Schooling and Talent Development are Completely Different Things

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“Schools do not seem to have a great tolerance for students who are out of phase with other students in their learning process.” -Benjamin Bloom, 1985

Schooling and talent development are completely different things.

In schooling, students are grouped primarily by age, rather than ability, and each group progresses through the curriculum in lockstep. Each member of the group engages in the same tasks, and it is expected that different students will learn skills to different levels.

In talent development, students progress through skills at different rates, but learn skills to the same threshold of performance. Their progress is measured not by their level of learning in courses that they have taken, but rather by how advanced the skills are that they can execute to a sufficient threshold of performance.

This is accomplished through completely individualized instruction. Learning tasks are chosen based on the specific needs of individual students, each student must learn each skill to a sufficient level of mastery before moving on to more advanced skills.

“In general, school learning emphasizes group learning and the subject or skills to be learned. Talent development typically emphasizes the individual and his or her progress in a particular activity.” -Bloom & Sosniak, 1981

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