Mentoring for Talent Development, Creativity, Social Skills, and Insider Knowledge: The APA Catalyst Program

Abstract

The mentoring component of the American Psychological Association Catalyst Program, and the Pinnacle Model upon which it was built, was derived from Bloom's (1985) model of talent development. According to Bloom and his associates, optimal instruction for talent development takes place in three stages. During the first stage, young people are guided to fall in love with a topic, idea, or discipline. The second stage involves instruction in the skills, knowledge, and values of the domain. In the third and final stage, the talented young person learns to apply his or her passion and technical mastery to create a unique style and message, and to explore original problems. The Catalyst Program is a yearlong program designed to support the transition from the second to the third stage of Bloom's talent development model though instruction by renowned masters in science and the arts and places a premium on the mentor/scholar relationship in guiding participating adolescents in their scientific interests and career aspirations. For the Catalyst Scholars, connecting to their team Master was the thread through which the Scholars integrated their experience with chemistry, creativity, and insider knowledge. Catalyst participants came to the program having already “used up” any resources they had available to them in their school or in other out-of-school programs, and sought more intense involvement with a career path they had tentatively committed themselves to. In the course of the experience, they refined their goals, learned what it takes to be successful, and made powerful and lasting friendships and contacts that should prepare them optimally to be future innovators.