"'Gifted' is a loaded term. A 'gift' connotes something bestowed rather than achieved - and a label of gifted may sound elitist. Some people reject the very idea of giftedness. Instead, they offer the 'feel-good' view that all children are gifted, or that giftedness is not inherent but just a matter of hard work and intensive practice. When the concept of giftedness is embraced, what follows depends on what the culture values."
"In hunter-gatherer societies, sharp eyesight and bodily endurance are valued. In Polynesia, where navigators travelled the seas without instruments, spatial intelligence was prized. In the Jewish tradition, the ability to read sacred texts was recognized, and those who could do so at an early age might be selected to become rabbis or scholars. In the Catholic tradition, those with behavioral traits of reverence and humility might be selected to enter the priesthood."
Giftedness carries connotations of being bestowed rather than earned and can sound elitist. Some people reject innate giftedness, contending that all children are gifted or that giftedness results from hard work and practice. Different cultures prize different gifts, from eyesight and endurance in hunter-gatherer groups to spatial intelligence in Polynesia and textual ability in Jewish tradition. Industrialization and mass schooling reframed giftedness as academic aptitude. The IQ test, created in 1905 by Alfred Binet to spot children needing help, now also identifies giftedness. Many non-academic domains such as art, music, athletics, dance, and social understanding are recognized areas of giftedness.
Read at Harvard Gazette
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