How to save the World: Replacing “Gifte...

This paper is framed as an email conversationbetween the authors, a lifespan developmental psychologist with expertise inthe field of wisdom and an educational scientist with expertise in the field ofgiftedness. We discuss how giftedness is defined and whether the definition,and the concept in general, is still useful in today’s world. We draw threeconclusions. First, “giftedness” has taken on a particularly literal meaning asit tends to favor students that are already privileged. Second, educationalsystems should aim to identify and promote all students’ individual profiles ofstrengths and interests instead of focusing on promoting the “gifted” ones.Third, given the current state of the world, educational systems should aim toempower “gifting” students who engage themselves for a greater good, instead of“gifted” students competing for grades and achievements.