Ten Myths About “gifted” Children That We Need to Dispel
The term “gifted” in education can be somewhat cumbersome, as it implies that some children are better than others. While it is true that children may have strengths and areas for improvement, when educators refer to “gifted” they often mean meeting a specific set of criteria , which may vary by school district but often includes intelligence or ability is above average. at least one area and (not or ) several other criteria. There are many myths about giftedness and what gifted children need. Whether you have a gifted child, you were one, or you know one, it’s important to dispel these myths.
Myth: Every child is gifted
Giftedness is not a measure of value. Julie Skolnick, founder of With Understanding Comes Peace and author of the forthcoming book The Gifted and the Distracted: Understanding, Supporting, and Protecting Your Double Exceptional Child, says that when she hears someone say, “All children have gifts “, this indicates that gifted programs and services are not needed, it “means that they do not understand what giftedness is.” She says, “While all children have gifts, not all children are gifted.”
The difference between a child with a gift for, say, music or football or even math and a gifted child is that they have “an exceptional, deeper view of the world,” says Skolnick. They may have more “why” questions than the average child and may experience existential fear or surprise. They are also more likely to be sensitive to the stimuli or emotions of others. Just being able to do something doesn’t make a person gifted.
Myth: Gifted kids are just smart.
While many gifted children enter the gifted program because of IQ or above-average test scores (both of which are problematic measures of intelligence for various reasons, including fairness), Skolnick says that while a neurotypical person thinks linearly, a gifted person has a “hurricane mind” through which “a million different things fly by, depending on what they’ve read, seen, or care about.” Speeding up a child marked as gifted is not enough. Any child can be above the class, but gifted children need differentiated instruction to suit their individual needs. In other words, gifted students need deeper work, not extra work.
Myth: They are accelerated in all directions
Many gifted children get high marks in all areas. But many are advanced in one or two subjects, but not in all. A child may be a gifted math student and have difficulty reading, or may simply be average among their peers.
Myth: They are all good students
Skolnick says that gifted kids sometimes fit the “absent-minded professor” profile, as they are brilliant but disorganized. Many gifted children can succeed in school, but if they are not provided with appropriate differentiation and support, gifted students are also very likely to receive poor grades or drop out. Skolnick says that gifted students “learn to learn” rather than give up work. They are “lost in learning, not production.” Also, if a gifted student does not know the “why” of an assignment, they may not feel the need to complete it as directed.
Myth: They don’t need special education services
While gifted children may be doubly exceptional (or 2e ), i.e. they are gifted and have a diagnosis or learning difference requiring special services, a gifted child with no other special education need still needs special educational support. Gifted children may be different because they need a boost, but they may also need emotional support to help them live in a world where their way of thinking is not the norm.
Myth: They have to teach other students
Educators are sometimes confused by teaching methodology such as Bloom’s Taxonomy , which indicates that the ability to demonstrate one’s understanding, such as presenting facts or teaching others, proves learning. Although such assessments can be useful for all students, gifted students are often told that if they already understand the material in the classroom, then other children can be usefully taught from the time. Skolnick says, “Teaching others won’t help you learn if you don’t want to be a teacher.”
Myth: Being gifted is an advantage, not a struggle.
Although gifted children may see the world in strange and wonderful ways, having a different neurotype can cause social and emotional difficulties . Skolnick says her least favorite myth about gifted kids is that “they don’t realize they’re different.” Gifted children often have problems communicating with their peers, and because of these problems and the ability to think deeply about the often frightening state of the world , they are more likely to suffer from mental illnesses such as depression.
Myth: Gifted children are more likely to be male, or white, and/or rich.
If you take the demographics of the Gifted Programs , you will see more male and white students who are of higher socioeconomic status than female students and students of color. However, Skolnick says, “Giftedness occurs in the same percentage regardless of age, race, gender, and culture.” Testing for gifted programs focuses on male and/or white students and does not detect the nuances of giftedness that may occur in students who do not fall under this subsection. Those who say that programs for gifted people should be eliminated because they only serve the elite should instead fight for a fairer identification of gifted people.
Myth: Children can become gifted through hard work and/or parental involvement.
Children may become better students through hard work and/or parental involvement, but giftedness is hereditary . Children are born gifted or not. Often parents of gifted children are also gifted, but not only. The idea that parents should strive to make their children gifted “puts a lot of pressure on parents,” Skolnick says. On the contrary, it is innate.
Myth: Gifted children become successful adults.
Unfortunately, the success of an adult is not something taken for granted, even with all the educational opportunities. “A trend that I have noticed among my peers, especially girls and women, is that they become overwhelmed by internal and external expectations and achieve burnout or become addicted to psychoactive substances or other addictive behaviors in an attempt to avoid it,” says Caitlin Ugolik Phillips . , editor of Gifted-Ish: Women and Non-binary Writers on Intelligence, Identity and Education , an anthology of essays on growing up labeled “gifted”, due this fall from McFarland .
For gifted children, striving to become something extraordinary can backfire. “With these kinds of messages, students become gifted underachievers,” Skolnick says. This is partly due to the mental health implications of pushing gifted kids to succeed leads to success, but also because when adults constantly tell kids they’re smart, “when they’re struggling, they think there’s something wrong with them.” so that they do not realize their potential.” Skolnik says. Instead of asking for help, they think they should know everything on their own.
What do gifted children need?
What do gifted children need, if not just acceleration and lack of praise for intelligence? “Growth mindset,” says Phillips. “It is important not to put too much emphasis on ‘intelligence’, which we don’t even know how to properly define or measure, especially as our identity develops. We must encourage gifted children and adults to find ways to fail safely and always keep learning, because it’s not weakness, it’s growth, and it’s human.”
“Teachers have to be very attentive and really listen to their audience (students),” Skolnick says, to test understanding. “Are you with us?” More broadly: “While there are some areas of consensus, students have different experiences depending on where they go to school, what tests they take, who defines their ‘giftedness’ and the support they may or may not have outside of school. . Phillips says there needs to be a more streamlined and diverse set of measures to measure giftedness and meet student needs.
Teachers and caregivers should look at the child as a whole, including social emotional issues that may be unique to a gifted child. Gifted children thrive when they are given the opportunity to be around other gifted students —children who think like them and who can work and learn like them.