[SENco-forum] Gifted and Talented (labelling)

In the politically correct society we live in today - almost any terminology
appears to offend someone.

However - things have got better - I can remember ESN schools -
Educationally sub-normal - and that was offensive in my eyes.

Personally I dislike the word difficulties - and prefer learning differences
- but I have had plenty of students who say the that it all is "******
difficult"!

You need a label - sometimes - but much more important is what you can do -
and what is difficult to do - and what you can't do at the moment - for some
reason or another.

And what gets the least notice in  all of this - are a person's personal
qualities - because it is those personal characteristics that are invariably
the keys to success - the stickability - the motivation and all those other
things that actually make the difference.

But those labels are here to stay - but the words on those labels will keep
changing.

Regards

Ruth

-----Original Message-----
From: senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk
[mailto:senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk] On Behalf Of
SEN at tringham.net
Sent: 10 June 2007 10:44
To: Becta Senco
Subject: RE: [SENco-forum] Gifted and Talented (labelling)

Just been looking at the minefield of politically correct labelling for
SEN/AEN for college.  Some of it said positive style labelling - 'more able'
has negative overtones for the rest of the class.  Not sure if this is akin
to the 'no more competition in school' brigade or something that needs to be
looked by all of us.

My daughter does not like being labelled - gifted (high IQ) as she says it
was just a quirk of birth and nothing to her credit, talented (feels
embarrassed when people draw attention to it for its own sake) or disabled.
The 'disability' here is dyslexia and she is not keen to have people make a
fuss about that either.  She is non-plussed about the 'child with dyslexia'
or 'dyslexic' debate.  The 'dual exceptionalities' label at least indicates
that she is many-faceted, but again would not be her choice. One of the
first things she said when learning about her dyslexia was "Will I still be
me?"

It is a no-win situation.  Without the labels no one knows about her
'learning differences' and with them she can be lumped and categorised with
things that she does not feel should be the first things that people know
about her.  As she said she does not introduce herself by saying "Hi am
Charlotte. I have severe dyslexia and am a member of MENSA".

In the book 'Bad Mouthing' it discusses changing terminology in education
and society surrounding SEN.  In 1996 it found the term 'Special' offensive
and so some use AEN.  So here we are full circle with the more
able/able/disabled debate.  My friend uses 'differently abled' instead of
disabled, and I like that, although others (with disabilities) don't.

How do we divide what we need to know in school to help remove barriers to
education (and believe me being 'gifted' is a barrier) from causing offence
to somebody?

Sharon

Subject: [senco-forum] Gifted and Talented

Like many SENCos I am also G and T coordinator or "More Able" as we have
chosen to call it. The staff are not exactly brimming with practical
ideas of things to do in their classrooms to stretch the MoreAble and
allow others to surface. Can anyone recommend any books/websites to
inspre them
thanks
Kate

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