Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion The G word - an upcoming documentary

What do these books have in common?
1) Bright, Talented, and Black by Joy Lawson Davis, Ed.D. (2010) Great Potential Press
2) Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon (2013)
3) Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined by Scott Barry Kaufman (2013)
4) Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind by Scott Barry Kaufman (2015)
The work-in-progress website from a year ago states: "THE G WORD explores what giftedness and learning look like through a mosaic of personal, intimate stories of children, adults, and elders. The film’s narrative arc is an examination of the gifted through all stages of life, from childhood through old age, documenting their search for acceptance, connection, and authentic success, which belie popular misconceptions about what it means to be “gifted.” Interwoven with historical context and expert insight into the challenges related to high intelligence, THE G WORD sheds light on this largely hidden but emerging special-needs population."

Based on the above description and accompanying 6-minute vimeo video (titled "1st Promo"), which I first posted notice of in Dec 2016, I was really looking forward to seeing the project reach fruition.

In a promotional e-mail update (recently forwarded by a friend), I was disappointed to find the project's subject line and link titled "Who Gets to Be Gifted in America and Why?" IMO, this approach promotes myths and stereotypes about giftedness as a brass ring, and is quite different than the description on the work-in-progress website from last year. Possibly this project has changed its focus? The recent e-mail update describes: contemplating "issues of race, gender, class and sexual identity, especially in relationship to gifted education, the IQ and 21st century ideas around what constitutes intelligence." The accompanying 12-minute vimeo video (titled "Meet the Experts | Who Gets to Be Gifted in America and Why?") takes an approach which appears to divide the gifted population, rather than uniting it.

This viewpoint was posted on GHF January 18, 2017:

Actually, the apparent change in direction is not all that surprising, since the basis of Scott Barry Kaufman's status in research on giftedness is deemphasizing giftedness as a trait (i.e., high native cognitive or other ability), and conceptualizing it more as a state (i.e., conditional, and developed primarily through interaction with environmental forces and what one might call character qualities, such as growth mindset).

The other two authors are notable for writing about underrepresented populations (ethnic minority GT, and marginalized populations in general).

My opinion may not be any better informed than anyone else's, but having spoken with Marc Smolowitz, I would say that I don't think the intention is to imply that anyone can be gifted. (Nor do I think this most recent segment says this.)

It is my understanding that one intention of the documentary is to broaden understanding of those that are twice or thrice exceptional or otherwise don't appear to be "typically gifted" insomuch as is usually recognized by teachers and the general population. In fact, Mr. Smolowitz has a specific interest in the gifted prison population and exploring their experiences with the education system as children. This doesn't seem divisive to me- but I have a 2e child who most teachers don't "get," so I can see how all these things could be related.

The scope of the documentary does seem large. I am interested in the final outcome. It has a lot of potential to open discussion in areas that haven't been well explored.

Would you describe what you mean by "'typically gifted'... as is usually recognized by teachers and the general population"?
What is your concept of 'typically gifted'?

Indigo, I think that many teachers, especially those without specific training in gifted education (and this seems to be the majority of teachers we've experienced), presume that gifted children will typically be the high achievers, the compliant and easy to teach types. I think the voting public often assumes that gifted children will naturally "rise to the top" in our education system as it is now.

Many of us here probably realize that these are myths, but I don't believe that thos of us on this forum are highly representative of the general population.

Agreed.

Follow-up question: Do you believe that the following are the best and/or most representative examples for 'typical gifted', which would help disabuse the voting public and general population of their belief in myths regarding recognizing 'typical gifted' children:
- "...gifted prison population..." (excerpted from your post upthread)?
- "...race, gender, class and sexual identity..." (excerpted from recent "G word" promo, discussed upthread)?

Personally I believe that documentaries such as these, and the SENG youtube video The Misdiagnosis of Gifted Children provide more meaningful outreach.

Haha. I don't really know but now I am a bit intrigued. It would be interesting to interview them. I guess he feels the same way. I actually don't think there really is such a thing as a typically gifted person, although I do believe a large portion of the public thinks there is.

Everyone will have their favorites, but there is definitely room for this discussion.

Sufferers of Allodoxaphobia, beware!

With promo materials making statements such as "Who Gets to Be Gifted in America and Why?", it appears that the makers of this documentary hold a view that there is a 'typically gifted person.'

On gifted forums and IRL, there is frequent comparison between athletics and intellect/academics, and also frequent reference to varsity teams and/or Olympians as analogies to gifted (each being at the top of their respective discipline or talent area). Therefore I will follow that precedent and flow between the gifted context and the sports context in this post.

Would you find it enlightening to have a documentary ostensibly about the pinnacle of sports... which changed its focus to featuring/emphasizing:
- prison population?
- race, gender, class and sexual identity?

Some might say that naming such a documentary about sports would be gratuitous... misleading... a weak tie-in... simply used to market the documentary. Additionally, this may be seen as a disservice to the sports/athletic community by focusing on a niche... giving a distorted, unproportional, unrepresentative, or divided view of the sports/athletic community.

In looking at the most recent promo materials provided by "The G word", it is possible that the focus on giftedness has become tangential at best... that a title referencing gifted may be gratuitous... a marketing strategy.

Ironically, in changing its focus, "The G word" may, in essence, be marginalizing the gifted... or, as it may say... "those who get to be gifted."

I think that "obviously gifted" might be a better term here than "typically gifted." Some people are obviously very bright from very early infancy. They meet milestones way ahead of schedule (even one/two-month milestones). They talk early and have vocabularies well ahead of what's expected for their ages. They read early. They count early and may not need instruction for certain basic skills like adding. Etc.

All this can translate into doing well at school, especially in the lowest grades when a five-year-old with very high cognitive ability may be ready for second-grade material. Obviously, as students get older, the grey area increases. Some HG+ kids continue to get high grades with low effort, especially if homework scores are worth less and test scores are worth more. Some don't, especially if homework is worth more and test scored less.

Personally, I don't like the idea that giftedness is a "state" over a "trait" as implied here. That said, I haven't read the whole of Kaufman's Ungifted and can't comment properly on it. So far, it seems to be a mix of navel gazing (which makes me less likely to trust the author) and a literature review with references (which makes me more likely to trust the author).

Hmm Indigo, that's an interesting concern about the marginalization of "those who get to be gifted." We are all really just speculating at this point I think since they are still in production. I mean, I get it- this is an important and sensitive area for many of us and we want them to get it right. But I don't think that the identification and exposure of the under recognized and underrepresented necessarily has to marginalize or take anything away from another group. I'm still optimistic, but we will have to wait and see.

While the documentary is still in production, my observations are based on the two promos released to-date. There is a change in approach, tone, and content.

In the following summaries, some statements are paraphrased while others are verbatim or nearly so:

1) The G Word | 1st Promo (06:02) Also see this old post.
The featured speakers are NOT identified. There is no mention of name, title, background, or area of specialization/expertise.

A few highlights:
- Gifted children are a small percentage of the population; They are unique; They have special needs.
- You will find gifted individuals in all ethnicities, in all socio-economic groups.
- There are approximately 6.4 million gifted individuals in the United States.
- Put a highly gifted kid in a regular classroom and they will know 80% of what is going to be taught before they walk in the door the first day.
- They really are thinking at a different level; It's the questions they ask, the conclusions they come to... the ethical moral issues that they have.
- Finding the right educational fit is crucial for gifted students.
- When parents go into a school environment very frequently they face a backlash for trying to get their child's needs met.
- Gifted does NOT mean success.
- If we keep telling these kids, "You're so smart, you're going to change the world," we create anxiety.
- Non-traditional and alternative education environments provide the Gifted with opportunities to be challenged, find mentors and peers, and be themselves as whole persons.
- Classes based on what the child needs to learn: If you are in kindergarten and you are ready for fractions and multiplication or even algebra, you go to that classroom.
- Watching students identify goals that are achievable and going on to achieve them is really extraordinary.
- We are bigoted against our gifted population and do not afford them the same respect that we afford other people who have differences.
- We need to educate the community to respond differently: If you give a child the right educational fit, everything gets better.
- A banner in the background of a few frames identifies the UCLA Early Entrance Program (EEP).
- This video also features several gifted children speaking of their authentic lived experiences, both negative and positive.

2) Meet the Experts | Who Gets to Be Gifted in America and Why? (12:14)
The featured speakers are identified. Their titles, background, and expertise often appear to have little to do with serving the gifted. A few highlights:

Van Jones, Political Commentator (00:00 - 01:43)
- In 2009, visited the jailhouse on Friday, Obama's White House on Monday. "... the smartest people in the White House aren't any smarter than the smartest people in San Quentin. Full Stop. But the wisest people in San Quentin are much wiser than anybody in Washington DC..."
No basis is provided for this claim, therefore it appears to be an opinion.

Joy Lawson Davis, Ed.D. Virginia Union University (01:45 - 04:00)
- Low income districts have a high level of substitute teachers. It would be interesting to see comparisons of usage of substitute teachers among all US public school districts to preclude cherry-picking of selective data. It has been my understanding that rules regarding teacher absence and use of substitute teachers was regulated by teacher union contracts.
- In the low income districts, we have teachers whose training is not as good as it would be if they were in a high-income suburb. It would be interesting to see comparison of both credentials at hiring and ongoing professional development.
- Some teachers may be busy focusing on deficits rather than strengths. It has been my understanding that this is a nearly universal complaint among parents of gifted pupils.
- A boy who moves around, distracted, posing challenges to teacher about information presented may flounder and at some point in time is going to be on the discipline rolls. Being gifted does not exempt one from following rules or showing respect for persons in authority, such as teachers. Being gifted also does not preclude a child from having a learning disability (such as ADD/ADHD) which would be addressed with an IEP or 504.
- Students of color unfairly disciplined, particularly in Southern states. Among that population may be some high ability or gifted students. It would be interesting to see comparative statistics on each of these points.
- Recommend universal screening as a good process to use to look for students who may be gifted but nobody has found them or identified them yet: start in the Title 1 schools, teach teachers how to look for the characteristics of giftedness, help teachers change their perception and then you'll see some things in those kids that you haven't thought about before. It has been my understanding that Universal Screening meant testing each child, as described in this article and elsewhere. This "expert" may want to reconsider her statement, in light of the likely discrepancy between the term she utilizes and the process she describes.

Sheldon Whitehouse, US Senator, D - Rhode Island (04:00 - 5:35)
- The system is designed to test for a variety of different populations [This may refer to Child Find, required identification of children requiring special education due to disabilities?] and gifted kids have not been a part of that equation.
- Kids who are very gifted sometimes act out in class in a way that would be also consistent with being a bad behavior kid or having a learning disability of some kind because they are just not in sync with the pace at which they are being given information.
- Mother from Maryland, with son in middle school: "Any number of disabilities that my child would have had, I would have found all sorts of support to help him get through his education. Because of his giftedness, I looked around and could not find a thing."
- The bureaucracy needs to learn that everything needs go back to the student in the classroom and find that student where they are.

Andrew Solomon, Ph.D., Author (5:35 - 7:35)
- Giftedness does often feel like a disorder, because we have a society focused on averages.
- If we were to have a responsible system of education, it should not be focused on leaving everyone at the same average.
- Admissions for first grade predicted that his childhood dyslexia indicated he would never learn to read or write; This has not proven true. More is now known about dyslexia, and about the functioning of the human brain. It is my understanding that dyslexia and other learning disabilities would, today, be addressed with special ed and would not keep a student from gifted identification and programming in any areas of strength which met qualification criteria for gifted programming.
- He feels his sense from a very early age of being different was more tied to being gay, and wonders if being LGBTQ fueled his development of his intelligence and bringing giftedness to the surface.

Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania (7:35 - 9:45)
- A series of early ear infections lead to Central Auditory Processing disorder, which made him appear slow. More is now known about auditory processing disorder, and about processing speed as just one aspect of IQ. It is my understanding that auditory processing disorder would, today, be addressed with special ed and would not keep a student from gifted identification and programming in any areas of strength which met qualification criteria for gifted programming.
- School was easy, large aspects of himself were being ignored, and he craved intellectual challenges. It is my understanding that this is a nearly universal experience among the gifted.
- He felt he was told, "We're the gifted ones, you're not, deal with it." It is my understanding that these feelings may be fueled by schools which attempt to take the expedient approach of "matching the child to the program" rather than the individual approach of encouraging growth by "matching the program to the child."
- When he looks at gifted classrooms, he sees apple-polishers and people who are good at school.
- IQ is synonymous with school performance, there is more to life and to intelligence than quickness of learning, and regurgitating information on standardized achievement tests.

Van Jones makes a second appearance in the video; He is the opening and closing speaker (09:45 - 11:00)
- Rainbow genius in Oakland will not work in Silicon Valley although it is only 30 minutes away.
- Apple, Google, Facebook campuses are monochromatic or two-color but not three.
- Let a whole new set of people with different sensibilities and different gifts and different talents have the tools and training and technology to re-imagine a different world that works for everybody.
- That's got to be what we're about. But that requires a revolutionary change at the heart level, about:
-- Who counts, who doesn't?
-- Who's smart, who's not?

Evidently political commentator Van Jones disagrees with you, as expressed in his closing statements which culminate in dividing people into groups of who counts, and who does not. I do not see him making suggestions for improving identification criteria to recognize under-represented students, nor do I see him making statements about teaching each child in their ZPD... in each subject... among intellectual peers with the same readiness... so that they are not under-served.

Although the materials presenting the 2nd promo reference "21st century ideas around what constitutes intelligence" this has not been defined in the 2nd promo. What definition are they referring to? One idea of a 21st century definition is the 2011 paper which links giftedness to achievement (eminence): In my observation, the first promo suggests many solutions, and promotes understanding while the second promo is a set of incomplete comparisons which largely (with the exception of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse) hint that the common experience of the gifted is to have their academic/educational needs well met... while only these specific featured populations do not have their academic/educational needs met.

I'm definitely intrigued to see what the finished product looks like. Different trailers can be developed to appeal to different target markets as part of a larger marketing plan. As such, I wouldn't necessarily assume that there was a change in focus as might be surmised from the differences in tone noted in the promo highlights.

Here is another promo video for the G word documentary - Exceptional Minds (8:32)
Like the first promo video, this clip presents solutions. Gifted children participate, promoting understanding of their authentic lived experience. A micro-school is identified as a potential model: Big Minds Unschool in Pinole, CA.

Begun in 2016, more than 6 years ago, this documentary remains in production, and has not been released. The most recent updates I find are on a GoFundMe page, and this announcement for a Gifted-Talented-Neurodiverse (GTN) awareness week in 2021, 2022 and also an upcoming GTN awareness week October 23rd - 27th, 2023.

The list of topics includes:
- Afrofuturism,
- Origami 101,
- US Department of State travel scholarships for foreign students,
- giftedness around the globe - World Hope Project (WHP),
- "where neurodivergent gifted joy flows,"
- sex education for gifted kids + LGBTQ Panel
- something for everyone

It appears this documentary has changed focus several times over the years, and has possibly lost its focus on intellectual giftedness.

A different documentary on being gifted was created at about the same time "The G Word" documentary was announced.


"The Genius Within: Extraordinary Gifted People | Real Stories Full-Length Documentary" is a 45-minute video posted by Real Stories (2017), which showcases a bit of the ups and downs experienced by 5 gifted individuals.