(“Terry”) Tao and Lenhard (“Lenny”) Ng Reflect on Their Talent Development
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SMP y ’ S G R E a T E S T c H I l D P R o D IGIES Insights From SMPy’s Greatest Former child Prodigies: Drs. Terence (“Terry”) Tao and lenhard (“lenny”) Ng Reflect on Their Talent Development Michelle C. Muratori and Julian C. Stanley Miraca U. M. Gross Johns Hopkins University University of New South Wales Lenhard Ng Terence Tao Duke University University of California, Los Angeles Jack Ng Billy Tao University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Flinders University aSTRB a c T PTINGu T T HE R ESE a R c H T o u S E If the academic needs of the most profoundly gifted students can be met through the use of existing Given the wide-ranging differences in abilities, educational practices, specialists in gifted education interests, personalities, life experiences, and cul- can assume that the educational needs of less able, but ture that are evident among academically talented still academically talented, students can also be met students, most specialists in gifted education would by using some combination of these strategies as well. agree that a one-size-fits-all approach to educating This paper illustrates the feasibility and effectiveness of the gifted is antithetical to the fundamental prin- ® ¨ utilizing an individualized educational approach with ciples underpinning gifted education. As responsive gifted students by highlighting the unique educational as educators would like to be to the needs of their paths taken by two of the very ablest math prodigies gifted students, they may be reluctant to individual- identified by Dr. Julian Stanley through the Study ize the curriculum for these students on the grounds of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY) since that they lack sufficient resources to provide such a its founding in 1971. Interviews with Dr. Terence tailored approach. The information gleaned from (“Terry”) Tao and Dr. Lenhard (“Lenny”) Ng, now the interviews with Drs. Terence Tao and Lenhard both highly successful mathematicians, are presented Ng should reassure primary and secondary school in their entirety, demonstrating that even among the educators that they are not necessarily expected to @@BIBO>QFLKCLOPQRABKQPTELPQ>KALRQ very ablest, strategies can be tailored effectively to the provide a level of instruction for their gifted stu- characteristics of each student through a combination dents that is beyond their grasp or training. Rather, @@BIBO>QFLKFPQEBJLPQBCCB@QFSB@ROOF@RIRJFKQBOSBKQFLKCLODFCQBA of creative planning and the cooperation of parents, through endorsing the use of alternative curricular @EFIAOBK²UMBOFBK@BELTPBIC¦M>@BAEFDEP@ELLI@ROOF@RIRJCOLJQEB educators, and mentors. options and resources that are available to academi- KFSBOPFQVLCB?O>PH>¦ FK@LIK KABMBKABKQQRAVFDE@ELLI>IILTPDFCQBA cally talented youth, educators can actively assist @EFIAOBKQLBUMILOBDOLT>KAIB>OKKOLII>KA@LJMIBQB@LROPBP>Q>KV Talent is a precious commodity. It is something that not the talent development of those future “movers and QFJBTFQEKL>DBLODO>ABOBPQOF@QFLKP only merits nurturance but also, indeed, must be nurtured shakers” who have the potential to be extraordinarily if humanity is to transcend its own limitations. One needs productive, successful, and fulfilled in their adult ¦¦ ¦ only to imagine what the world would be like if brilliant lives. This article demonstrates that a willingness to B?O>PH>RKIBAR minds such as Einstein’s had never developed their talents provide support, flexibility, effective articulation of nor had the opportunity to leave their priceless, paradigm- in-school with out-of-school learning, cooperation, ²BJMIBQLK>QFLK>IBMLOQLK@@BIBO>QFLKª« shifting marks on civilization. Without the innovations of and encouragement to seek special opportunities is ÛKFSBOPFQVLCB?O>PH>L>OALCBDBKQPKBNR>ILMMLOQRKFQVBJMILVBOTFQE>@LJMOBEBKPFSBMI>KCLOAFSBOPFQV@@OBAFQBA?V >KAQEB arguably the greatest gift that educators can give their B?O>PH>BM>OQJBKQLCAR@>QFLKUQBKABAAR@>QFLK®RQOB>@Eª®«FPQEBAFPQ>K@BBAR@>QFLK>OJLCQEBKFSBOPFQVLCB?O>PH>¨ FK@LIKLCCBOFKDEFDE passionate scientists like Marie Curie, the masterpieces of P@ELLIRKABODO>AR>QBDO>AR>QB>KAKLK¦@OBAFQMOLDO>JP>KAPBOSF@BP literary and artistic geniuses such as Ernest Hemingway and academically talented students. Leonardo da Vinci, and the vision of great leaders and peace- GIFTED C H I l D Q u a R TER l y • F a l l 2 0 0 6 • v o l 5 0 N o 4 3 0 7 Downloaded from gcq.sagepub.com at National Association for Gifted Children on March 25, 2015 SMP y ’ S G R E a T E S T c H I l D P R o D IGIES makers like Mahatma Gandhi, not to mention the numer- ing young mathematicians, Dr. Terence (Terry) Tao and ous innovations of other brilliant men and women in their Dr. Lenhard (Lenny) Ng. Both of these extraordinarily respective fields, humankind would be far less advanced. talented young men were involved in the groundbreak- The quality of life that so many people take for granted can ing Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY) be attributed largely to developed talent. at Johns Hopkins University. The late Dr. Julian Stanley The development of a student’s talent to its full considered Terry and Lenny perhaps the two ablest math potential is (or should be) the goal of all educators; how- prodigies whom he had ever known, out of more than one ever, there has been considerable disagreement within the million gifted young people tested by the Center for Tal- field of gifted education regarding whether the emphasis ented Youth (CTY), although several others came very should be placed on educational acceleration or enrich- close. At the time of this article’s publication, Terry had ment as the primary vehicle through which this process just been awarded the prestigious Fields Medal, the math occurs (Benbow & Stanley, 1996; Brody, 2004; Daurio, world’s equivalent of a Nobel Prize. 1979; Schiever & Maker, 2003). While specialists in gifted education in both camps may remain staunchly commit- ted to their own conceptions of how talent blossoms and From Sprinter to Marathon of how best to facilitate this process, few would claim that Runner: Terry Tao Goes there exists a single intervention strategy or curricular the Distance formula that works for all students. Passow (1997) and Gross (2003) pointed out that At the 2003 World Conference on Gifted Chil- many practices that might at first glance seem opposed may, in fact, if used in conjunction, provide a more dren in Adelaide, South Australia, Dr. Billy Tao spoke comprehensive and richly textured approach to educat- eloquently about his son’s, Dr. Terry Tao’s, remarkable ing the gifted and talented. Passow suggested that rather journey from being a noted child prodigy to becoming than thinking in terms of “acceleration versus enrich- one of the world’s leading young mathematicians. Terry ment” (Daurio, 1979, p. 13), it may be more appropri- became a full professor of mathematics at a major Ameri- ate to think of acceleration vis-à-vis (face to face) with can university at age 24. According to his father, by age 28, enrichment, noting the relationships between the two Terry had written or cowritten approximately 100 papers procedures rather than seeing them in opposition. Gross in seven areas of mathematics and had won several major (2003) stated that in 19th-century England a vis-à-vis was prizes and awards in his field. Through the metaphor of a carriage in which the occupants sat facing each other. distance running, Dr. Tao described how, from an early Although they were looking in opposite directions, their age, Terry tackled academic challenges like a sprinter but placement facilitated discussion during the journey. ultimately evolved into a marathon runner. The advantage of having access to what Stanley An early account by Dr. Miraca Gross (1986), pub- called a “smorgasbord” (Benbow, 1979; Stanley, 1991) lished when Terry was 9 years old, detailed the astonishing of accelerative and enrichment options is that even the development of Terry’s academic talent. Like many other most remarkably talented individuals can tailor their edu- gifted children, he taught himself to read by watching Ses- cational programs to their unique needs and abilities. In ame Street; in Terry’s case, however, this occurred before theory at least, if even the most profoundly gifted students the age of 2. A few months after his second birthday, his can find adequate challenges by using some combination parents found him using a portable typewriter that stood of accelerative, enriching, and supplemental options, it in Dr. Tao’s office. He had copied a whole page of a chil- seems safe to assume that through similar forms of syn- dren’s book laboriously with one finger. By age 3, Terry thesis the gifted education community can successfully devise educational programs to meet the needs of virtu- had learned to read, write, type, and solve mathematical ally all academically talented students, whatever their lev- problems typical of 8-year-olds. Terry enrolled in elemen- els of ability. (Logicians call this an a fortiori argument.) tary school at age 3 ½. This particular form of acceleration, To illustrate the effectiveness of utilizing an individu- however, did not meet his very great academic and intel- alized and flexible approach in educating profoundly gifted lectual needs. Intellectually, he was far in advance of the students and to identify other factors that are believed to 5-year-olds in his class. Socially, however, he was not ready promote not only talent development but also the over- to spend extended periods of time with children 2 years all well-being of brilliant students, this paper will present older, and his teacher was uncertain of how to respond to unique interviews with two of the world’s most promis- his astonishing abilities. His parents withdrew him from 308 GIFTED C H I l D Q u a R TER l y • F a l l 2 0 0 6 • v o l 5 0 N o 4 Downloaded from gcq.sagepub.com at National Association for Gifted Children on March 25, 2015 SMP y ’ S G R E a T E S T c H I l D P R o D IGIES school after a few weeks and enrolled him in a neighbor- from being a student to a professional, that he became a hood program with children of his own chronological age.