Next on the list of possible forms of giftedness, you can find one that is referred to as exceptional
visual-perceptual skills. For your learner, this can include such abilities as: being able to discriminate between two similar visual images, being able to quickly discover what is wrong with a picture, having a keen understanding of why photographs with different shading impact the gestalt of the picture, and/or an appreciation of paintings and sculptures. While these learners may be visual learners, this area isn’t just a preference but a talent. These learners may learn best when you add visual material to lessons. In the early years, a child with this area of giftedness may begin to truly understand the importance of time by developing photographs in a darkroom. The child can see that the same negative looks subtly to dramatically different if exposed to the developing process for a brief versus a longer time period. The concrete visual example of time can be very helpful to this learner who quickly grasps visual information.
The child who is talented in visual-motor skills has two areas that, in combination, form this kind of giftedness. The learner with visual-perceptual talent, as just described, may have an acute visual sensitivity and ability to be keenly visually alert. In visual-motor skills there is the added motor component. For instance, Rachel was able to surprise and delight her family when she, as a threeyear- old, made a complicated structure out of Legos. A year later, she visualized how she wanted a garden to look and, with some help from her mom and dad, eventually planted the seeds and witnessed her dream become a reality. Jim, a ten-year-old, drew his own comic strip series, with only minor guidance on his spelling from his father. Stephanie, age fifteen, followed a blueprint and made a lamp. These learners tend to have advanced fine-motor skills along with a keen visual/perceptual ability. Constructing a lamp, like Stephanie did, or building another object can allow the child to understand the value of fractions (while imparting the indispensable skill of following instructions.) For instance, if two pieces of wood are supposed to be identical to support a structure, having one 36 inches and another 363⁄4 inches could mean the difference between a stable and unstable product.
Athletic skills also involve both visual and motor components and are often described as tapping gross motor abilities. A soccer star, for example, must view the field, determine the placement of the players on both teams, make an educated guess about where each player is headed, then have the physical skills needed to negotiate the soccer ball past the opposing team. Athletes may have either fine-motor (small muscle group) or gross-motor (larger muscle group) skills. Sometimesthey have both. A learner with an athletic talent may learn other material through this gift. For instance, looking at baseball scores (hits, walks, runs) can turn into a mathematics lesson. A discussion about the angle of one’s best pitch could be equated with geometry concepts. In addition, the complexity of combining various actions (e.g., eye-hand coordination, timing of swinging the baseball bat, running speed) and repetition of practicing techniques to become a top baseball player can be compared to the top essay that must include the nitty-gritty, detailed work (research, editing, revision, proofreading) to have a finished, professional-quality product.
Source : Lee Wherry Brainerd. Homeschooling Your Gifted Children. 2002
visual-perceptual skills. For your learner, this can include such abilities as: being able to discriminate between two similar visual images, being able to quickly discover what is wrong with a picture, having a keen understanding of why photographs with different shading impact the gestalt of the picture, and/or an appreciation of paintings and sculptures. While these learners may be visual learners, this area isn’t just a preference but a talent. These learners may learn best when you add visual material to lessons. In the early years, a child with this area of giftedness may begin to truly understand the importance of time by developing photographs in a darkroom. The child can see that the same negative looks subtly to dramatically different if exposed to the developing process for a brief versus a longer time period. The concrete visual example of time can be very helpful to this learner who quickly grasps visual information.
The child who is talented in visual-motor skills has two areas that, in combination, form this kind of giftedness. The learner with visual-perceptual talent, as just described, may have an acute visual sensitivity and ability to be keenly visually alert. In visual-motor skills there is the added motor component. For instance, Rachel was able to surprise and delight her family when she, as a threeyear- old, made a complicated structure out of Legos. A year later, she visualized how she wanted a garden to look and, with some help from her mom and dad, eventually planted the seeds and witnessed her dream become a reality. Jim, a ten-year-old, drew his own comic strip series, with only minor guidance on his spelling from his father. Stephanie, age fifteen, followed a blueprint and made a lamp. These learners tend to have advanced fine-motor skills along with a keen visual/perceptual ability. Constructing a lamp, like Stephanie did, or building another object can allow the child to understand the value of fractions (while imparting the indispensable skill of following instructions.) For instance, if two pieces of wood are supposed to be identical to support a structure, having one 36 inches and another 363⁄4 inches could mean the difference between a stable and unstable product.
Athletic skills also involve both visual and motor components and are often described as tapping gross motor abilities. A soccer star, for example, must view the field, determine the placement of the players on both teams, make an educated guess about where each player is headed, then have the physical skills needed to negotiate the soccer ball past the opposing team. Athletes may have either fine-motor (small muscle group) or gross-motor (larger muscle group) skills. Sometimesthey have both. A learner with an athletic talent may learn other material through this gift. For instance, looking at baseball scores (hits, walks, runs) can turn into a mathematics lesson. A discussion about the angle of one’s best pitch could be equated with geometry concepts. In addition, the complexity of combining various actions (e.g., eye-hand coordination, timing of swinging the baseball bat, running speed) and repetition of practicing techniques to become a top baseball player can be compared to the top essay that must include the nitty-gritty, detailed work (research, editing, revision, proofreading) to have a finished, professional-quality product.
Source : Lee Wherry Brainerd. Homeschooling Your Gifted Children. 2002
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