Probabilities and Possibilities: The Future of Gifted Education

Abstract

The advent of the has demonstrated people's fascination with time, with the calendar, and with the marking of milestones. Although this milestone is really an arbitrary distinction (or, rather, not significant to all world calendars), highlighting the year 2000 has allowed us to consider our past, present, and future in all the domains of our lives. At the 1999 convention of the National Association for Gifted Children, several leading scholars in gifted education participated in a millennium panel that featured their perspectives on the past and the future of the field. Their ideas, as well as my own experiences, have influenced how I think about the future of gifted education, including probable directions closely linked to current reality, as well as grand plans and schemes for the ideal. Thus, my vision for gifted education is organized around what I expect will happen and what I think should happen. What is Likely to Happen Technology has changed the way we live and work, and it holds great potential as a tool for educators of the gifted and for gifted children. The Internet allows students to explore the vast accumulated knowledge of humankind at the touch of a button, and it also elicits problem solving, planning, and evaluation skills. For gifted students in particular, the Internet is a resource without boundaries that may begin to slake their nearly insatiable thirst for knowledge. We cannot know now where technology will take us, but there is no doubt that the Internet will play a significant role in the future of education. Other technological innovations will also be powerful influences. For example, e-mail communication provides opportunities to interact with people from around the world and in many different fields of interest. Activities that have long been encouraged in schools, such as writing to authors or experts, become easier for both the students and those they are trying to contact. Furthermore, e-mail and other communication innovations such as distance learning can make possible new opportunities for mentorships and accelerated and enriched learning experiences for gifted students. Technological tools are also changing instructional practices in various disciplines. In mathematics and statistics, for example, arduous calculations can be done quickly and easily with the aid of advanced calculators and computer programs. Another expectation we must have for the future of the field is that the populations we serve will continue to diversify. Newspapers and the Census Bureau tell us that the face of the United States will continue to change significantly over the next decades, and schools will reflect these changes. For many years, educators of the gifted promoted understanding of the needs and abilities of gifted students from minority and disadvantaged populations (e.g., Ford, 1996; Frasier, 1995; Van Tassel-Baska, Patton, & Prillaman, 1991; Wright & Borland, 1993). At local, state, and national levels, efforts are being made to ensure that the proper identification tools are available and in place to find these students within our schools and communities. As a field, we must also work to match curricula and programs to the students who are identified and to revise our programs where a significant mismatch exists between population and services. Related to the issue of diversity of background, gifted programs will also continue to change as they admit students with more diverse talents. Theories and recommendations that focus on talent development (e.g., Gagne, 1995; Treffinger & Feldhusen, 1996) have caused us to pay closer attention to domain-specific abilities in identifying gifted students, rather than global intelligence only. This trend will continue on and will hopefully encourage a smoother connection between domains identified and domains served in gifted programs. Gifted education will continue to grow and develop as a field, addressing the needs of more diverse groups of students and utilizing new technology and resources. …