High Cognitive Minds

"The drawing prodigy Eitan, who drew with such brilliance at so young an age, has today, in his twenties, lost his passion for art. At the time of this writing, he plans to go into computer graphics, an occupation only indirectly related to his drawing talent." Gifted Children, Ellen Winner

I never cease being amazed at statements like this and I always wish that I could see into the heads of the experts on giftedness when they come up with these strange viewpoints. Many people have had trouble with the transition of certain skills and areas of expertise to digital form, so perhaps Winner is one of those whose conception of art is so narrow that computer graphics simply can't be regarded as art. Or is something else going on?

To me, it seems that Eitan has expanded his art rather than abandoned it. He has changed his medium, which is not uncommon among artists, and undoubtedly developed new skills in art. Winner doesn't elaborate, so we can't know exactly what kind of graphic art Eitan is pursuing, but apparently drawing is no longer his central focus. Does Winner believe that he should limit himself to the specific talent he displayed at an early age?  

(David) Feldman “…advises that schools provide more carefully-sequenced domain-specific instruction and that students be pointed toward what they seem to do best.” F. D. Horowitz, ed., The Gifted and Talented: Developmental Perspectives

An important aspect of research on giftedness is the desire to identify and nurture talents. In itself, this isn't a bad thing, but it often seems to translate into setting young children on a career path long before it's appropriate. Who knows how far a child's talent will actually develop, or whether, it will provide enough challenge and satisfaction for a lifetime's pursuit?

If a child is a prodigy at the piano, is it abandonment of a talent if he changes instruments or eventually decides to become a composer? The piano is one of many possible expressions of a talent for music, just as drawing is one possible expression of a talent for art. Insisting that "students be pointed toward what they seem to do best" may be nothing more than a glorified form of "tracking," shutting off opportunities for exploration and growth in the belief that a talent is being nurtured.