[Ohiogift] Fwd: Labelling the gifted

Wed Apr 16 22:11:24 EDT 2014

Lauren,

The only reason the word "gifted" is a problem to kids is because we don't
tell them what it means and why it's attached to how they learn. WE as
PARENTS and EDUCATORS need to demystify it for them so they understand.
They need to know that all it means is that they along with some of their
friends LEARN DIFFERENTLY, often faster, than most of their peers and
therefore they need what we call diversified education. Did you know that
some gifted children actually learn slower than the rest? Some gifted
students see ALL the possibilities to an issue and have trouble deciding
which fact to concentrate on or which answer is most correct.

Being labeled "gifted," doesn't mean they're better or even smarter than
their peers. It just means that they learn differently and the teachers
teaching in the programs they're put in, should they be lucky enough to
have a gifted program in which to participate, are taught those
differentiated learning strategies which, as you all know, are completely
different than those taught to teachers teaching in the regular classroom.

We need to give them, our gifted students, the language to help them combat
and respond to those who think gifted means they're better than or more
privileged than the rest. Of course we also need to ensure that the
programs we put them in aren't merely allowing them to chase butterflies
and go on field trips while their peers are in the classroom. We need to
ensure that gifted programs are really using upper level teaching
strategies and are challenging gifted students in ways that makes them
reach and even fail once in awhile on their way to achieving and learning.
And we need to STOP WATERING DOWN our gifted programs so that everyone in
them is successful. A good way to tell if it's really gifted....if everyone
can do it, then it's probably not.

That's simplifying a very complex thing, I know. But I fought this battle
30-years ago. I can't believe we're still dealing with it.

And that's just MHO!
Sandra

On Wed, Apr 16, 2014 at 9:00 PM, Lauren Sindelar <lewest2003 at gmail.com>wrote:

> I disagree with their reasons. However, I do feel that the actual word,
> gifted, when used too often, could be harmful to the student. I think that
> we need to be very careful about when we use the word, and try to make sure
> the child isn't around as much as possible. I know they know they're
> different, and most of them probably realize they're smarter than their
> peers. But, they don't need to hear it everyday. Not only does it take some
> of the meaning away, but it puts unnecessary pressure on the student to
> perform at certain standards at all times and, when those standards aren't
> met, it may not be the parents and teachers who are disappointed, but the
> student. I'm not saying that it's harmful for all students - everyone is
> different. But, I'd be willing to bet that there is a subgroup of them
> (think along the lines of lack of resiliency, I guess) that would benefit
> from a lack of the "gifted" description.
>
> Just my two cents, which are certainly up for debate - I'm speaking from
> personal experience and not the whole.
>
> ~Lauren Sindelar
> On Apr 16, 2014 8:07 PM, "Margaret DeLacy" <margaretdelacy at comcast.net>
> wrote:
>
>>
>> http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/04/16/28peters_ep.h33.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS1
>>
>> Commentary
>> Gifted Ed. Is Crucial, But the Label Isn't
>> By Scott J. Peters, Scott Barry Kaufman, Michael S. Matthews, Matthew T.
>> McBee, D. Betsy McCoach
>>
>> "But how does the label of "gifted" help teachers and administrators
>> determine the appropriate programming for students? In our view, the term
>> is not only unhelpful, but actually harmful to the interests of bright
>> students. "Gifted" is an educationally nondescript concept, yet it also
>> connotes an endowment that some students receive while others do not.
>> Moreover, the term seems to suggest that high academic performance is a
>> permanent quality, both due to chance and applicable in all domains.
>>
>> The truth is that "giftedness" is irrelevant to K-12 educational
>> decisions. What is relevant is whether the instruction a child receives is
>> sufficiently rigorous to challenge that child. When that is not the case,
>> there are many potential causes."
>>
>> Margaret comments:
>>
>> I disagree with this.  I think the authors are insensitive to the
>> realities of a school environment where time and energy are at a premium.
>>  These constraints make it exceedingly unlikely that a child will have
>> access to "rigorous" instruction without a formal procedure for identifying
>> the students who are likely to need significant interventions.
>>
>> Suppose I went to a nursery and said "one of my plants is failing to
>> thrive.  What should I do?"
>>
>> The nursery worker says, "what plant is it?"
>>
>> I say, "I don't know.  I don't believe in labelling my plants."
>>
>> The nursery isn't going to send someone out to my home to see what plant
>> it is.  I don't have the time to try to figure it out.  So the plant
>> doesn't get what it needs.
>>
>> Labels are never perfect.  They are always probabilistic.  Labels can be
>> switched or wrong.  But a good label would tell a knowledgeable person what
>> kind of plant I probably have, how it fits in a taxonomy of plants, and
>> what sorts of issues it might have.  For example, there are tens of
>> thousands of species of rhododendrons.  But even if all we know is that the
>> plant is a rhododendron at least that would also mean it probably needs
>> acid soil. At least we would know to check for that issue.
>>
>> Margaret
>>
>>
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-- 
Author of Arlie the Alligator and other books for children and adults!
www.sandrawarren.com
www.arliebooks.com
http://sandrawarrenwrites.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/SandraWarrenNC

-- 
Author of Arlie the Alligator and other books for children and adults!
www.sandrawarren.com
www.arliebooks.com
http://sandrawarrenwrites.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/SandraWarrenNC
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