The Edtech Podcast #296 Author of Gifted? The Shift to Enrichment, Challenge and Equity
Nov 21, 2025
Morgan Whitfield, an advocate for equity and adaptive teaching with international experience, discusses her book, Gifted. She shares a poignant story about a student named Luca, revealing the hidden potential within those labeled as 'average.' Morgan critiques exclusive gifted programs and emphasizes the importance of recognizing every child's learning journey. Through personal reflections on her son’s experiences, she encourages educators to shift from outdated methods to inclusive, adaptive strategies, viewing education as a vast ocean of possibilities for all learners.
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Luca Changed One Teacher's View
- Morgan recounts meeting a student, Luca, whose enthusiasm revealed hidden potential despite middling test results and behavioural notes.
- That single encounter sparked her questioning of exclusive gifted programs and inspired the book's focus on inclusive challenge.
Swap 'Ability' For Attainment And Capacity
- Morgan argues 'ability' is misleading and static while 'attainment' and 'capacity' better describe where a pupil is and what can grow.
- Reframing to attainment and capacity shifts teaching from labels to actionable scaffolding and growth.
Don't Reduce Tests To One Number
- Cognitive ability tests are valuable but dangerous when reduced to a single score; the diagnostic detail across batteries is where teaching insight lies.
- Use full reports to inform strategies and spot multilingual or processing differences rather than to place students in fixed bins.
