What do gifted children and students need? A groundbreaking conference organized by the Maimonides Fund’s Future Scientists Center and the Education Ministry’s Division for Gifted and Outstanding Students last week offered answers.
The Maimonides Fund’s Future Scientists Center is a leading organization in Israel that specializes in developing and implementing innovative programs for gifted and talented students. The Department for Gifted and Talented Students at the Ministry of Education is responsible for promoting and supporting the education of gifted and talented students throughout Israel.
“Our programs are aimed both at providing students with tailored educational opportunities that best suit their unique needs, but no less important, to serve a vital national interest for Israel,” said Eli Fried, CEO of the Future Scientists Center. “Similar to the way in the Future Scientists Center has raised the tide in providing gifted programming for school students throughout Israel, we are now taking an additional step towards promoting a culture of best practice.”
“We believe that stimulating such discussion is a natural extension to the increased capacity that has been created for students in recent years and will further complement Israel’s burgeoning gifted ecosystem,” he added.
The keynote speaker at the conference was the leading international researcher, Professor Camilla P. Benbow, Dean of the Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University.
Benbow’s renowned longitudinal research, the “Study for Mathematically Precocious Youth” has over a period of almost 50 years (the longest of its kind in the world) followed the trajectory of some 5,000 mathematically gifted individuals throughout their lives.
The goal of the research has been to develop a better understanding of the unique needs of intellectually gifted youth and to examine their various developmental paths.
Amongst the findings of the research are that the achievements of gifted individuals are well above those of the general population. This is based on a range of measures, such as doctorates earned, patents approved, academic publications, and individual incomes.
Furthermore, the research demonstrates the critical importance of nurturing gifted children, and that providing special programming to gifted children during their school years leads to a further improvement in their achievements over the course of their lives.
“The conference was an opportunity to bring together researchers, educators, and policymakers to discuss the latest research and best practices in gifted education,” Menachem Nadler, Director of the Division for Gifted and Outstanding Students at the Ministry. “We are committed to providing the best education for all students, including those who are gifted and talented, and this conference is an important step in that direction."
The event also included a range of presentations and discussions led by Israeli experts in gifted education and related fields, and was attended by practitioners and researchers from academic institutions and schools throughout Israel. It was part of the recent launch of a “Knowledge and Research Center” by the Future Scientists Center.