limited parenting experience so far.

ETA: I don't care if my kids live up to their potential. I feel like they have stuff to work with and they have the choice of what to do with that stuff. I don't want them to feel obligation or guilt that comes from trying to please someone else. So, while it might sound odd at first, I don't care if they fully develop their talents, as long as they know they have the choice and the environment support and as long as they are happy.

[mamaduck]

Hm. I think of intelligence in terms of "capacity." How big the cup is in the first place! Whether or not it is filled depends on experiences and information -- which I am responsible to help provide. I do think the initial capacity is fluid though -- it is possible to stretch the capacity of the cup, and its possible that it will shrink if not stretched enough.

[Ellien C]

I take it as a given that my child is "smart." Just like I take it as a given that she is physically capable. I see my role in helping her develop her emotions and how she relates to other people. I want her to have higher "emotional and social intelligence" than DH or I ever had. I guess I see my role in helping her to develop the skills I don't necessarily have, but I think are important in life.

I hate the concept of "overachieving" and "underachieving." Who thought that up and how dare judge someone elses achievement and label it. You achieve what you achieve and no one gets to say when someone else is overachieving or underachieving. I read some of IQ testing thread and it's made me think twice about having my girls IQ tested.

[annettemarie]

Only because someone gave me this analogy I think of my oldest's "intelligence" like a box. He fills up a lot of space on one side. Heck, he's bursting out of the box. But that leaves an awful lot of empty space on the other end.

[BellinghamCrunchie]

I view IQ as being the RESULT of having skills in learning. These skills include:

Being curious.
Being able to follow a line of thought in your head to a conclusion without losing it (focus).
Having a method of looking at the world that sorts information into tidy packets, like building blocks, that you can easily handle because they are small and tidy, thus juggling ideas easily in new ways; and being able to hold more concepts in your head at the same time which enables a greater synthesis (boy that was a mouthful - I wish I had a better analogy, but I can't think of one).

So my job, as a parent, is to:

Allow DD to follow where her curiousity takes her, as much as possible.
Engaging in activities with her which helps her focus longer.
Provide activities which help develop focus.
Provide new activities regularly while keeping the environment clear of distractions.
Provide a loving attachment and secure home so that mental energy isn't diverted to protecting one's mental health using various compensations that later become pathological.

I also believe that these skills ("learning to learn") can be developed at any age, including adulthood. So I see intelligence as being rather flexible. I guess more like the modeling clay analogy.

[Daffodil]

I've never really thought about it this way before, so I'm just making this up as I go along. I guess maybe I think of intelligence as sort of a machine - a little information-processing machine inside the head that takes in facts and observations and experiences and turns them into knowledge and understanding. Some people seem to be born with particularly efficient and effective little machines in their heads, but how much the machine gets used also seems to have a lot to do with how well it works. And the actual body of knowledge and understanding that gets built depends on the amount and quality of the inputs as well as the efficiency of the machine.

I think my role is to provide good quality input whenever I can - to expose my kids to interesting information and ideas and ways of thinking - and also help them use their machines as much as possible. So I hope to encourage things like reading, thoughtful discussion, imagination, and creative expression, and help them avoid things like watching lots of TV and doing lots of meaningless worksheets at school. In fact, I hope they can avoid school altogether.