Gifted Children

Listen / Download

Genius is one of those words that gets tossed around with great abandon. It’s a favorite of movie reviewers, book-jacket blurb writers, and proud parents.

Real genius, the Einstein-Beethoven-Shakespeare, paradigm-shifting sort of genius, may be extremely rare. But there are plenty of bright and very bright kids out there. Maybe someone you know.

There are also plenty of cultural stereotypes about the geeky, nerdy, know-it-all. Think Lisa Simpson. And there’s also the super-bright kid who against all odds makes it to the top. Think Good Will Hunting. The reality is that many very bright kids finds themselves bored out of their gourds in ordinary classrooms.
(Hosted by John Donvan)

Guests:

Christian Peele , 14-year-old who is skipping high school to enter college

Ellen Winner, professor of psychology, Boston College

Martha Morelock, assistant professor of psychology, Elmira College.