In the movie, Mary’s teacher notices her exceptional performance immediately and takes steps to understand Mary’s ability and provide her opportunities to be challenged. Many students, particularly those from low-income or minority families, who could benefit from gifted programming are vastly under-identified for gifted programs. In the movie, Mary is fortunate enough to have informed and empowered adults in her life. There are numerous evidence based programs that could be helpful to the millions of students in the US who demonstrate that they can perform above their assigned grade level. For this student, the service could be as simple as having her attend math with 3rd grade students. They may not all be as brilliant as the protagonist in the movie, but there are millions of students who demonstrate that they can perform well above the age-based grade level to which they are assigned. A 1st grade student who has already mastered 2nd grade math would likely require special services to make sure she is challenged by the math curriculum. Rapid math learning and performing well above grade level are possible, but are not necessary for a child to require gifted services to meet her learning needs. To put this in context, it means that Mary is performing 12-13 years above her grade level in math. Most college students will never proceed that deeply into math. Elizabeth Munch, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics at the University at Albany, notes that depending on how the math is taught and introduced, the level of math that 7-year old Mary is learning (differential equations) would typically be introduced to college sophomores or juniors who are pursuing math. In the movie, Mary is learning differential equations at the age of 7. Although a great many lessons may be taken from this movie, I highlight three things to consider:ġ: Children can be gifted and not perform at the college level. This movie is the (fictional) story of one gifted girl, but it is important that viewers not substitute Mary as poster child for all gifted children, their needs, or their situations. She may not have financial wealth, but Mary has clearly received opportunities to learn prior to starting school.Įnvironments like Mary’s may be possible for some children in the US, but they are far from universal. This process may be even more difficult when she has a unique mathematical talent. Despite not having her biological parents around, Mary is surrounded by caring adults who want what is best for her and who are informed about the educational options available.

The answer is not printed in a user manual. Although framed as a legal battle between her uncle and her grandmother, the tension could just as easily be described as choosing between her social and academic development.įiguring out what’s best for any child is difficult.

In this movie, the central tension concerns what is best for an adorable and incredibly mathematically talented little girl named Mary. That was the thought that kept going through my head while watching the movie, Gifted. In the movies there has to be conflict or there would be no audience. But in real life, calm and thoughtful conversation should be preferred to shouting matches and lawsuits, shouldn’t it? Real life should not be as hard as it is in the movies. Enjoy - and please feel free to share your own opinions about Gifted in the Comments section below. We’ve tried to give you some different perspectives on the movie, including whether it accurately portrays the issues involved in giftedness. Several members of the Duke TIP staff attended an early showing of the film and have shared their thoughts on it below. Gifted is a new movie by Fox Searchlight Pictures about a profoundly gifted child that opened on April 7, 2017.

Gifted full movie online free