Talent Based Learning (TBL) is significantly different from Academic Learning in which access to education is based on grades and the end product is also grades! TBL is based on the concept of “there must be a professional medical assessment before prescription”. Talent thus becomes the driver for passion resulting in “intuitive learning” rather than “academic learning for grades”.
In the TBL, the career of a learner is known beforehand and the learning process assembles learning kits that best match the learning, product, and expressions styles of the learner.
A dominant or specific talent ( also known as Talent Genre) is determined and a Learning Prescription is produced. The Learning Prescription is used by the Talent Development Expert to help the candidate’s special talent develop . There may be need for additional support from traditional academics.
Thus the process will concentrate on the candidate’s talent and the academics will be mere support programmes.
As a culture we project our own norms, values, expectations, “head-sets,” and beliefs onto kids/potential learners/students. We often create curricula which has little relevance for many students. Not all students can become “Renaissance People,” nor should they. Different strengths in brain functioning require different educational technologies. The “core” is within the student; forcing a “core” onto students frequently creates resistance, avoidance, angst, pain. We all know the drill.
The Talent Based Learning is Revolutionary as it provides Individuality in Learning. It is not Symptom Based Like Passion, Interest, or Competence Based, which are most misleading as they are mere subsets of talent.
The TBL model is grass roots and expansive. We are on the brink of disaster in terms of a lack of educational success with a huge segment of our people. It’s time to break down rigid structures that sustain failure and promote methods which do not meet huge numbers of students potentials and where they are truly at; just struggling to survive, often in multi-challenging circumstances at home, in school, and in the ‘hood’. Each and every student represents a microcosm of our culture’s success or failure going forward.