Gifted Children: Myths And Realities (Paperback)

~ (Author) "One not long ago I took my young son to a concert..." (more)
Key Phrases: gifted drawers, drawing savants, verbally gifted children, Lois Borelli, United States, Michael Kearney (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Stephen, aged 5, fluently reads orchestral scores. Hillary, 12, ranked in the 99th percentile nationally in all subjects (math, language, reading, science, social studies) on standardized aptitude tests. Winner's case studies of exceptional children are as intrinsically interesting as her findings in this eye-opening study. Gifted children, we learn, are often socially isolated and unhappy. Having a high IQ is irrelevant to giftedness in art or music. Only a very few of the gifted become eminent, creative adults-and when parents are over-involved or push to excess, gifted children are especially likely to drop out or lose interest in their domain of talent. A Boston College psychology professor, Winner blames unchallenging, neglectful schools for wasting gifted children's time and potential. She recommends allowing exceptional students to skip grades and be given individualized instruction and advanced programs. Illustrated with remarkably precocious artwork, her survey throws much light on creativity, learning and personal growth in both normals and gifteds.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In this examination of commonly held beliefs about gifted children, Winner (psychology, Boston Coll.) considers a number of questions: Are gifted children gifted in all subject areas? Are artistically gifted children gifted or talented? Does giftedness depend on IQ? What role do environment and biology play in giftedness? Are gifted children psychological and social misfits? In her analyses, Winner cites and explains a broad range of recent research, including extensive notes and references with each chapter. She then offers her recommendations for dealing with gifted children in America's educational systems?recommendations that are controversial and not necessarily supported by her research. She calls for elevating standards for all while cutting back on expenditures on those she deems only somewhat gifted. The value of this provocative book is in its comprehensiveness. Recommended for both public and academic libraries.?Kay Brodie, Chesapeake Coll., Wye Mills, Md.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (May 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465017592
• ISBN-13: 978-0465017591
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #178,571 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars very informative but not a how-to, August 14, 2000

By	Pamela Fuchs (NEW YORK, NY USA) - See all my reviews

I enjoyed read this book and read it in one or two sittings. Written in a neutral tone that will appeal to both professionals and laypeople, it examines the latest scientific and sociological evidence about profound giftedness--what it is and isn't, how it is measured and recognized, how profoundly gifted children differ from their peers, myths about giftedness. The book delivers if you keep its scope in mind: it is intended primarly as an introduction. It is neither a primer nor a how to. The author emphatically rejects the philosophy that "all children are gifted." On the contrary, she states that profound giftedness is extremely rare and not to be confused with the garden variety brightness that passes for "gifted" in many highly competitive urban and suburban schools today. The most interesting section for me was the chapter on artistic giftedness. The author compares the personalities and drawings of children of "average ability" with those of "exceptional ability." Parents who suspect that their child may be gifted will find these sections helpful (though I suspect that precious few will be of the same caliber as the children researched in this book.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Authoritative, thorough, and convincing, February 9, 1998

By	P. Lozar "plozar" (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is the best-researched book on this subject that I've ever read (the bibliography is 1/4 of the book). While the author doesn't provide any revolutionary insights of her own, she's done a terrific job of summarizing current research on gifted children, debunking commonly held stereotypes about giftedness, and translating researchers' insights into practical advice. While her style is rather dry, the book is accessible and generally free of psychological jargon. The book is a gold mine for parents and teachers, and a benchmark for researchers into giftedness.
I was particularly struck by Winner's convincing data showing that gifted children's minds actually work differently from average children's; they're not just "more of the same." As a former gifted child who went through ten years of educational hell before finally hitting my stride in mid-high school, I think that this point can't be emphasized strongly enough. We're capable of growing up into swans; don't try to convince us that we're defective ducks!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Myths broken only to be replaced with other myths, August 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Gifted Children: Myths And Realities (Hardcover)

Good definition of giftedness: 1) precocity, 2) rage to master, 3) marching to own drummer. Interesting ideas but some myths are still true. Yes, there is such a thing as a globally gifted child (I know, I am the parent of one!). The books strengths are in its elegant chapters about artistic and musical giftedness. I don't think anyone else has really covered these too well before. I don't agree that to be "truly" gifted you must change the domain of your giftedness. For example, someone gifted in math would need to contribute new ideas that changed the way some aspect of math was viewed. I also don't agree that schools can help moderately gifted children simply by raising their standards. Why bother raising standards for children who exhibit extreme precocity, march to their own drummer and have a rage to master things beyond what the school is prepared to teach? Clearly something is wrong with this advice. I also don't agree that the limited funds for gifted education should be at the exclusive disposal of students who are in the areas of extreme giftedness. All gifted students need help. That would be the equivalent of funding only special needs programs for students who are at the extreme low end of the IQ spectrum and leaving those students who are well below average to founder on their own in mainstream "inclusion" classrooms with no accomodations! Wow! Much interesting information, but not to be used exclusively in planning public school programs for the gifted.