Some experts on gifted education (Linda Silverman, Jim Delisle, The Columbus Group, etc.), believe that giftedness is a psychological trait that is just a part of who you are. It's the way you were born, and you need to be challenged in school because this is what you need to be a happy and fulfilled person. Experts in the talent development movement (such as Paula Olszewski-Kubilius) believe that while you may have been born with greater intellectual potential, the goal of gifted education is to turn you into a high-achieving adult.
What do you think?
Dr. Kelly and I have thought a lot about this disagreement and, surprise!, we think the truth of the matter lies somewhere in the middle.
As a "gifted student" you were born with a brain that may think faster, be better able to comprehend complex material, or absorb more. This used to be defined by an IQ score, but nowadays more psychologists look at it as a combination of traits that add up to academic or intellectual ability beyond that of the typically developing student of your age. This is sometimes called asynchronous development, meaning that your body is like that of an average 12-year-old, but your brain works like a 16-year-old (and maybe your executive functioning skills are that of a ten-year-old). And yes, you may need challenging academic opportunities because learning more makes you happy - but it also keeps your brain growing and helps you to develop those talents you were born with. And that's fine, too.
Here's where the split comes in - talent developers think you must grow this potential until you are preeminent in your field. We certainly want you to grow, and think you have the ability to grow, but we also know that motivation and ambition are not traits that everyone possesses, no matter what their inherent skills. If you have the intelligence to become a brain surgeon but decide that this is not something you want to devote years of your life to achieving, and decide instead that you are happy being a physician's assistant, are you less successful? It depends on your definition of success. If you can feed yourself and your family, sleep well at the end of the day knowing you have helped someone, and feel a sense of satisfaction in your life and career, is that success? Or do you need to have reached some level of eminence for your gifts to have born fruit?
To put this in an analogy you can understand, let's think about Olympian Michael Phelps. Phelps was born with certain physical attributes that contributed to his success - he's tall, has flipper-like feet, and an extremely long wing-span. He has also put in countless of hours working and training to be an exceptional athlete. Phelps took what he had, yes, an inherent advantage, and developed it until he achieved eminence in his field - certainly a path that talent developers would appreciate. But say Phelps had been a swimmer, been pretty good at it, but decided he really wanted to become a teacher instead - that's where he found his passion. Should he have stayed in the pool, or should he have followed this other dream? Is an excellent and happy teacher of less value than an Olympic athlete?
At ATYP, we want to give you the tools to become highly skilled. If you were an athlete, we would say we are providing you with the coaches and the training you need to develop all that potential - and instilling you with the understanding that true success requires effort and hard work. But we also want you to follow your dreams to your own definition of achievement, and that looks different for every student and for every person. Only you can decide what makes you feel fulfilled, and only you can determine what success looks like. Now dive in!
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