Development of a talent support

 

‘Development of a talent support network in Zrínyi Ilona Grammar School’

 

Project SROP-3.4.4/B/08/1

 

Project fact file

Fund received: 9.126.252,- HUF

Term of realization: 22nd March 2010 – 21st March 2011

Contributing organization: Ministry of Culture and Education

The project is funded by the European Union and co-funded by the European Social Fund

 

Antecedent, foundation of the project

 

Zrínyi Ilona Grammar School is 92 years old. Talent development has always been a significant element among our traditions. The school has always had a leading role in the county in those pedagogical innovations that aimed to support gifted children; specialized classes in the 1960s, elective studies programme from 1976, language preparatory groups with foundation support from 1991. We have been the base school of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County Education Public Foundation and joined the Arany János Profram for Developing Talents in 2000. In 2006 we launched the HRDOP 3.1.3 project for competence based education , and in 2009, due to the success of  HRDOP 3.1.3/B project, the instruments of competence based education were greatly modernized. We registered as a ‘TalentPoint’ in 2009.

We successfully applied for the training of a teacher of talent development in the SROP-3.1.5-09/A/2 project, which aims to enrich pedagogical culture.

 

Our philosophy of talent, strategy of talent development

 

Talent is a multiple concept and does not mean elite education. Our target area for schooling is not only the county capital but the lagging subcountry as well. To find ‘latent’ talents, it is essential to provide a high level of education. As our school prepares students for good higher education institutions, we aspire to high average results and advanced level final exams. Instead of the ‘deep water’ method’, we believe in the step-by-step development of talents: we have devised talent development programmes for the 4th and 5th years. We provide acceleration programmes in the cases of exceptional talents and realize individual progress with the help of a flexible exam system. Skills development fields with priority are problem solving, foreign language and digital communication. To develop skills and key competences, we find it crucial to improve the teachers’ methodological culture ( the project method, group work, cooperative learning).

 

The professional content of the project

 

As a TalentPoint we wish to develop a network both vertically and horizontally. The continuity of talent development can be ensured by the cooperation of different levels of education, and the extension of best practices can be realized by the involvement of subregions. In building the network, our institution may benefit from the relationships we made within the country in the Arany János Program for Developing Talents and the ‘base school’ activities. In  accordance with the essence of a network, besides dissemination, we find adaptation equally important: the study trip to get to know the outstanding Finnish way of talent development is based on  a partnership dating back to 1992.

The enrichment of talents is going to be carried out in open study circles. We provide counselling in the fields of self-advocacy and management skills, which is not available in public education at present.

The TalentPoint can serve as a meeting place for teachers, students and parents. With our events, we wish to draw attention to the talented youth and build a supportive community based on partnership. Volunteers are chosen from our former students, who may bring the world of work closer to the present ones.

 

Main activities

 

• TalentPoint recruitment opening conference
• TalentDay
• Tutorial on TalentPoints for teacher training students at the University College of Nyíregyháza
• Information day for parents with the lectures of talent experts and teachers
• Professional tutorial series int he county and the compilation of a methodological handbook on talent management
• Competitions to identify talents (German, English language) for 7th grade pupils
• Complex literature and arts competition to identify talents with the cooperation of Móricz Zsigmond Theatre
• Talent orientation counselling for 8th grade pupils
• Tutorial for teachers on the methodology of talented studens’ career building
• Talented students in the student hostel – counselling for teachers
• Mathematics competitions and tutorial for teachers
• County and municipal talent development study circle for secondary school students:’Digital image editing’
• Mathematical talent development with project method
• Methodology of the competition preparation of physics talents
• Open biology talent development study circle for 11th and 12th grade students
• Open chemistry talent development study circle for 7th and 8th grade students
• Study trip to Finland
• Closing Event – TalentDay: accounts of the projects, experience of the Finnish model,publication, tutorials