ABSTRACT
Specific factors support optimal development, including ability, task commitment, interest, passion, opportunity, motivation, creativity, and growth mindset (Subotnik et al., 2011). These ingredients help grow ability to unknown heights of potential:
Task commitment: The defining qualities of task commitment include perseverance, endurance, hard work, dedicated practice, self-confidence, and belief in self (Renzulli, 1986).
Interest and passion: These factors play a role in transforming ability into its greatest form. When students discover their interests and passions for learning, they can move toward high achievement in the “interest” domain.
Perseverance: Duckworth (2016) noted, “enthusiasm is common, endurance is rare” (p. 56). It is one thing for students to want to start a task or project, but following through to completion requires perseverance. Persevering is rooted in purpose and is maintained with motivation and a plan to work through obstacles.
Opportunity: Without opportunities to develop talent, it will not flourish. Without opportunities to work through challenges, task commitment and perseverance will not be strengthened. Access to opportunity matters. These opportunities may include access to high-level classes, resources, or even opportunities to step out of one's comfort zone. When opportunities are presented, we must encourage students to take these opportunities.
Motivation: According to Deci and Ryan (2008), motivation, or self-determination to move forward or complete a task, stems from internal needs, including competence (“I think I can!”) and autonomy (“I have some control!”). If we want students to be motivated toward a task or skill, they must feel that they are capable of experiencing success and feel that they have some 24control in their success. These two factors are critical in cultivating intrinsic motivation.
Creativity: Creativity allows for flexibility, originality, and fluidity of thinking (Torrance, 1974). We should prepare students to be creative producers in their area of interest (and eventually area of expertise). The hallmark of high achievement is creative production in a field, such as contributing new ideas that help solve problems in our world.
Growth mindset: What you believe about your intelligence can greatly affect how and to what extent you achieve. This is popularly known as mindset. Do students believe that their abilities have been and will remain stable, or do they believe that abilities are a starting point for further development? Dweck (2006) showed that growth mindset is the catalyst that helps other ingredients, including ability, grow. When students believe that they can get smarter (in a given domain), motivation to persevere will likely follow. When a student believes that mistakes are opportunities for learning, a student is much more likely to explore creativity. (See Part II for more discussion on growth mindset.)
