Concurrent 60 min

A Long-Standing Talent Development Challenge: When to Specialize and When to Generalize

Saturday, November 15, 2025

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM ET

Location: Convention Center, 406

Grade Level: Pre-K-2, 6-8, 9-12, Postsecondary

Rena F. Subotnik

Research Associate
University of California, Berkeley
Washington DC, District of Columbia, United States
Paula M. Olszewski-Kubilius

Faculty emeritus
Center for Talent Development Northwestern University
Darien, Illinois, United States
Frank C. Worrell

Distinguished Professor
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, United States

Short Description: At what age should talented students undergo more specialized education? This question has been debated vigorously by gifted specialists in planning for talented students, with all or nothing thinking on either side. In this session we offer a more productive and nuanced view with consideration to developmental issues, individual characteristics, and the nature of the domain. In this session we will engage the audience about their work as professionals in gifted education and talent development and solicit inputs from them about this important topic.

Learning Objectives:

Attendees will have a list of practical factors they can employ when developing policy or providing advice in programmatic decision making.
Attendees will distinguish features of domain or subject matter trajectories when planning for curricula, clubs, and projects based on domain achievement as well as across the board achievement.
Gifted education practitioners will seek out other practitioners in domains that are of special interest for their students in other grades and in outside of school programs.