BEING SMART ABOUT GIFTED LEARNING

Child development professionals Matthews and Foster expound on gifted education in this third, revised edition of their guide for parents.

Early in the first section of this work, the authors assert that the term gifted is frequently misunderstood to mean that a child is “born with the ability to learn everything.” Instead, Matthews and Foster believe in the concept of an “Optimal Match,” in which educational opportunities match up with a child’s “current level in a given subject area.” They explore this notion in detail in subsequent sections, which note how a child may have above-average aptitude in some areas and not others. Section II directly addresses how to diagnose “mismatches,” with several insightful and useful chapters highlighting the differences between standardized tests, which, by design, “cannot reflect the authentic, interactive, and dynamic nature of learning,” and assessments, which include “observation, listening, [and] dialogue.” In this section, the authors point out that children shouldn’t be labeled as gifted themselves; rather, their “gifted learning needs” should be identified and addressed. Especially pertinent are examples of conversations between parents and children about the implications of being labeled gifted. The clear emphasis in the third section is on how to meet children’s educational needs; here, the authors offer specific, practical suggestions for teachers to use in classrooms as well as clearly explained alternative options, such as home-schooling. In Section IV, Matthews and Foster turn their attention to such topics as motivation, achievement, social and behavioral considerations, and the roles that parents play in developing children’s abilities. Section V effectively puts all the previous sections into a real-world context; for example, the authors discuss how parents and teachers can work together and the reasons why parents need to be advocates for their children. Throughout the book, Matthews and Foster usefully cite numerous sources, including new research published since the last edition, and offer relevant anecdotes to validate their arguments.

An authoritative, up-to-date, and comprehensive manual.