Giftedness and Talent in the 21st Century

Book excerpt: When today’s gifted and talented young people emerge into adulthood will they be able to overcome some enormous 21st-century problems that are pushing us toward large-scale socioeconomic devastation? Will they be able to capitalize on unprecedented opportunities that can lead to widespread prosperity and fulfillment? This book explores these questions while yielding insights from many of the world’s leading scholars of giftedness and talent development. Until now there has been inadequate understanding of 21st-century trends and issues that influence the gifted and talented. The book provides some clarity by establishing a big-picture, interdisciplinary overview of the socioeconomic, cultural, and technological pressures emerging from 21st-century globalization and describing some ways in which those pressures simultaneously suppress, distort, and invigorate the discovery of aspirations and the development of talents. Throughout the volume, prominent scholars of gifted education and talent development use their impressive knowledge bases to clarify how we can adjust our thoughts and actions in order to give ourselves the best possible chances for success in this complex world. “This impressive volume, edited by two of the world’s leading thinkers on these topics, includes the perspectives of many of our best thinkers on issues of talent development and giftedness, and they offer an array of provocative perspectives on how we can better address our culture’s and our economy’s tremendous need for talent in the 21st century.” – Jonathan Plucker, Julian C. Stanley Endowed Professor of Talent Development, Johns Hopkins University “Turbulence in the subtitle is apt. The text, Giftedness and Talent in the 21st Century, is filled with strongly voiced perspectives from international authors who focus on how to conceptualize education as a creative and holistic enterprise within the context of globalization.” – Ann Robinson, Past President, National Association for Gifted Children