Giftedness or Talent Development?

For some, this post could well have been entitled, “Much Ado about Nothing”. For others, however, it is an issue of grave importance. This is a follow-up to my last two posts about redefining giftedness in the U.S.

A funny thing happened on my way to write this post … I learned that this discussion is nothing new – it was discussed in the 1800’s, 1930s, and virtually every decade thereafter. The difference today is that some researchers are now saying we must bid adieu to the term ‘gifted’ in favor of the more palatable term ‘talent development’ if the gifted community is to be found acceptable and worthy of public funding.

If you live outside of the U.S., you may have a puzzled look on your face about now. Talent development is an important initiative during the current Hungarian EU presidency’s term in office. April 9, 2011 was declared European Talent Day. Other countries, several of whom are among the top performers on the OECD’s PISA Assessments, are making talent development a national priority in lieu of the availability of natural resources.

Facebook discussions have revolved around two main concerns – talent development as a means of producing eminence within a specific domain and giftedness as a response to meeting the needs of the whole child including social and emotional issues.

This blog has advocated for talent development in the past. There is a great need in the world today for ‘producers’ ~ those who can answer the ‘big’ questions and find solutions to the many pressing issues in our world today. However, this needs to be done in concert with remembering the uniqueness of each child and their differential needs; separate and beyond the needs of other children. It is curious to me why some leaders in the gifted community feel the need to eliminate one approach in deference to the other.

Here’s the deal for parents of gifted children – you and your child need to decide what is most important to your child. There is no right or wrong answer. Many parents are extremely comfortable seeing their children as high-achievers; producers. Many gifted children thrive on maintaining a 4.0 average with top scores on every test they take. They have the potential to attend the top universities and attain success in whatever field they choose. Others are happy seeing their child excel in whatever area they choose regardless of which path they follow to get there. Some will experience difficulties and require additional support throughout their lives; others will not.

What nearly all parents want most for their children is that they find peace and happiness in life doing whatever it is they choose. Few will accept the judgment that their child’s giftedness is solely dependent upon whether or not they achieve eminence in any field. If this were the case, there would be little reason to support any gifted child beyond the most profoundly gifted. Should we choose to support only those who have the potential to achieve eminence in their fields? In my humble opinion … not so much.  

There are many organizations in the U.S. and around the world whose mission it is to support gifted children in various ways. Here are a few links to various groups. If interested, take a look!

WCGTC ( )

SENG - US ( )

NACG – UK ( )

GT Voice - UK( )

GHF - US ( )

NACE - UK( )

AAEGT – AUS ()

NZAGC ( )  

HKAGE – Hong Kong ()

IRADTE - EU ( )

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PISA Results and Their Implications for Gifted Education

Every three years, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) gives an assessment called the Programme for International Student Assessment or PISA. It was last given in 2009 and the results were released this month. The tests are given to 15 year olds in 65 countries. This time, there were the usual high performers – Finland, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Canada. However, there was one notable surprise … Shanghai, China … and a newcomer at that! More on that later.

There are many lessons to be learned from the results of PISA. First, learning how to take a test only teaches a student how to take a test. Secondly, a society does not become better educated or even smarter simply by becoming better test takers. Quite the opposite is true. The PISA assessments are subjective. Knowing how to completely fill in the bubble (O) with a No. 2 pencil is not the skill being tested. Students must demonstrate an understanding of the material. The reasoning behind this test is that it predicts how well prepared a student is to face the challenges of the workplace as well as in life. Studies have shown that without mastery of critical thinking skills by age 15, it is doubtful the student will ever be able to acquire these skills. Thus, the value of critical thinking becomes priceless.

Although it was expected, the United States’ mediocre performance was particularly disappointing after almost 10 years of the now infamous No Child Left Behind legislation which was suppose to raise scores on standardized tests. So what happened? What could account for such a sharp contrast in scores between the U.S. and other countries? The U.S. spends more money on per pupil expenditures than almost any other country in the world. U.S. schools that did not make Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) were cited by the Department of Education and were at risk of loosing federal funding.

So, what are the implications for gifted education? Why should gifted parents care about the PISA results? Well, for starters, these assessments … whichever country you live in … can be used as a powerful argument for investment in gifted education. One only need to look at the results from Shanghai. It was interesting that some in the U.S. press immediately accused the Chinese of cheating. Really? And did the 25 other countries who did better than the United States overall also cheat their way to the top? Doubtful on its face. Irrelevant at best.

In terms of gifted education, Shanghai made the extraordinary decision to create 100 gifted high schools in its city. Let me reiterate … the Chinese decided to support their most highly-abled students by creating schools designed especially for them. By ability-grouping gifted students, they could provide appropriate educational opportunities for these students. And guess what? It would appear to be working. Furthermore, experts from the U.S. who have been in Shanghai for the past several years report that Chinese authorities will be duplicating these results in many other cities in China before the end of the next decade. To those who say that the U.S. could duplicate the same results – it’s not a matter of can but will they do so. The U.S. cannot support gifted students in the same way as China if they don’t have a standard identification process in place. For all the reasons stated many times in this blog, America will not improve its PISA rankings until it has a major attitude adjustment on how it views and supports its gifted student population at the federal level.

Here is one more sobering fact to consider for Americans – where have many of the world’s top performers come to learn about gifted education? In just the past two years, many countries have sent delegations of teachers and administrators to U.S. universities to learn about just that. So what is wrong with this picture?

It is time to re-think how we advocate for gifted children. Parents must think beyond their local school district to assure sustainable progress in the area of gifted education. In the upcoming months, information will be provided on this blog about how to become a part of this new movement without being overwhelmed in the process. As we approach the new year, let us make a commitment to work together to make a greater impact on the lives of gifted children all over the world; and insure that our own children are better served!

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