Symposium Proceedings »
S4.6.9 On Human Potential: Nurturing Talents, Cultivating Expertise
According to experts in educational measurement, current and past performance remains the best single predictor of future performance. Formalizing that finding by creating a system and format for standardizing research-based information across talent areas created the Talent Record. Introducing a common language for cataloging and recording levels of talent achieved thus far on a Talent Profile page invites meaningful communication across time and place to all currently and potentially involved with advancing the child. Here the arts, athletics, academics, creativity, leadership and psychomotor/kinesthetic abilities are physically on the same page. This has the ability to change the perception surrounding talents from ‘have or have not’ to ‘which talent domain and what level of achievement has occurred thus far’. Any and all achievements listed in the Reference Sets are potentially useful as snapshots of a student’s comprehensive Talent Profile of demonstrated potential at this point. The initial step of the Talent Record system employs a classroom checklist of research-based behaviors associated with talent in a particular domain that can be used as the basis for meaningful report card comments. A classroom checklist of observed behaviors from the research on intellectual ability or one on visual art talent provide meaningful report card comments about classroom observations. The next step is to understand and create a Talent Profile for each student using the sample of achievements available to students in K-12 that are recognized as one of five levels of talent. Employing a common language of equivalent accomplishments between talent domains fosters cross-disciplinary appreciation and understanding. This symposium will include 3-4 presenters: (1) a brief introduction of the elements of the Talent Record, reporting on its implementation for students in grades 3-12 who qualified for a gifted/talented program that serviced students identified in one of any of the six areas identified by the 1972 Marland federal definition for gifted/talented children and the research behind the communication tool (2) views on the impact of this tool on the development of expertise by a renowned researcher studying elite talent development (3) the possibilities this approach might have on choosing appropriate curriculum and pedagogy for gifted/talented learners by a beacon of expertise on curriculum and instruction, including addressing the twice exceptional child, and possibly (4) a classroom teacher’s response to the usefulness of a communication tool on student strengths and demonstrated talents to guide instructional planning, especially for the twice exceptional child.