Latest / New Teacher Talk / Ep 164: Unlocking Student Potential: Dr. Vicki Phelps on Talent Development in Education

Transcript

Ep 164: Unlocking Student Potential: Dr. Vicki Phelps on Talent Development in Education · New Teacher Talk

My name is Dr.
Vicki Phelps,
and I am the Executive Director and Head of School for
Quest Academy in Palatine, Illinois.
Today, I'm going to talk to you about talent development.
As educators,
we are very attuned to our students and focused on the
strategies and content that we teach within our classrooms.
This is all very important,
yet it is one small part of talent development.
Our students come to us with amazing potential,
but how are we able to support our students to grow their
gifts and demonstrate their talents?
In a nutshell,
how does understanding talent development help us help our
students?
Today, we are going to talk about just that.
My main focus today is going to talk to you about a talent
development model called Gagne's Differentiating Model of
Giftedness and Talent.
When we first dive into this model,
it celebrates that our students come to us with great
potential.
This might be focused on intellectual giftedness,
the aptitude to be highly creative,
or even having amazing potential in the social domains and
or athleticism, to name a few.
Once we recognize that potential is present in different
domains,
then we can begin to look at the different areas that
impact how we can support our students in developing their
talents.
By understanding these different catalysts,
we are better able and better prepared to support our
students.
The first area that I would like to talk to you about is
the environmental factor.
Yes,
this does include the facilities at our schools and within
our classrooms.
For instance, does your school have a library?
Do students have access to computers?
What types of arts do your students have the ability to
take part in?
What extracurricular activities are available to your
students?
The environmental factor goes beyond the walls of your
school, however.
It also looks at the important role that families have on
their children's education and the impact of a strong
partnership between home and school.
It takes into consideration the impact of peer
relationships, sibling relationships,
and the importance of the teacher in nurturing each
student's talent.
In understanding the importance of environmental factors on
talent development,
we as educators are able to celebrate the diverse
backgrounds of our students and embrace differences as a
core component to developing talent development.
Our environment shapes how we communicate and interact with
others and provides an amazing opportunity to launch into
new learning.
This has a significant impact on talent development.
The second area of talent development that I would like to
speak with you about is focused on intra-personal dynamics.
This is really exploring how our students are motivated to
learn.
What are their interests?
What are their values?
I know that many teachers give interest inventories at the
beginning of the year.
I also know that these inventories often find their ways
into file folders that are tucked away.
Perhaps think about how those questions,
those questions on the interest inventories will provide
you with a greater understanding of how to motivate
students in their learning throughout the year.
For example,
if you happen to learn what a student wants to be when they
grow up,
it is really powerful to connect the content you are
teaching to what they hope to pursue in their future.
This intra-personal domain also acknowledges understanding
neurodivergent learners and how to celebrate their
strengths and different ways of thinking within talent
development.
For instance,
we know that students with dyslexia are amazing at three
-dimensional spatial thinking.
In knowing this information,
we can provide opportunities for students to engage in
learning that incorporates this into their learning.
In understanding talent development within this domain,
we're providing opportunities for our students to set
goals, grow in decision-making, and develop autonomy.
These are real-world skills.
While I have talked to you about the impact of the
environment and intrapersonal domains,
the most important component of talent development is
really examining the developmental process.
You might be asking yourself, what exactly does that mean?
Well, in a nutshell,
it is asking how we as educators are providing access to
learning opportunities for our students to explore their
passions,
while also being highly aware of providing opportunities
for our students to explore areas of talent that they might
not even know they have yet.
When we think about this area,
we need to be asking ourselves, one,
do my students already know this content?
And two, if they do,
how can I go deeper or broader to provide them with the
opportunity to learn more?
We also need to challenge ourselves to think through how
our students are learning the content.
If we only ask our students to read a chapter and answer
the questions at the end of the chapter,
are we truly giving them opportunities to holistically
develop their expertise?
Perhaps we strive to engage our students through Socratic
seminars or debates.
Perhaps there is a simulation or a lab that will immerse
our students into hands-on learning,
or there might be opportunities for literature circles and
reader's theater.
While these are just a few ideas,
the key is to recognize that it is our responsibility as
educators to empower our students in their learning.
We have to think about how we design and format our
lessons,
because that has a direct impact on how our students are
able to demonstrate their deep levels of understanding as a
core component of talent development.
We need to think through our pacing and ultimately we need
to ask ourselves,
how am I creating opportunities for my students to engage
in a productive struggle,
a level of learning that takes them beyond the,
this is too easy and I already know it,
to the space where they have to persevere and adapt and
problem solve.
So when they are able to solve that problem,
they have a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.
This productive struggle is what grows our students and
recognizing their own aptitudes as they are able to grow
their talents.
This is the developmental process.
As I wrap up speaking with you today,
it is my hope that you are able to recognize that you are a
key catalyst in empowering your students and developing
talent.
You are an individual who has the ability to not only
ignite potential, but give it a place to grow.
And understanding the various components of talent
development,
it is my hope that you are able to tune in to your
students' backgrounds,
their interests and motivations and their natural gifts and
leverage those within your classrooms to open new doors and
develop talent.
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