3.3.13 The Construction and Implementation of a School-based Talent Development Program

In gifted education, the talent development paradigm emphasizes on the development of capabilities and the diversity of talents. Transforming potential to talents is the constant process of accumulation and transformation as the students interact with the contexts of the environment. The systematic support from the environment is the essence of facilitating talent development. This action research was carried out for constructing and implementing a school-based talent development program in an elementary school by using a gifted resource room as a platform and the teachers of the gifted resource room as the main actors. Specifically, the current support from the elementary school context for talent development was first analyzed. Based on the analysis, the enrichment curricula for the talent development were constructed and implemented. The effectiveness of the enrichment curriculum was examined as well. The participants in the study included the teachers in the gifted resource rooms, the general education teachers, the selected 31 students from teachers’ recommendations, the observation members, and the external advising consultants. Documentation analysis, observations, interviews, and reflective journals were employed in this study. The major findings on the effectiveness of the implementation of a school-based talent development enrichment curriculum were: 1.For the demonstration of students’ targeted capabilities, through performance assessments conducted before and after the curriculum and the product assessment in each of the three stages, it was discovered that the students continued to develop in the targeted capabilities, and the gaps in capabilities among students were shortened. 2.For the manifestations of students’ talent development, in general, three foci can be found in different stages. The initial stage was the changes in learning and thinking habits, the second stage was the leap in capabilities, and the third was the goal-orientated actions, thinking enjoyment, self-challenges and pursuits of excellence. The talent development of individuals evolved based on students’ potential and needs, which has shown the different paths and manifestations. 3.The organizations and implementations of the enrichment curriculum served as stimulus for the interactions of the innate factors for the talent development, and to provide power for continuous development.

Finally, the study provides practical and future research suggestions for student talent profiles, curriculum for talent developments and program constructions.

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