In addition to teaching a class at the Summer Camp for Academically Talented Middle School Students this summer, I also helped with planning the 20th Biennial World Conference hosted by the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children. It was a great opportunity for me to meet some of the leading researchers and practitioners in gifted education from around the globe.
One of the biggest eye-openers from this conference was that many students from around the world are not able to obtain the resources and opportunities necessary for them to harvest their gifts and talents. In some countries, the term “gifted” is taboo. Growing up, I have seen the deficits in gifted education in America; however, seeing the situation in other countries has led me to appreciate my opportunities so much more.
In the future, I hope to continue learning about gifted education and how to best advocate for gifted young people in my country and countries around the world. At the conference, I was able to meet a researcher in gifted education at my own university that I had not yet met. At some point, I am hoping to collaborate with her regarding mathematics.
If you are interested in gifted education, I recommend checking out the audio archives from the keynotes at the conference. They are available at http://mixlr.com/wcgtc/showreel/.
A very special thank you to all the amazing people I met at the conference and to Dr. Julia Link Roberts at The Center for Gifted Studies, Western Kentucky University for giving me the opportunity to work with such an amazing event!
