1. The Amphitheater Model for Talent Development: Recognizing and Nurturing the Gifts of Our 'Lost Prizes'
- Author
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McCluskey, Ken W., Treffinger, Donald J., Baker, Philip A., and Lamoureux, Kevin
- Abstract
Back in the early 1990s, three Manitoba School districts launched the "Lost Prizes" project to reclaim talented, at-risk high-school dropouts. Despite their unique gifts, these relationship-resistant youth were disenchanted, disillusioned, and disconnected. Many had major substance abuse problems and were engaged in serious criminal activity. At the time, in an attempt to focus our efforts and delineate strategies that might be effective with this group, our team of educators developed the Amphitheater Model for Talent Development. It has undergone revision over the years, but its emphasis has always been on equity, flexibility, and guiding practical interventions to identify and nurture the talents of all students, including those who have been hitherto marginalized. In this article, we discuss briefly the original "Lost Prizes" initiative (where Creative Problem Solving and mentoring were used in combination to turn around young lives), summarize more recent follow-up and current programs, and describe the Amphitheater Model itself.
- Published
- 2013