[Ohiogift] I agree with Colleen RE: Labelling the gifted

Thu Apr 17 09:25:20 EDT 2014

I agree with Colleen: . children respected as individuals and have their
academic and instructional needs of these students recognized and met.

This is true for all students.

Sincerely,

Dr. Lynn E. Elfner, CEO EMERITUS

The Ohio Academy of Science

Co-Director, Believe in Ohio http://believeinohio.org/ 

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From: ohiogift-bounces+oas=iwaynet.net at lists.service.ohio-state.edu
[mailto:ohiogift-bounces+oas=iwaynet.net at lists.service.ohio-state.edu] On
Behalf Of Colleen Grady
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2014 9:23 PM
To: ms118rbts at aol.com
Cc: Tagfam at listserv.icors.org; margaretdelacy at comcast.net; Ohiogift;
OATAG at yahoogroups.com; XL-PDX at yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Ohiogift] Labelling the gifted

I don't mean to be indelicate, but my concern here is not for adults or
institutions so I don't care what label is used or even if a label is used. 

No disrespect to NAGC, but the idea of potentially changing an
organization's name as problematic is laughable. 

I care about what happens for these children. If ditching the term "gifted"
(or screaming like a chicken on Capitol Square at high noon) improved
opportunities for gifted children I would do it in a heartbeat. It's just
not that important. Really, it's not.

And having lived through the trials, tribulations and fun of having one of
those highly gifted children (and living to tell the tale) I I know all too
well the social and emotional challenges for these kids and their families.
Knowing all that I know I would give my eye teeth to just having these
children respected as individuals and have their academic and instructional
needs of these students recognized and met. That's plenty and so much more
than what we have now. Expecting the school to be everything for everyone is
unrealistic and quite frankly weakens advocacy efforts. 

On Wed, Apr 16, 2014 at 8:54 PM, <Ms118rbts at aol.com
<mailto:Ms118rbts at aol.com> > wrote:

Susan,

Your question, "If we throw away the word, then what is the National
Association for Gifted Children, in which all of these authors are major
players, all about?" is right on.  

We wonder why we still keep fighting the same old battles with so little
forward progress.  With third grade guarantee and other hoops to jump
through, students who have exceptional ability are often neglected,
especially when district finances are really tight. In many cases,  having
the " gifted" label is the only thing that gets students anything
approaching rigorous - let alone beyond grade level instruction and endless
practice at things the student already understands.

It is hard to make progress when some in the field seem to be giving those
who do not believe in gifted education ammunition like this article!

Margaret, I love your analogy!

Sally

In a message dated 4/16/2014 8:18:11 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
susanrakow at earthlink.net <mailto:susanrakow at earthlink.net>  writes:

I don't agree either because it presumes that giftedness is only about
academic intervention and school instruction and disregards, particularly
among the most highly gifted, the social and emotional aspects of
experiencing the world through a gifted mind and heart. Lots of words have
multiple connotations and sometimes the word "gifted" has baggage...but so
does autistic or Asperger's or diabetic or artist and many others. And the
fact is, that some children DO have abilities that others don't, just as
some children DO have disabilities that others don't. 

If we throw away the word, then what is the National Association for Gifted
Children, in which all of these authors are major players, all about?
Susan

-----Original Message-----
>From: Margaret DeLacy <margaretdelacy at comcast.net
<mailto:margaretdelacy at comcast.net> >
>Sent: Apr 16, 2014 8:07 PM
>To: OATAG at yahoogroups.com <mailto:OATAG at yahoogroups.com> ,
"XL-PDX at yahoogroups.com <mailto:XL-PDX at yahoogroups.com> "
<XL-PDX at yahoogroups.com>, Tagfam at listserv.icors.org
<mailto:Tagfam at listserv.icors.org> , Ohiogift at lists.service.ohio-state.edu
<mailto:Ohiogift at lists.service.ohio-state.edu> 
>Subject: [Ohiogift] Labelling the gifted
>
>http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/04/16/28peters_ep.h33.html?cmp=ENL-E
U-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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Susan R. Rakow, Ph.D. 
Clinical Associate Professor, Director of Graduate Program in Gifted
Education
Department of Curriculum and Foundations 
Cleveland State University
2485 Euclid Ave., EB374
Cleveland, OH 44115-2214
216-523-7296 <tel:216-523-7296> 
s.rakow at csuohio.edu <mailto:s.rakow at csuohio.edu> 

"Modern cynics and skeptics see no harm in paying those to whom they entrust
the minds of their children a smaller wage than is paid to those to whom
they entrust the care of their plumbing." -John F. Kennedy

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