Educational Approach

Critical thinking, creativity, and independent learning are vital skills for students, especially given the widespread availability of information and AI tools to help organize it. However, these skills are not prioritized in traditional classrooms. The educational approach at the Young Talents Lab -- self-paced rigorous learning -- nurtures these abilities from an early age, empowering children to thrive in future careers, whether in business, research, or beyond. Our books and courses are designed to challenge and inspire students as they embark on a journey toward further exploration in science. Students are encouraged to ask questions, work alone or in groups at their own pace, explore topics beyond the curriculum, and bring their creativity and interests to bear on assignments.

  • Core Skill: Estimation

    How many trees does it take to build a house? How many grains of sand are in the beaches on Earth? How many habitable planets might exist in our galaxy? Tackling these kinds of questions combine two important skills: (1) breaking down a complex problem into a series of simpler problems; (2) researching and using your "gut instinct" to judge the quality of information sources. Through practice, students will learn that by combining physical and mathematical reasoning with their own intuition, they can make progress on any challenge set before them.

  • Core Skill: Writing

    How might society be different if life had arisen and civilization developed on another planet within our Solar System? Describe a time you faced a significant challenge and how you overcame the problem. Clear, concise writing is a powerful tool for science and business. Students in YTL's mentoring pipeline will have the opportunity to address scientific questions through writing, as well as construct drafts of documents useful to their professional and academic development including a resume, request for informational interview, and college essays.

  • Core Skill: Show your work

    Traditional education emphasizes getting the "right" answer, but many scientific and philosophical questions do not have a "right answer." Students will learn to write, draw, and explain solutions to problems that show their thought process and allow for instructors to follow their reasoning and identify any possible missteps. These skills will support students as they progress through high school through to university and beyond, where the ability to express complex ideas and work through multi-step problems become increasingly important.

  • Core Skill: Art in STEM

    Another way we build critical thinking skills is by providing students with the opportunity to write, draw, sing, and produce videos to answer problems. Students' understanding of a physical process is often expanded significantly through drawing, or making a video describing the process. This approach also offers students a chance to mesh their creativity and artistic skills with their STEM interests.

  • Core Skill: Ethical use of AI

    How and what should students learn in the age of always-present internet and AI tools to help search for and synthesize information? Students in YTL will be challenged to solve problems that are currently beyond the reach of AI, but where AI can play a role in helping summarize source information. They will learn how and when AI can help them, how to reference AI in assignments, and when to question AI-generated answers.

Assessment and Outcomes

Assessment is focused on how the student approached the problem and how much progress they made toward a solution. Students receive detailed solutions for the problems and have the opportunity to revise their solutions if they like. On writing assignments, students are given suggestions to improve clarity, tone, and scope. They may be asked questions designed to foster further development.
Overall, students in the courses are assessed on their growth, not on an absolute scale. For example, for some students merely attempting the problems or writing drafts of the mentoring materials may be a major victory. For others, we aim for mastery.