Scatter-Brained, Part III – Your Absent-Minded Self
Have you identified yourself as absent-minded, scatter-brained, or chronically tardy? Disorganized or forgetful? Out to lunch? How do these labels affect your relationship with other people? Would others see you differently if they thought of you as creative, innovative, or an out-of-the-box thinker? Would you think differently about yourself? Letting go of the challenges for a moment, let’s think about your strengths. Absent-minded people are often: creative thinkers—seeing new ways to look at old ideas.
Scatter-Brained, Part II – The Absent-Minded Other
Some phrase-starters we often hear about absent-minded learners are: “Why can’t he just…?”, “I wish he would figure out…”, “I can’t seem to make her change…”, “If only she would…” Have you ever uttered a similar phrase about someone you know? I think we all have, and these phrases can be hard on relationships. So, what is the first step in coping with someone who is absent-minded? Remind yourself that you can’t change other people.
Scatter-Brained, Part I – Who are the Absent-Minded?
Who are the absent-minded? They are our space cadets, absent-minded professors, dawdlers, mess-makers, and the chronically late. These are the people who seem to disregard many of the ‘rules’ of polite society: pick up after yourself get your work done remember my name be on time Whether you live or work with an absent-minded person, or you are one yourself, you know that some of these characteristics can be challenging, to put it mildly. You
Organization is Sometimes a Dirty Word, Part I
If your absent-mindedness is getting you down, first ask yourself if it’s about your priorities or someone else’s. Next, identify one thing you would like to work on. Start small—most big change is best made incrementally so you can problem-solve as you go and build in lasting habits. Think about what doesn’t work, and why. Then, think about what might work and give it a try! Be wary of classes, programs, and systems. Most of
Haiku – Strength is Weakness, too
Asynchronous Development A common phenomenon that I experience with my gifted learners is that their intellectual development is not at the same pace as their physical development (a form of asynchronous development). Thinking floods their heads, their mouths can’t form the words in time, and their hands certainly cannot keep up with their heads trying to write what is coming out. Organizing all of these abilities is not easy and requires help. It is our job
IMHO – Slow Motion Practice
A consistent issue that I find with a significant portion of my Gifted and 2e learners is that many of them love to rush through their math problems. I have experienced this mad rush enough to determine that the challenge is to change the rhythm of engagement to include time to review constraints, options, and possibilities. It is a part of developing metacognition skills. It is an understandable situation that develops. In early studies of
