TALENT DEVELOPMENT @ LANG
KidWorks provides a unique, hands-on, exploratory experience for students in grades 1-5. This initiative is built on the premise that early exposure to diverse domains of interest allows young learners to discover their talents and develop key skills that will serve as the foundation for future learning.
KidWorks provides Lower School students with a dynamic set of experiences each semester across a variety of domains. While the offered domains change over time, domains like Illustrators, Tinkerers, Engineers, Coders, Musicians, and Storytellers are often represented. Each domain offers students the chance to try their hand at new skills or deepen existing ones in a collaborative and creative environment. Teachers observe each child’s engagement, performance, and enthusiasm, providing insight into where students' strengths and interests lie. A key aspect of the KidWorks philosophy is the empowerment of students to advocate for their passions. This autonomy fosters a sense of agency in students, encouraging them to take ownership of their learning.
As students delve deeper into their chosen domain, they work on increasingly complex projects with evolving constraints. These projects encourage collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking, laying the groundwork for the more self-directed experiences they will encounter later in their academic journey. Teachers, serving as coaches, conference regularly with students, guiding them in setting goals, overcoming challenges, and reflecting on their progress. This support cultivates not only talent but also resilience, perseverance, and self-awareness.
The KidWorks program is designed to guide students as they explore a range of domains while building on their existing passions. We recognize that our younger learners often arrive with highly specific interests, sometimes to the exclusion of other areas. The program’s goal is to gently widen their scope, helping students explore areas adjacent to their existing passions. For example, a student deeply interested in math may be encouraged to join a crafting group. Through coaching, this student might create 3D felt representations of platonic solids. The process allows the student to stay connected to their interests while broadening their engagement with new materials, techniques, and disciplines.
This adult-facilitated exploration is at the heart of KidWorks. By allowing students to take ownership of their learning—without dictating what they must do—we help them find new paths without overwhelming them. In essence, KidWorks often opens a student's narrow “funnel” of interest into a wider one, giving them the freedom to explore diverse topics while keeping the journey connected to their passions.
KidWorks allows students to either sample across the different domains or immerse themselves in one or two areas, depending on their preferences. Some may engage deeply in one domain, while others try multiple areas before choosing one to pursue further. Importantly, Upper School students serve as mentors to KidWorks participants, fostering cross-age connections and providing opportunities for older students to develop leadership and mentoring skills. This peer mentoring enhances the sense of community while also offering Upper School students another avenue for talent development.
As students move into the Middle and Upper School, they transition from the structured exploratory format of KidWorks to the more self-directed and individualized IndieStudies program.
In the Middle and Upper School, IndieStudies offers a more focused and rigorous opportunity for students to design and pursue their own passion projects ranging from traditional academic subjects to highly creative, interdisciplinary, or technical pursuits. These projects often reflect personal interests that have emerged from previous explorations.
Projects might include anything from studying the history of surgical knots, to designing a board game, to learning to deconstruct and rebuild a car. Additional examples of IndieStudies projects include:
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World Building: Designing a Board Game
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Textile Design: An Exploration of Dyeing Techniques
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Code & Quest: Game Design Adventures
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Spider-Man's Suit: A Project in Illustration & Graphic Design
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Fear Forge: Crafting a Video Horror Game
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Tattooing: Explorations in Ink
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Structural Engineering: Pasta Bridge Building
Students interested in exploring Engineering, 3D Modeling, & Prototyping regularly do so through theprogram. This includes projects that focus on both the practical aspects of modern engineering (including electronics) and the principles of physics behind technology (in EM kinematics). 3D modeling projects often use Blender, an advanced, open-source 3D modeling application. In the past, students have learned traditional modeling and prototyping skills, such as how to work with plasticine clay and casting molds in silicone.
Whether a student is studying architectural design, composing music, learning to code video games, or studying Japanese, IndieStudies empowers students to shape their own learning. IndieStudies projects are student-initiated, with faculty coaches guiding them through a structured design process that includes establishing learning goals, setting benchmarks, and defining the final product.
The project begins with a scaffolded design phase, during which students collaborate with their teacher-coach to develop a detailed proposal. This proposal outlines the project's learning objectives, key milestones, and expected outcomes. Students then pitch their project to a panel of teachers and peers, presenting their proposed plan, including key benchmarks, learning goals, and the final product they aim to produce. This collaborative pitch session is designed to help refine ideas and ensure that students have a well-thought-out plan for success.
As students move forward with their projects, they are supported by both faculty coaches and, when applicable, mentors who are experts in the chosen field of study. Mentors may be external professionals or internal specialists, and they help guide students as they navigate challenges and delve deeper into their topic. The connection with external coaches and mentors helps students see that their interests have real-world applications, guiding them toward possible college and career trajectories.
The semester culminates in a roundtable presentation, where students present their finished projects to an audience that includes faculty, peers, and domain-specific experts. This final showcase not only allows students to reflect on their learning process but also provides valuable feedback from a broader community. This capstone experience emphasizes not just the final project, but the entire learning journey—highlighting the skills of perseverance, problem-solving, and self-reflection that the students have honed.
The transition from KidWorks to IndieStudies reflects the overall philosophy of The Lang School’s Talent Development Program. In the Lower School, we broaden the world of our students, gently expanding their areas of interest while allowing them to stay anchored in their passions. By the time they reach Middle and Upper School, students are ready to channel that widened perspective into focused, meaningful, and rigorous inquiry.
The Lang School's Talent Development Program is an integral component of our commitment to nurturing the unique abilities and passions of twice-exceptional (2e) learners. This program is designed to meet students where they are—whether in the Lower, Middle, or Upper School—and provide them with opportunities to explore their individual strengths, interests, and talents through both structured and self-directed learning experiences. The Program is built on a foundation of student-centered, passion-driven learning that balances creativity with rigorous intellectual engagement. Through our KidWorks program in the Lower School, IndieStudies in the Middle and Upper School, elective courses, and internship opportunities, we encourage students to explore, deepen, and refine their interests in a scaffolded, supportive environment, ultimately leading to meaningful contributions to the community and beyond.
For senior students, internships are an invaluable extension of their IndieStudies projects. These internships offer real-world experience and are connected to a student’s area of interest. Students may participate in school-based internships, such as working in a classroom or supporting program development, or they may pursue off-site internships with outside organizations or businesses.
Internships provide a crucial bridge between academic interests and career exploration. By working closely with professionals, students gain insight into potential career paths and experience how their passions translate into real-world settings. For instance, a student with a keen interest in engineering might work with a local design firm, while another student fascinated by education might intern with a classroom teacher or member of our therapy team. These internships allow students to experience the practical applications of their studies, fostering a deeper understanding of both their interests and the professional world.
The value of these internships goes beyond skill acquisition. Internships offer students an opportunity to develop independence, responsibility, and self-advocacy. They must navigate professional environments, collaborate with adults in their chosen fields, and manage their time effectively. For many students, internships also provide clarity about potential college and career pathways, helping them see the possibilities for turning their passions into lifelong pursuits.
Another arm of the Talent Development program at Lang is the elective course offerings in the Middle and Upper School. These semester-long, weekly classes arise from areas of faculty expertise as well as student-generated interests. For example, a faculty member who previously taught astronomy at a local college was inspired by student interest to develop a new elective on the subject. This course covers topics such as celestial navigation, the physics of planetary motion, and the history of space exploration.
Student-driven electives are also a hallmark of Lang’s Talent Development Program. A notable example is a pair of students deeply interested in Formula 1 racing, who approached a teacher to help them develop an elective course. The course that emerged took a holistic approach, exploring not just the science and engineering of Formula 1 racing but also its economics and environmental impact. This type of elective allows students to engage with their passions in a multi-disciplinary way while receiving support from a faculty member to deepen their understanding of the topic.
The Talent Development program at The Lang School is not solely focused on producing impressive final products—it is designed to cultivate the skills and mindset necessary for lifelong learning. Students in both KidWorks and IndieStudies are supported in developing key executive functioning skills such as planning, organization, time management, and self-advocacy. Additionally, teachers work closely with students to foster a growth mindset, encouraging them to see challenges as opportunities for growth rather than obstacles to success.
For many students, especially those who may struggle with anxiety or fear of critique, the Talent Development program is a safe space to experiment, fail, and try again. By emphasizing process over product, we help students build resilience and confidence that will serve them well both in and out of the classroom.
At its core, the Talent Development program embodies The Lang School’s commitment to cultivating a community of learners who are passionate, curious, and self-directed. Through KidWorks, IndieStudies, and other enrichment opportunities such as electives and internships, we provide students with the freedom and support they need to pursue their passions while also helping them develop the skills they will need to thrive in future academic and professional endeavors.
The Talent Development program reflects our belief that talent is not something that is simply discovered—it is nurtured through dedication, hard work, and a supportive environment that allows students to take risks, learn from their experiences, and push the boundaries of what they thought was possible.
The Lang School’s Talent Development Program empowers students to take ownership of their learning by encouraging exploration, offering opportunities for deep inquiry, and fostering connections with professionals. Through KidWorks, IndieStudies, electives, and internships, students can pursue their interests with the guidance of faculty mentors, while also building essential life skills such as project management, collaboration, and self-direction. At Lang, talent development is not simply about nurturing existing strengths; it’s about helping students discover and unlock their full potential through curiosity, creativity, and dedication.