Page 44 - Looking_after_school

Looking after school: a critical analysis of personalisation in education

design of a learning environment that does not begin with or build
on the learner, into account. Focusing on the person as co-producer
increases, according to this discourse, not only motivation and wellbe-
ing, but also learning speed and outcomes.

Development of talent

A double orientation, that of the individuality of the student and
of high achievement, can be spotted in the ‘talent approach’ which
has found its way into education and educational policy not only in
Belgium and the Netherlands (Dewulf, 2009; Walma van der Molen,
2014), but also around the globe. Discourses about talents problema-
tise forms of education and management which start from the idea of
a deficit, from that which students and employees are unable to do. A
deficit, however, is usually the result of having to do a task, function or
assignment that does not align with what an individual is actually good
or talented at; the already mentioned theory of Gardner on multiple
intelligences is a source of inspiration for this perspective on talents,
since students differ based on which intelligences are more - or less
- present. Traditional education in this sense is reproached for reduc-
ing intelligence to, for instance, an IQ-score. Education which aims to
develop talent acknowledges the existence of multiple intelligences
and related talents, and states that there are significant differences
concerning the talents of each student. Starting from what students
actually can do, is not only a way to enhance and stimulate motivation
but also a way to increase achievement, based on the suggestion that
individuals are likely more talented at things they enjoy doing and
enjoy doing things they are good at. Emphasis is first placed on the dis-
covery of talent(s) in a student; the next step, then, is the development
of competencies that fit the student’s talents by attuning the learning
environment as much as possible to those talents. Education as talent
development starts then from the individuality of the student in so
far that talent is what distinguishes students, and states that educa-
tion and teacher guidance should direct itself towards personal talent
development.

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