Myths and Facts About Giftedness

GIFTED AND TALENTED EDUCATION
MYTHS AND FACTS ABOUT GIFTEDNESS

Myths: for decades, myths related to gifted education have had detrimental effects on providing quality
instruction for gifted and talented students. These myths have distorted the perception of not only what
gifted students need in the classroom, but also what they can offer to society now and into the future.
Facts: Below is a list of some common myths in gifted education, complete with the facts needed to,
hopefully, dispel these myths. “If we allow ourselves to challenge, question, and probe some of gifted
education’s myths, we can develop new models and approaches that will be practical, cost-efficient, and
readily implemented in the schools” (Treffinger, 2009).
Note: the following information uses the term ‘gifted’ as opposed to ‘gifted and talented’ as referenced in
the National Association for Gifted Children source material.
Myth 1: All students are gifted in some way

Fact: Everyone has a personal strength, something we do better than we do other things. Equally, we all
have a personal weakness, something in which we do not excel. We don’t confuse personal weaknesses
with disabilities. Equally, we should not confuse personal strengths with gifts.
The essence of giftedness is advanced development. Students who are gifted have the potential to perform
at levels significantly beyond what might be expected for their age. A student can be intellectually or
creatively gifted. They might be physically gifted or gifted in some area of social-emotional development.
But giftedness in any area means ability well beyond the average.
This ability requires modifications to the regular curriculum to ensure these students are challenged and
learn new material. ‘Gifted’ does not mean ‘good’ or ‘better’; it is a term that allows students to be
identified for services that meet their unique learning needs.
Myth 2: There are no gifted and talented students at our school

Fact: Until the mid 1980s, definitions of giftedness and talent used in Australia were mostly based on
performance and children or adolescents who were identified as gifted were usually the successful,
motivated students who were already achieving. A majority of Australian views have now changed. Gagné
defines giftedness as having natural abilities significantly beyond what might be expected for one's age;
however, Gagné also acknowledges that giftedness may or may not be evident within the classroom. Gagné
suggests that approximately 10%, at least three or four students in a mixed-ability class of 30, could be
gifted; another three or four could be physically, intellectually, creatively, socially or perceptually gifted. He
states that some gifted students may have well above average ability but may have not yet been able to
translate this into above average performance.
Myth 3: Gifted students will succeed regardless – they’re gifted
Fact: While gifted students can have an extraordinary level of potential and ability, their high aptitude for
learning can easily go to waste if it is not fostered properly. Gifted students have learning needs that
require a special education program. Characteristics such as a passion for areas of interest, intense
curiosity, and the ability to manipulate abstract ideas all point to the need for a responsive school
environment. Evidence from three separate Parliamentary Inquiries into the education of gifted and
talented students held in 1988, and 2001 at the Federal level and in Victoria in 2012 found that
underachievement is prevalent amongst gifted children, with the Victorian Inquiry identifying that between
15 and 40% of gifted children would leave school without completing their Year 12. The Senate (2001)
Inquiry suggested that up to half of gifted students underachieve at school with as many as 20% leaving
prior to completing Year 12.i
Myth 4: Gifted students learn at the same pace as other students

Fact: In a mixed ability class, the student who is fastest at memorising information can do so as much as
12 times faster than the slowest student can. With more complex information processing, as in higher
order thinking, the fastest student can be four times faster than the slowest student. Their capacity to learn
at a faster rate than other students is one of the most common characteristics of gifted students. This
means that they have the capacity to learn the curriculum more quickly than others. For example, gifted
students are more likely to retain science, mathematics and foreign language content accurately when
taught 2-3 times faster than ‘normal’ class pace. They are significantly more likely to forget or unlearn
science, mathematics and foreign language content when they must drill and review it more than 2-3 times
after mastery.
Myth 5: Acceleration placement options are socially harmful for gifted students
Fact: Gifted students often feel bored or out of place with their age peers. Studies have shown that many
students are happier with older students who share their interest than they are with children the same age.
Their advanced intellectual development, their reading and play interests, and their relative emotional
maturity, may lead them to seek access to older children who are at similar developmental stages.
Therefore, acceleration placement options should be considered for these students. Acceleration can place
advanced students with others of similar ability, reducing anxiety and abnormal social behaviour.
Myth 6: Mixed ability groups enable gifted students to model or help students of lower ability and this is
highly beneficial to all students
Fact: In reality, average or below average students do not look to the gifted students in the class as role
models. They are more likely to model their behaviour on those who have similar capabilities and are
coping well in school. Seeing a student at a similar performance level succeed motivates students because
it adds to their own sense of ability. Watching or relying on someone with high-level capabilities does little
to increase a struggling student’s sense of self-confidence. Similarly, gifted students benefit from classroom
interactions with peers at similar performance levels.
Research has found that gifted students unpack problems by considering the whole then its parts when
processing, rather than thinking about the parts of a problem to build to a whole picture, as is the case with
most other students. It is often difficult for gifted students to reconstruct ‘how’ they came to an answer.
Asking gifted students to explain their processing to students who think differently to them can be highly
frustrating for both and is not conducive to learning.
Myth 7: Gifted education programs are elitist
Fact: Programs offered to gifted students can be seen as elitist if they contain activities from which all
students would benefit. If a program has activities that every student should be doing, or have the
capability to do, then it is whole-school enrichment rather than an enrichment program specifically
designed to meet the unique needs of gifted students.
Gifted programs provide appropriate education for children who need a special challenge: that is, a
modified curriculum, accelerated pace, in-depth explorations, manipulation of ideas and questions
requiring higher order thinking, like-ability small group projects and independent study. The purpose of
such programs is to help develop students’ strong academic and creative needs that may not be met in the
regular classroom. A gifted program is not suitable for all students.
Myth 8: That student can’t be gifted; they receive poor grades

Fact: Gifted students, just like any other student, may underachieve. There are a number of reasons why
a student may be underachieving including a lack of motivation, lack of resources, learning disabilities, and
social, economic, or psychological pressures. Regardless of why a gifted student may be underachieving, or
to what extent they are underachieving, the child is still gifted, meaning they have the potential, based on
effective identification, to achieve at high levels. Like others, gifted students need to be motivated and
taught in an appropriate manner suited to their needs so that they can reach their maximum potential.
Research strongly supports the view that high teacher expectations can positively influence the academic
achievement of students. This is especially so for underachieving students.
Myth 9: Gifted students are easy to identify because of their level of performance and/or positive
behaviours
Fact: Teachers wanting to identify their gifted students sometimes make the mistake of looking only for
positive behaviours or may associate giftedness only with high performance. However, gifted students who
are frustrated, bored or switched off learning will rarely be feeling positive about their school experiences
or manifesting their feelings in positive ways. A behavioural checklist is a useful tool for teacher
nomination. It may facilitate structured observation of both positive and negative behaviours in students.
Parents are a valuable source of information on both the positive and negative characteristics of their
children. Teachers are often sceptical that parents overestimate their child’s abilities; however, parents
more often underestimate their child’s abilities.
Myth 10: Gifted students are happy, popular and well adjusted
Fact: Many gifted students flourish in their community and school environment. However, some gifted
children differ in terms of their emotional and moral intensity, sensitivity to expectations and feelings,
perfectionism, and deep concerns about societal problems. Others do not share interests with their
classmates, resulting in isolation or being labelled unfavourably as a ‘nerd’. Because of these difficulties, the
school experience is one to be endured rather than celebrated. It is estimated that 20% to 25% of gifted
children have social and emotional difficulties, about twice as many as in the general population of
students. Gifted students require support from home and from school.
[Acknowledgement: National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)]
i
Human Rights – Rights of the Gifted Child: The Australian educational system is failing to adequately meet the needs of gifted and talented
students. Australian Association for the Education of the Gifted and Talented (AAEGT) www.aaegt.net.au 23 May 2018

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GIFTED AND TALENTED EDUCATION

MYTHS AND FACTS ABOUT GIFTEDNESS

Myth 1: All students are gifted in some way

Myth 2: There are no gifted and talented students at our school

Myth 4: Gifted students learn at the same pace as other students

Myth 8: That student can’t be gifted; they receive poor grades

[Acknowledgement: National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)]

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