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Gifted has nothing to do with memorization so everyone who talks about their 3 yo knowing all the capitals of the states or whatever--it does not mean they are gifted. Memorizing fats has nothing to do with being gifted.
Gifted is when the child can REASON way way beyond his years.
I agree that the term 'gifted' is slung around too loosely by over eager parents, but that doesn't mean there aren't gifted kids out there. I do have to disagree that the only kid deserving of the 'gifted' label are the geniuses and prodigies. The way I look at it, the geniuses and prodigies are simply the tip of the 'academically talented and gifted' pyramid. Academically talented provides the base. Then there are the kids in the middle...
So what do we call these students in the middle, the non-geniuses, who are extremely bright, with a high IQ and unique way of thinking? The ones who don't always quite fit into the 'academically talented' label either. Sometimes they don't even all that well academically, maybe because they like to question what is being taught or they refuse to do work that seems uninteresting, repetitious, or meaningless. These are the kids that schools give the label 'gifted'.
I found this quick chart today, and I think it does a pretty decent job of explaining some of the differences between bright (academically talented) and gifted , or what many educational systems consider 'gifted', at any rate.
BTW, I have one child who is gifted and one who is not. I don't see being gifted as better or more special, just different. Both kids have their own unique 'gifts' to offer, academically or not.
I just find it kinda funny how a while ago I saw the news and it talked about a two year old genious and saw it online as well. Two-year-old 'Matilda' becomes youngest ever girl in Mensa | the Daily Mail
What's funny about it however is how almost every single parent critisized this article, the parents, and the child because their children are geniouses as well. The comment section has been taken off.
All this is nothing more than a pissing contest amongst parents who claim that their children "are so brilliant." If every parent who claimed their children were geniouses were correct our nation would have a lot less....... well you know.
All this is nothing more than a pissing contest amongst parents who claim that their children "are so brilliant." If every parent who claimed their children were geniouses were correct our nation would have a lot less....... well you know.
Excellent. Just another example of liberal dumbing down and sniveling parents who are too stooooooopid to understand statistics and the meaning of "average."
If you use the criteria applied up through the mid-1980s, maybe 3 out of 1,000 students might be Talented And Gifted ("TAG" students/programs), if you were lucky.
As far as I'm concerned, if your child isn't reading at Level 17 on the Slosson/FROG scale by age 5, or playing Shostakovitsch on the violin or piano your child cannot possibly be "gifted."
I am really disappointed, though not surprised, by the misinformed opinions and misinformation about gifted students coming from educators on this and the other thread.
This misinformation is just one of many, many indicators of why our country's K-12 public school systems are in need of massive overhauls - complete restructuring from the top to the bottom, along with radically different teacher education programs because, clearly, many teachers know little about what has been estimated by experts to be approximately 6% of the student population. Not to mention the fact that educators' vitriolic antipathy towards these students is palpable.
As the NAGC explains, these students are capable of high performance and are in need of services or activities not normally provided by the school in order to develop their capabilities. But, no - many educators deride these students and their families as 'whining' for trying to advocate for an appropriate education for these kids. Yes, I said an appropriate education, which is too often lacking for these students.
There are two federal reports that highlight the missed opportunities to identify and appropriately educate gifted students in the U.S., and the consequences to our country...
A Nation At Risk, which found that over half of the population of gifted students do not match their tested ability with comparable achievement in school - they're being undereducated on a massive scale.
Archived: A Nation At Risk (http://www.ed.gov/pubs/NatAtRisk/risk.html - broken link)
and
National Excellence: A Case For Developing America's Talent, which found that most gifted and talented students spend their time in school working well below their capabilities. They are underchallenged, undereducated, and therefore underachieve.
Quiet Crisis in Educating Talented Students (http://www.ed.gov/pubs/DevTalent/part1.html - broken link)
What those 'whining' parents of gifted students have learned the hard way about educators and schools (paraphrased from a list compiled by S. Sheard)...
- If you have negative feelings toward our child, they will be clear to us and him/her.
- We see arbitrary 'rules are rules' policies as the discrimination they are, and we'll react as any parents would to anything that harms their child.
- We know as much about the prevailing educational wisdom as most teachers and administrators. We've had to do a lot of homework because the prevailing wisdom doesn't fit our child.
- We don't automatically trust you. Too many 'trained professionals' have wrought damage, so you will have to prove yourself by continually trying to understand and work with us, not against us.
Vouchers! The sooner, the better, to give these students the ability to get away from toxic teachers and toxic schools (yes, some are widely known as toxic among these students, their families, and the professionals who are well-informed and understand the systematic discrimination and oppression these students frequently face).
I agree..."gifted" can be mis-used. Academically talented is a good description. I agree to even Advanced. Gifted to me is equivalent to a prodigy, e.g. a 10-year old in college. Doogie Howser?
But again, Bibit, like I said earlier, "gifted" to experts in the field does not just mean prodigious giftedness. Profound giftedness is not the only type of giftedness any more than profound retardation is the only type of intellectual challenge.
If you want, here's a useful breakdown of levels of giftedness that may make the term more clear: Levels of Giftedness (http://www.educationaloptions.com/levels_giftedness.htm - broken link)
OK, to settle this once-and-for-all, everybody's child is gifted.
With all due respect for your efforts to promote peace, NOT everybody's child is gifted.
Everybody's child is a blessing and a wonder and should be treated with love and respect regardless of their intellectual capabilities, no doubt. Everybody's child is worthy of being treated with kindness and worthy of being encouraged to do his or her best, yes.
But again, Bibit, like I said earlier, "gifted" to experts in the field does not just mean prodigious giftedness. Profound giftedness is not the only type of giftedness any more than profound retardation is the only type of intellectual challenge.
If you want, here's a useful breakdown of levels of giftedness that may make the term more clear: Levels of Giftedness (http://www.educationaloptions.com/levels_giftedness.htm - broken link)
Thank you Charles, the article was interesting. I was trying to see where I fit in it but the parameters are very modern (e.g. keyboarding skills) and growing up, we did not have a tooth fairy in my country. Santa was iffy... but I have a good guess where I fit.
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but I have a good guess where I fit.
