Niños bien dotados en matemáticas.

Esta es la traducción al castellano del blog de Prufrock Press (http://www.prufrock.com)
Es un blog de pruebas, en tanto se ve la posibilidad de utilizarlo con artículos propios. 

María hizo recientemente el siguiente comentario en respuesta a uno de mis artículos: 

Mi hijo Miguel es un alumno de sexto de Primaria, y realmente es muy listo en matemáticas. Este último verano, fue a un programa de verano para niños en la universidad local, y le encantó estar expuesto a las matemáticas avanzadas que le proporcionaron. Pero no hay un programa para bien dotados en su escuela.

Aunque él está obteniendo buenos resultados en su clase de matemáticas, las encuentra muy fáciles y aburridas. Qué piensa que debería hacer? Él tiene tanto talento para esto, y yo odio verle tan aburrido con algo que a él le gustaba tanto el último verano. 

 María, estás realizando una gran pregunta. Por supuesto, no puedo dar un consejo específico para tu hijo, porque no lo conozco, pero pupedo darte cierta información general. De igual forma, vamos a preguntar a nuestra comunidad de lectores. Si alguno está leyendo esta contestación tiene consejos o comentarios adicionales que hacer, por favor, publique una respuesta.

Identificación y Evaluación.

First of all, it would be helpful to get a professional assessment of your son’s math abilities. Hopefully, you have already had a conversation with Michael’s math teacher. Talking to the teacher is always the first place to start. How does the teacher see Michael in relationship to other students in the classroom?

Second, if there is a gifted/talented resource teacher at the school or in the district I would talk with that person next to see what is available. You said that Michael’s school doesn’t have a gifted program, but there still may be a resource person who can help.

Standardized tests that have been given by your district will also help to shed some light on his abilities. You will find some good information on this by reading the ERIC Digest article, Discovering Mathematical Talent.

Working with the School

Once you understand Michael’s mathematical abilities more clearly, you will want to educate yourself with current research on addressing the needs of high-ability, gifted, and highly motivated students in general and more specifically in math.

A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America’s Brightest Students is a recently released report that can be downloaded over the Internet. The report advances the merits of acceleration—not just grade-skipping, but the many ways available that schools can accommodate the needs of students who are more advanced. This includes advancing them within the regular classroom.

You should also read the National Association of Gifted Children (NAGC) reply to the report, titled Acceleration in Schools: A Call to Action.

Curriculum Compacting: A Systematic Procedure for Modifying the Curriculum for Above Average Ability Students presents research showing that many average and above average students already know curriculum that is about to be taught. Curriculum compacting offers one possible solution for addressing this problem.

Once you have an understanding of some of the background research available, you will be better prepared to advocate for Michael at school. Another book that will help you with this is Developing Mathematical Talent: A Guide to Challenging and Educating Gifted Students in Math. This book is for both parents and teachers. The authors provide concrete suggestions for identifying mathematically talented students, tools for instructional planning, and specific programming approaches. It also provides concrete strategies for effectively advocating for gifted children with math talent.

One word of caution: In the U.S. we are often criticized for having a math curriculum that is "a mile wide and an inch deep." Rather that just accelerating students in math, it is highly recommended that students be given the opportunity to explore topics in depth. The article, High-Ability and Highly Motivated Students provides suggestions for students to think deeply in mathematics by investigating complex problems.

After-School Activities

Does Michael’s school have before and after school clubs? Are there any math clubs or competitions in which he might participate? If there are no such activities at his school, can you find these elsewhere in your community? You mentioned that last summer he attended a class at a local university. Are there similar classes that are held during the school year?

A number of well-respected universities offer multimedia, computer-based, distance-learning courses in math. You might explore one of these. Students who are most successful with these programs are those who are able to stay motivated while working independently. Information on the courses can be found at Stanford University, Johns Hopkins University, and Northwestern University.

I wish you the best with all of this. Please let us know what works for you. Being an advocate for your student can be a lot of work, but with a positive and understanding attitude, you will be successful.