The Myths of Giftedness
by Murray Peters, Coquitlam School District
All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal opportunity to develop our talents.
John F. Kennedy, 1963
Myths abound when it comes to understanding giftedness, gifted programs, and why we identify some students as gifted. Here, then, is an attempt to clear up some of the myths that are widely held in the education community and in society at large:
Myth: Everyone is gifted.
Reality: We have little difficulty in saying that someone is a gifted athlete or a gifted musician… why is it so difficult to acknowledge that some children are gifted students? We are all athletic and musical to a degree, but we cannot all achieve at the same level all of the time. (If we could, Olympic medals would be as common as dollar coins and we could all hold concerts to draw international audiences.) Likewise, we cannot believe that everyone in the classroom is at the same level of learning all of the time. Some students in reality show quantitative and qualitative exceptionalities in how they learn.
Myth: Gifted children will make it on their own.
Reality: Everyone needs help, encouragement and appropriate learning experiences in order to reach their potential. Gifted students are often falsely assumed to be high-achieving and teacher-pleasing, well organized and well adjusted. Many learners with gifted abilities have disabilities, social difficulties, emotional struggles, or are chronically underachieving. Some will drop out from learning or from school altogether. This is denying them an educational experience that will help them to accomplish great things in their personal lives that would benefit all of society.
Myth: Gifted education programs that group gifted children together are elitist.
Reality: An elite group? Like Jazz Band or the Rep. Basketball Team? We often group children according to their talents. We expect children will achieve their best at their own level. Grouping of gifted children is not so they can learn to be snobs, but so that they can experience working with children with whom they can closely relate and engage. Gifted education is in fact one of the most democratic aspects of our public education system, in that a democratic approach means all children should have the opportunity to learn in their “zone of proximal development”. Education programs are supposed to be fair, which does not necessarily mean equal.
Source: Association of the Educators for the Gifted, Talented, and Creative Children of BC
by Murray Peters, Coquitlam School District
All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal opportunity to develop our talents.
John F. Kennedy, 1963
Myths abound when it comes to understanding giftedness, gifted programs, and why we identify some students as gifted. Here, then, is an attempt to clear up some of the myths that are widely held in the education community and in society at large:
Myth: Everyone is gifted.
Reality: We have little difficulty in saying that someone is a gifted athlete or a gifted musician… why is it so difficult to acknowledge that some children are gifted students? We are all athletic and musical to a degree, but we cannot all achieve at the same level all of the time. (If we could, Olympic medals would be as common as dollar coins and we could all hold concerts to draw international audiences.) Likewise, we cannot believe that everyone in the classroom is at the same level of learning all of the time. Some students in reality show quantitative and qualitative exceptionalities in how they learn.
Myth: Gifted children will make it on their own.
Reality: Everyone needs help, encouragement and appropriate learning experiences in order to reach their potential. Gifted students are often falsely assumed to be high-achieving and teacher-pleasing, well organized and well adjusted. Many learners with gifted abilities have disabilities, social difficulties, emotional struggles, or are chronically underachieving. Some will drop out from learning or from school altogether. This is denying them an educational experience that will help them to accomplish great things in their personal lives that would benefit all of society.
Myth: Gifted education programs that group gifted children together are elitist.
Reality: An elite group? Like Jazz Band or the Rep. Basketball Team? We often group children according to their talents. We expect children will achieve their best at their own level. Grouping of gifted children is not so they can learn to be snobs, but so that they can experience working with children with whom they can closely relate and engage. Gifted education is in fact one of the most democratic aspects of our public education system, in that a democratic approach means all children should have the opportunity to learn in their “zone of proximal development”. Education programs are supposed to be fair, which does not necessarily mean equal.
Source: Association of the Educators for the Gifted, Talented, and Creative Children of BC