All adults – whether parents or teachers - want brilliant futures for students – and for youth who are talented, this seems a reasonable and attainable expectation. The issue to consider is how to structure the future so that they can achieve their personal best (i.e., PB). I expect that many have been watching the achieving Australian athletes at the current Olympics. There is only one who wins each competition at the Olympics but thankfully, the International Baccalaureate is not competitive.
There is much that we can learn from the Paris Olympics, however. Firstly, an opportunity to mix with others who share one's ability and interest is important. Working with skilled, experienced and specialized coaches (substitute 'teachers' here) provides an opportunity for students to develop important micro-skills related to an individual's particular skills.
An opportunity to continue to hone these skills through ongoing rehearsal, training and practice – through assignments, presentations and exams - provides an opportunity for students to gain valuable feedback on their (whatever they focus upon) performance.
Learning to work hard (perhaps for the first time in their lives) is critical for high ability youth who have sailed through school without necessarily having to expend effort to achieve heightened results in whatever field they want.
Ultimately, ability grouping – learning alongside others who are of similar ability and who have common interests must be the most important factor.
There are some similarities with Olympians when key adults try to structure a brilliant future for talented youth.
When individual high ability students have an opportunity to utilize these experiences, there are significant benefits for talented students. Whatever the area of ability and passion – whether the individual has physical strength that could result in participation at the next Olympics; whether the individual has cognitive strengths that could result in participation in academic, subject-based Olympiads or a University course or whether they exhibit a range capabilities, i.e., achieving academically and in another area so that they position themselves well to achieve a Rhodes Scholarship, they will be doing so by using the pathway to a brilliant future.
Of course it is up to the individual student to determine what they might do when provided with these opportunities but by providing the wherewithal to a brilliant future, the relevant adults are doing what they can to ensure the high ability student has every opportunity to access a brilliant future.
© Michele Juratowitch
michele@clearingskies.com.au