Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources Recommended Gifted Forums

- http://forums.welltrainedmind.com : Accelerated Learner Board, Learning Challenges, etc.

- TAGMAX (1130 members), TAGPDQ (568), TAGFAM (137) listservs (US-based)

http://listserv.icors.org/scripts/wa-ICORS.exe?A0=TAGMAX (TAGFAM , TAGPDQ)

I am very familiar with and recommend both WTM and TAGMAX / TAGFAM / TAGPDQ.

WTM is very active and have many members from outside of US (most are from US).

- http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/gifted_and_talented (UK-based).

(I'll try to add details later.)

You're right, this is a good topic to have a thread on. I'd also appreciate it if people post comments on their impressions of the "feel" of the various places, always bearing in mind that we're in public! I didn't know (much/had forgotten) about TAG* (thanks for the link: I just tried to subscribe to TAGMAX, haven't yet received the confirmation request). Others will know a lot more about WTM than I do; I have a general impression that it's a little less robust and a little more touchy feely than here.

The mumsnet forum is a small part of a very large site with forums on everything. The site prides itself (in contrast to its main competitor netmums, with which it shouldn't be confused!) on permitting robust debate, strong disagreement, and even bad language. Personal attacks do get promptly deleted when reported. I find the balance good myself though its general community is *so* representative as sometimes to be a little shocking to those of us who are more usually surrounded by relatively like minds :-) I tend to read rather than write, though that might change. The G&T subsection is currently small and low traffic. One should be aware that one of the commonest ways of using the site is to look at all recent posts, which means the people reading your posts on the G&T part aren't necessarily denizens of that part, and it can happen that people reply without realising where they are.

I visited the mums net one. It seemed like a forum for people who agree with most of the anti gifted cliches.

Agreed. I popped over their earlier today with high hopes of having found another forum similar to this one and was extremely disappointed. Way too many "don't accelerate, instead let your kids be kids" type nuggets.

Believe it or not, you can attempt to meet your child's educational needs and still allow them to enjoy their childhood. Maybe it is different elsewhere, but in this area schools don't hand out tickets to R rated movies on the first day of Geometry class.

--S.F.

Point is, it's small enough to have its character changed rather easily ;-) (I do sort of agree, but you also have to know that acceleration really doesn't exist in the UK in state schools in recent years, and neither do gifted programmes, so when parents ask about either, they will be told to let go of the idea. From a US perspective, this looks off-putting; from a UK one, it is realistic.)

I really like the user interface of this forum. I'd like to check out the TAG forums, but I find the listserv format really off-putting.

I've just quickly looked at mumsnet TAG forum (a few random threads) and I saw some posts in the direction of 'follow your child's lead' and 'some children level out and others don't' and other posts like 'let your child be a child'. Also I saw a pretty normal discussion of whole-grade skipping and subject acceleration. So that forum is not hopeless by any means. (I do find things more hopeless elsewhere.)

The UK situation prevails in most of Massachusetts and also in some other states.

I like Mothering for very young gifted kids- there are also some parents of elementary and up.

It's a lot of "do you think my child is gifted" type questions. I like responding to those because it brings back memories of confusion, pride, and feeling timid about asking such a loaded question on a forum.

One person advised taking the question to a general forum, counting how many times people got snarky or outright accused you of lying, then you'll know your kid is gifted:) Funny.

Just checked out the Mumsnet gt forum - what a yawn. If I want the sanctimonious comments spouted there, I can just talk to anyone in real life. Nothing useful at all, certainly nothing like the extreme wealth of knowledge, experience and nuanced commentary I have read here.
I enjoy MDC for the AP angle that is prevalent - if there are people who have squared the circle how you can "let a child be a child" and "follow their lead" while still meeting their academic needs that is where they hang out.