What is your definition of a 'bright' child?

[roadkillbunny]

As always reading through the threads in primary eduction I am struck by the fact everybody seems to describe their child as 'bright' and I am left wondering what peoples definition of 'bright' really is!

For me a 'bright' child is one who is exited by learning, enthusiastic and inquisitive. I believe that being 'bright' has no relation to any specific academic level for example the 'bottom' group in a class may well have 'bright' children who are achieving to the best of their own personal ability and the 'top' table may have children who are achieving beyond the national average for their age group but may not be naturally enthused and exited about learning but simply have natural academic ability so are able to achieve higher academic levels without having a natural enthusiasm and excitement for learning. (hoping that makes sense outside my head)

What is your definition of a 'bright' child?

Glad you asked this question OP. I also notice all the references to "bright" and they really jar on me, as I also feel that every poster has a different meaning when they use it. What I dislike most is threads where some behaviour is ascribed to the child being "bright". I also wonder what the opposite is. Thick? Non-bright? A bit slow on the uptake?

"Bright" has made my top ten mumsnet words to avoid list!

quick to 'pick things up'
keen and enthusiastic
participative
enjoyment in learning

(this is my personal 'list' btw - am aware that an unenthusiastic learner can be bright, for example)

Yes I think self-motivating and enthusiastic. I don't think it's about attainment in the academic sense.

I've never met a non-bright child btw. I've met parents who squash their children's natural tendencies however.

Ah, I see a current thread in primary education uses the B-word. I wasn't intending any comment at this poster, who has had some excellent advice already.

Achievement = ability +application
and Application = engagement+practice.

I find it much more useful to think about whether a child is fulfilling his/her potential.

lol ... my definition of bright is the two little darlings who are the sunshine of my life. The fruit of my loins are definately superior and brighter anyone else's kids!

Seriously all children have their strengths and weaknesses. I don't think its possible to label children into seperate groups of "bright" and "dim". I don't think that level of academic ablity is an indicator of how well children do as adults. Social and life skills are just as important.

Some of the children on the "bottom" table may well have different types of intelligence which is not recongised in the school classroom. Many children on the "bottom table" are summer born boys and many of the children on the "top table" are september born girls. People often mix up achievement and ablity in the early years of school.

Some children are born with more advantages than others. Ie. money or quality of parenting. For example two babies with the same inate intelligence may end up in very different places at the age of 18 because of their up bringing.

But is an unenthusiastic learner really bright notnowbernard?
An unenthusiastic learner my be intelligent, able and capable but are they 'bright', by your own list they wouldn't fit the description?
This is why I really don't like the term, I agree with lingle that it is in the list of top ten MN words to avoid, it is far to ambiguous.

I see what you mean, but I think the word 'bright' is so over-used it has lost its meaning, a bit - so if one were to describe a child as 'bright' most would assume this = clever/intelligent

but I tend to think of bright in the way I described earlier (think SOH described it better though)

Its the labels "Gifted" and "Talented" that I find grating - can't a child just be clever?

An unenthusiastic learner might be able to put their brain to better use than school work. Look at Richard Branson who left school at 16 because of dyslexia.

Most people confuse bright with highly verbal.

A bright child is most useful during a power cut at night.

I also want to make is absolutely clear that this is not aimed at any one poster of thread, it is a general thing about the use of the term 'bright'.
For the record, my dd is on the 'bottom' table in her class, she is a late May born premature birth.
The table in the class my dd sits at based on literacy on entering Y2 is completely unimportant and has no relevance to where she may or may not end up in life. She is my dd, I love her, I think she is the most amazing little girl in the world (and my pre-school aged ds is the most amazing boy in the world), I love her enthusiasm and love of learning anything new, could I describe her as 'bright' yes I could, every parent can (and to a point should) do that but what has prompted this question is the abundance of this word being used in education threads, it can come across in so many ways and be interpreted in so many different ways and seems to have lost any meaning it may have had especially (and I hate to say it) it is very often followed by the word 'but'.
I think I would just like people to think about the words they use more, I admit that my feelings about the word prejudice me, if I open a thread that using the word I often find myself switching off to the thread which is a shame and to a point my problem, I just feel people would get further and come across better if they said, for example - My 4 year old dd is in reception, she is a an enthusiastic and inquisitive girl and always keen to learn new things however her school performance suggests that she is not getting all she could out of the experience.

Maybe I am just too idealistic, I don't know.

rabbitstew - lmao!
I also agree with your first point and maybe that's why it grates on me so much, it hits a nerve, both my children have speech problems stemming from medical conditions, it can make me feel that people are inferring that my children are dim, slow, unintelligent but I fully admit that is my own insecurities and defensiveness on behalf of my children, I hold my hands up that it is my problem, not other peoples about the way I react to the word 'bright'

rabbitstew that is a real pet hate of mine,loads of teachers at dd's school make this assumption,why of course it must be the mouthy,look at me kids very verbal kids who are the intelligent ones,who ever heard of a quiet intelligent child?(70% of gifted children are introvert)

Interesting thread. Is 'bright' someone who can 'look outside the box', use logical arguments to prove a point, ask questions and be intensely curious? And can these really be measured at primary level? It's clear teachers label children at a very early age in this country, which is what makes parents wonder how clever their children are (when really it's far too early to make a judgment).

Mrsshears - yes, I totally agree with you. It's always the 'in your face' children who get the attention from the teachers and the teachers automatically assume the quieter ones don't know the answer. I have this problem with my DD and (will probably) have it with my son who isn't loud. We are not a pushy family but my husband is a quiet man and has a degree from Cambridge. Nobody would know it though because he is so quiet - but perhaps he's just quietly confident in his own ability!

I think it depends who is saying the word. My DS gets referred to as 'bright' a lot.

When his teacher says it I think it means that he's talkative and of normal intelligence.
When friends and neighbours say it I think they are politely referring to the fact that he never shuts up
When his grandparents say it it means they think he's going to find a cure for cancer.

I don't say it about him myself.

I think that posts which say 'bright but' (and I might be one of those evil posters) are often refering to a child who at home as magdalene said is enquiring, thinks creatively, can see some things from an adult perspective, picks up concepts easily, but for whatever reason doesn't seem to engage with formal learning in some form or other. I of course think that all of my children are bright, but I can see that whereas dd2 may be better at primary school stuff, once dd1 gets into humanities etc she will really come into herself. Her teachers say that she has a mature understanding of human interactions, she is already, independently discusses whether war can ever be right, etc, but doen't like biff and chip and questions the value of writing when she can type. I think the task of a parent of a 'bright but' chiild is to nurture them through the basics until they come to a stage where they are inspired, without putting them off school. We tell dd1 that she only has to learn to read once, and times tables are just about memory and practise, it seems to help her to know that school won't always be like this, and her skills do have a place.

"nteresting thread. Is 'bright' someone who can 'look outside the box', use logical arguments to prove a point, ask questions and be intensely curious? And can these really be measured at primary level?"

That is my DS now in yr 11. He has never really been described as bright by any of his teachers but usually highly intelligent or having a "huge brain"!
And know these are not measured at primary, when DS got to secondary school he appeared to flourish because he was now marked for his ability to analyse history, science, religeon etc

My DD is often described as very bright or one one occassion as superbly bright. She has some of DS's ability ie a very mature take on things, but is also very bubbly and quick witted.

I am not sure what it means- and I don't think anyone means the same things when they say it tbh.
I try not to use it about children, mainly because it isn't a precisely defined thing that a child would understand.

I was surprised when my GP described my eldest as 'bright' though. [stealth boast]

Honestly, I would describe my DD as bright, although I have no idea how she's doing academically (in reception). Why? because she's really curious about the world, desperate to learn stuff, inquisitive, and actively likes doing 'work' eg spellings, maths, reading. She is also very competent verbally and has a good vocabulary, and is very creative, loves drawing, writing etc.
So I'm not saying any of this to boast, for all I know she's average in her class, I literally have no idea, but for me 'bright' means switched on, enthusiastic, thirst for knowledge, interest in the world, that sort of thing.
What other word should I use? (genuine question)

I use the term bright about my son and so do his teachers. however, that doesn not mean that he necessarily performs to his abilities in school. Yr1 he certainly didn't. He was bored much of the time, unenthused and didn't see why he should be doing what he was given to work on (because he could do it really easily, but just didn't because it was too easy or he'd done it last year or because he was in a strop). This year is a complete turn around and he is enjoying lessons and is happy to say what he's been doing etc.

I think I use 'bright' because I don't know how inteligent he is. Or how clever he is at using his inteligence. I don't know whether he's in the G&T group - and I'm happy not to know (we don't actually have a G&T group anyway, but I mean that part of the group of the class).

When I think of the bright children in his year they're not all the loud ones - some of the quiet ones are too. But they're the ones that are interested in finding out about things and sometimes asking questions about how things work etc, and who are using that information at a later date to inform somethign that they're doing or to put into a conversation that they are having.

There's nothing wrong with the word 'bright' when it is used in conjunction with an outgoing, cheerful, happy, talkative, positive, inquisitive child (and lots, if not most, children are like this!)

But I don't think it has any place in describing academic ability - there are other words such as academic, intelligent, clever etc which are more accurate, no?

Lingle's "best avoided" words and phrases:

No 1: "bright" as in "do you think s/he can't concentrate/doesn't apply herself/hits other children/robbed a bank because s/he is bright?

No 2: "sorry, but...." used at the beginning of a sentence in almost any context, but especially when thinly disguising relish at the imparting of bad news.

No 3: "I suppose I'm just very laid back" - the ultimate stealth boast.

No 4 "defensive" when used of anyone other than oneself. A conversation-stopper if ever there was one.

No 5 "in denial" when used of anyone showing a healthy scepticism.

Chocolatchaud, I agree, actually. It's not a specific term to use when relating to intelligence. I have no idea how clever (or not) dd is, hence my use of the word 'bright'!
Lingle - am missing your point. I don't think anyone would say their child was bright to excuse bad behaviour, would they?! Am confused by what you object to.
And some people are in denial. They just are.

Do you think there is anyone on here who doesn't think their kids are bright?

Either the average MN kid is actually quite exceptional in RL, or all kids are naturally 'bright' in some way, or it is used as a positive before posting something negative

...or we are all deluding ourselves? least you lot are, my kids are definately bright