This essay focuses on the three essentials for engagement. things about myself that I did not know . . . it revealed myself to me.” Understanding

the three essentials for engagement

Engagement The survey process fosters the three essentials for engagement: the optimal match, novelty, and purpose. As one student said, “This survey helped me develop my talents because it showed me things about myself that I did not know . . . it revealed myself to me.” Understanding one’s strengths increases the likelihood that the optimal match of high skill/high challenge will occur and create flow, a creative state of maximum engagement. The novelty of taking the Talent Aptitude

Survey sparks learners’ i

nterest in their own talents and the talents of others; according to another student, “I got to communicate with others and talk to people with different talents.” Overall, the talent survey gives students a new sense of purpose by establishing personally meaningful goals, as shown by this student: “This tells me how I can get better. It shows me how I am different from the world.” Using the Talent Aptitude Survey as Pre-Assessment Self-report questionnaires such as the Talent Aptitude Survey are useful for providing information about psychological constructs such as aptitudes.

Surveys like these are widely

used by social scientists. However, some issues with self-reports are that they may elicit a response that is more “favorable” to others or that is not how the person really behaves.8 The teacher may wonder, Do they really know enough about themselves to answer these questions? “This tells me how I can get better. It shows me how I am different from the world.” “By taking the Talent Aptitude Survey, I was able to learn what I am good at and what I need to get better at, which motivated me to work harder.” three •

Create a Talent Development

Mindset 43 The Talent Aptitude Survey is best used like other pre-assessments of what students know, want to know, and need to learn. As a self-report, it can provide information that the individual knows but that we might not have observed.  Talent-targeted teaching and learning includes opportunities to discover, develop, and advance all of the survey aptitudes. Keep the focus on developing strengths, not on remediating weaknesses. Likewise, don’t allow students to use their less-developed aptitudes as excuses for avoiding these challenges (see Table 3.0). Validating the Talent Aptitude Survey

Results How credible

are the survey results? The students’ self-report will be substantiated through multiple opportunities to express and apply the talent aptitudes in meaningful content-specific tasks. Assessment methods from different data sources are integrated into the talent-targeted teaching and learning process and documented in the cumulative Talent Portfolio, which shows a continuum of growth (see Chapter 7). Table 3.0 Aptitude Survey Dos and Don’ts Do Use the Aptitude Survey to . . . Don’t Use the Aptitude Survey details;  1. firstly, Foster a talent development mindset 1. As summative evaluation 2. Introduce the language of talent development 2. secondly, As an ability measure 3. Thirdly, Focus attention on strengths 3. As data for high-stakes decisions 4. Further, Set goals for growth 4. To remediate weaknesses 5. Develop a community of learners 5.lastly,  As an excuse to avoid challenges