A recent study found that as much as three-fourths of the state schools were holding back the most talented and brightest students because they wanted to combat the scourge of “elitism.” These students were not being given more advanced work even though they were not being sufficiently challenged by grade-level material.
Instead of being allowed to progress at their own pace, the students were often asked to simply mentor the other students. The Ofsted study found that the school treated academic gifts as “not a priority” for teaching and that allowing them to work to their full potential would “undermine the school’s efforts to improve the attainment and progress of all other groups of pupils.”
Stephen Hawking, it appears, would have been a threat to the educational mission and told to eat glue with the rest of the kindergarten kids. Shakespeare would be told that he needs to return to those word group “mix and match” exercises and stop composing sonnets on the school computers.
What is interesting is that England has a gifted and talented program for the top five to ten percent, but these schools are choosing to ignore that policy.
With kids in the gifted and talented program in Fairfax, I can say that this view is inimical to the development of such children. These kids can actually do worse over time in standard lessons because they are not challenged and they tend to slip in their skills and interest. More importantly, by holding them back, you are denying them the opportunity to develop to their full potential. It is not more “elitist” in the pejorative sense than selecting the fastest kids for track and field competitions. Children have different skill sets and aptitudes. Finally, while such kids can be viewed as an elite group for their area, it does not make them elitists in the sense of people who believe that they are superior to others.
We have previously discussed the dangers of a “nanny state” with our close cousins in England. This would appear another such example of those dangers.
When talented children are not challenged, they can turn to less productive activities:
For the full story, click here.
Yes, we don’t want any elite students spoiling the blancmange of mediocrity, do we?
We don’t want to highlight the fact that some people are brighter than others and/or work harder, do we?
No, the LCD must apply to humans as well as to maths. Forget all that ‘excellence’ stuff so beloved by the Ancient Greeks!
I mean, the world is peopled by easily manipulated ‘sheeple’ already so why rock the boat!
From the Department for Children, Schools and Families (UK)
http://ygt.dcsf.gov.uk/FileLinks/312_new_guidance.pdf
General characteristics of gifted and talented learners
The following characteristics (taken from the 1998
Ofsted review of research by Joan Freeman) are not
necessarily proof of high ability but they may alert
teachers to the need to enquire further into an
individual’s learning patterns and ability levels.
He or she may:
– be a good reader;
– be very articulate or verbally fluent for their age;
– give quick verbal responses (which can appear cheeky);
– have a wide general knowledge;
– learn quickly;
– be interested in topics which one might associate with an older child;
– communicate well with adults – often better than with their peer group;
– have a range of interests, some of which are almost obsessions;
– show unusual and original responses to
problem-solving activities;
– prefer verbal to written activities;
– be logical;
– be self-taught in his/her own interest areas;
– have an ability to work things out in his/her head very quickly;
– have a good memory that s/he can access easily;
– be artistic;
– be musical;
– excel at sport;
– have strong views and opinions;
– have a lively and original imagination/sense of humour;
– be very sensitive and aware;
– focus on his/her own interests rather than on what is being taught;
– be socially adept;
– appear arrogant or socially inept;
– be easily bored by what they perceive as routine tasks;
– show a strong sense of leadership; and/or
– not necessarily appear to be well-behaved or well liked by others.
lottakatz–
“The decline of trade schools (and in many cases the trades for which they provided their students) is a gap in our educational system I mourn.”
I agree.
Just thinking about my education is so unpleasant I can’t even write a synopsis. But I did end up making a beeline to a technical high school and ended up making a darn good living therefore and it didn’t impede my self-education. The decline of trade schools (and in many cases the trades for which they provided their students) is a gap in our educational system I mourn.
I’ve been seeing late night commercials on TV for local, private trade schools that are offering classes in specific trades for “…just $10,000” and I always recall that the same specific trade/craft education was available for free at a couple of high/alternative schools in my area. Magnet schools don’t take up the slack in my area except for one that specializes in the arts.
I agree that Britain will come to rue the day it implemented this policy.
there is a general ambivalence towards all types of competition. Whether physical or intellectual.
In my opinion it is an effort to achieve equality of outcomes. And it is a denial of reality, someone is always going to be smarter, more athletic, more attractive or taller. You cannot level the playing field by handicapping the talented.
P.F.
Your thumbnail avatar is distracting because we already have a Buddha here. While visiting, why not turn it OFF.
The U.S. has nearly the same thing – de-emphasis on numerical and letter grades so all the Fredo Corleones don’t have to feel stupid for the F they received on the Algebra test.
Yep, that’s why you go to school when you’re smart- to teach the other kids for free. I thought child labor was illegal in the UK.
Amen, Elaine!!!
As a former teacher, I would say that there was a problem with the “gifted and talented” programs that I saw in my school system. The programs only considered children with “certain” kinds of intelligence as gifted and talented…kinds of intelligence that could be easily measured by reading and/or achievement tests–and sometimes IQ tests. There are lots of extremely talented and gifted kids who don’t fare well on such tests. Many of the T&G programs I saw didn’t include children who were talented in the arts—or gifted with their hands. In addition, some kids who were included among the talented and gifted students one year—were not included in subsequent years…because of their test scores.
I do believe there are exceptional/precocious children and prodigies who probably need special programs. I guess what I saw too often were intelligent children who came from well-educated, well-to-do families included in T&G educational programs. I think some of my other students probably had as much intellectual potential—but didn’t have the same kind of intellectual stimulation as the T&G children had at home.
I loved the students I taught who had a passion for a subject…even if they weren’t designated as “talented and gifted.” Lots of them became self-learners. They got excited about a subject and learned everything they could about it. These children usually got encouragement from their parents too.
Another thing: Some talented and gifted programs just move kids up a grade or two vertically in subjects. There are ways to enrich educational programs and to get kids excited about learning by using a more “horizontal” approach.
I believe the best method for teaching children in the elementary grades is to take a multi-modal/integration of subjects approach. Kids with all kind of talents and gifts can be challenged and succeed with this type of education. I speak from experience. I had to adapt certain projects/assignments for some kids—but it was nice having all my students working on the same kinds of things—and joining in discussions with each other. There were times when my “needy” kids outshone the advanced students. I learned to never underestimate the potential of a child. Sometimes all a kid needs is something to spark his/her interest…someone to give him/her belief in his/her abilities.
My students did some amazing work—even the children who were on special education plans. Teachers must have high expectations for ALL their students. It’s interesting to see what kids can achieve when given the right support and encouragement.
************
KIMJ–
I couldn’t agree with you more about the “group work.” That was the craze when my daughter was in middle school in Massachusetts. My daughter is almost thirty now.
Thought you might get a sick kick from this one:
“Supplemental Analysis for
It Takes A Pillage: Behind the Bailouts, Bonuses and Backroom Deals
from Washington to Wall Street” Total on the bailout so far, 14 trillion. This will link to the breakdown of where the money came from and where it went.
Brand Palin=Brand Obama
http://trueslant.com/matttaibbi/2009/12/12/on-obamas-sellout-bailout-tarp-rubin-goldman-sachs-robert-bob-tim-geithner-hamilton-project-derivatives-financial-reform-citibank/#more-1170 (the above information is linked in this article)
My impression from employing graduates of the Fairfax system is that it mostly functions as a mill for training kids to do well on the SATs, so they graduate with Washingtonian arrogance and a lcak of breadth or citical thinking skills (which makes them really annoying, even compared with private school or Montgy County grads). If you can keep your kids out of that track, you should consider yourself lucky.
I don’t think it’s much better in the USA. Gifted programs are often the first thing cut when budget woes arise. I’m 31 now, and when I was in middle school in Massachusetts I spent four years working as an unpaid Special Education tutor rather than actually learning anything, due to the teachers’ requiring group work for everything.
Paging Harrison Bergeron…
There is a complete misunderstanding of intelligence regarding children and adults. Our and the UK educational system is not based on the best research regarding learning, it is based on class.
Everyone learns differently, has differing abilities and interests. Instead of ignoring this reality, it should be incorporated into our educational system. We also need to dispense with our very shallow ideas about elites and the supposed iron clad connection with intelligence and ability. There may be a connection in some cases, but our society tends to assume an automatic connection and that is where we get into trouble. We also have a narrowly defined understanding of intelligence that would leave out the man in the prior post who has figured out how to reconstruct Stonehenge. He is a “lowly” construction worker and thus would not be given the time of day by many of our “educated elites”.
Chris Hedges has spoken forcefully on why it is that our honored educational elites have brought our country to the brink of disaster. On the other hand, there are people from these same schools who do well by others and are trying very hard to make things right in our nation. Also, there are those of us (like C.E.K. and others) who don’t have any kind of elite degree but show a great deal of intelligence and concern for the wellbeing of others. We seem to desperately need some kind of short cut in assessing other people, but really there isn’t any. Actions are always what matter.
For children, it has been very helpful to all concerned when one child who understands a subject more than another, helps some other child out. Each child has the ability to help another child. When that is allowed in a school, it has been of immense value to all concerned.
As to the Palin discussion on another thread–she like Obama is a manufactured product of the elite. Obama’s brand was designed to fool liberals and progressives into supporting actions which are antithetical to their own ideals. Brand Obama has been extremely successful in the regard, and it worked on those who come from elite educations to those who have a high school education. So to those who think Palin supporters are ignorant and stupid, think about what just happened to many fine, highly educated people when confronted with the propaganda machine surrounding Obama. You would be wrong to assume that those who follow Palin are ignorant and uneducated. Brand Palin is designed to capture conservatives, just as Brand Obama was designed to capture liberals. Branding is sophisticated and powerful. Neither Obama nor Palin represent anything other that the ruling elite, yet many, many people think they represent the working class. Further, Palin came out with strong support for Obama’s peace prize speech. That should clue everyone into the fact that they all play for the same team, the team that will bring down the United States. Things are much more complicated and far more simple than they appear.
yankee,
Your logic is like blowing up the planet earth because we have screwed it up so badly. How about teaching the Students the basic care principals about reading, writing, math and logic. Apparently, you did not take the 4th.
I will grant you that public school have there problems and it stems from the basic parental problems such as teaching their own respect and appropriately employing discipline. Most of the classroom time is spent on children that are disruptive.
So maybe if parent do the job that they agreed to when they agreed to make the child/children then sometime could be focused on the main reason they go to school.
FYI, you don’t normally go to the bank to get Baseball scores or the principal for classroom activities? So why would you want to cut taxes at the very basic educational system which has been a model for other country’s to learn from. Unless you are independently wealthy and can afford to send your child based upon your wealth to a private school. Lest I forget, the better school you choose to send your child to may have to have some social standing.
Other country’s do provide education to students, but only if you are gifted in a certain area. So, yankee what was your specialty at age 3 or 4? It may be a good ideal to get your child ready for a trade school as that will be the only way that they can make any money. Oh and by the way, unless you live in the city where the trade school is located your child has to commute or be boarded at the expense of the parent, unless they live with a relative or of the gifted variety.
yankee again, exactly how much do you pay in taxes? Because your cost just went up.
How well does Trickle down work, your feet wet Yellow?
C. Everett,
“Another 3 months would have given me time to earn the other 3.5 credits and graduate at 16, spend a year in Germany with my dad and come back to the States and go off to college to make something of myself.”
famous school drop outs: Richard Branson, Simon Cowell, Henry Ford, Dave Thomas among others.
This is why I now see no problem with destroying the public school system. If we are paying good money why are we allowing institutions to dictate what knowledge our children aquire. Look at your tax bill people, and think of how you could use that money to decide yourself how to give your kid the best start in life.
There is acceptable elitism and there is the unacceptable.
Selecting students with athletic ability to follow the elite sports track, that is acceptable, letting brainy nerds get ideas above their station is not. After all no nation actually needs scientist or engineers, just idiots who can run or swim very fast or do clever things with balls.
when I had just turned 16 I was sent away to a private school for kids with behavioral problems(long story I won’t bore you with, instead I’ll bore you with this one). I managed to get my act together and in 9 months collected 14.5 credits toward a high school diploma.
Another 3 months would have given me time to earn the other 3.5 credits and graduate at 16, spend a year in Germany with my dad and come back to the States and go off to college to make something of myself.
Instead I returned to Key West High School where I was informed my Texas credits wouldn’t be honored and I was placed in a sophomore class. I’m not sure who thought it would be wise to place me in classes that were roughly two years behind where I had been but quite naturally, boredom set in and instead of being a genius marine biologist I’m a dropout with an 8th grade education.
life’s funny that way
You can probably tell from my posts that two of the credits I was missing were English credits
England!!!
Don’t make me get my dog beating newspaper out again! Although, really, I don’t have to. This will be a self-correcting problem.
As someone who has had to pretend to be stupid (just to keep from scaring people at work or ruining his chances with the ditzy Bar Chick d’Jour) his entire life?
Good luck with that little bit of repression.
You are asking for trouble in ways you cannot even calculate. Because you’re all too dumb to see it coming. That’s what happens when you let the stupid monkeys run the zoo. And England is increasingly being run by idiots as evidenced by the run of news as of late.
At least our idiots are better criminals than yours.
See you in Hell. You may get there first with path building skill like this though, England.
I guess I was born at the very nick of the educational changes. I was a challenge for even the best of teachers and was given individualized studies between grades 5 and 6. I finished 2 years of work in less than 4 months. They mainstreamed me after that and just made sure I had enough to keep me busy.
The mind is a terrible thing to waste, let me spell POTATO or is that POTATOE?