Talent Centre for

The teaching at The Talent Centre is based on the core values ​​of the science centres: to explore and experiment with both the head and the hands. The programme is interdisciplinary and does not focus on a single subject.

The students themselves define the issues they want to work on within given themes. We facilitate the students' interests and skills. In the teaching, they work with design thinking, prototyping and experimentation. Social activities and collaboration are a consistent part of the offer.

All students who have the right to education in the public school system, and who are in grades 5–10 in the year they apply, can apply to participate in the Talent Center in Science.

The application is submitted through three digital forms: one for the student, one for the teacher/school, and one for the guardian. Applications that are missing one or more forms will not be considered.

Read more about the application process for The Talent Centre ↗

The Talent Centre normally has four sessions a year, each lasting two to three days. All teaching takes place during school hours.

A detailed schedule with times for the meetings is sent to all students who are offered a place, usually in late May or early June.

The Talent Centre is an offer of adapted education in accordance with the Education Act. This means that students who participate are not absent from their regular school.

For primary school students, participation is regulated by the 25% rule in the Education Act. For upper secondary school students, classes at the talent centre are recorded under the code "other education".

The Science Talent Center is a public offering for students with high learning potential, and participation is free. The offer covers travel by the cheapest route, in line with the rules for the public school system.

Teaching takes place mainly at one of our branches in Oslo, Larvik or Lillestrøm. There may also be excursions to companies, research groups and other professional environments, and students are informed about this well in advance.

Our branches:

The Norwegian Museum Of Science And Technology , Oslo

Bjerke upper secondary school, Oslo

Hersleb upper secondary school, Oslo

Persbråten upper secondary school, Oslo

Bjørnholt High School, Oslo

Haugenstua school, Oslo

Sophie Radich School, Lillestrøm

The Newton Room, Larvik

Yes, they can. The Talent Centre in Oslo accepts students from all over the Eastern region.

There are various terms used to describe students who are at a higher academic level than others, such as gifted students, talented students, strong students, highly intelligent students, high-achieving students, and students with academic talent. Students with high learning potential have several characteristics that distinguish them from other students:

• They have an intrinsic motivation to learn and are not always concerned with grades.
  
  
• They are very concerned with "why" things happen.
  
  
• They acquire new knowledge quickly.
  
  
• They thrive on complex tasks and can challenge the decisions and conclusions of both fellow students and teachers.

Students with great learning potential are not necessarily the best at school. Some may have a high IQ, others have a special talent in one subject, while some have unusually strong abilities in several subjects. Some children may also have other challenges and learning difficulties that camouflage their abilities, and may feel left out as a result of their interests and characteristics. Because they do not necessarily learn in the same way as their peers, many of these students struggle with lack of motivation and frustration.

The student is interested and attentive, has good ideas, and works hard. He or she answers questions, listens with interest, and is often academically advanced for his or her age. The student learns easily, often needs 6–8 repetitions before mastering, and understands both ideas and connections. Tasks are completed, and the student is receptive to instruction.

The student copies accurately, enjoys school, absorbs information and techniques, and remembers well. He or she prefers simple and "straightforward" explanations of the subject matter, is aware of his or her own learning, is satisfied with his or her own achievements, behaves as expected, and thrives on routines.

The student asks many questions and is very curious. He is mentally and physically involved, has wild and original ideas and can be playful, but easily loses focus if interest is not present. The student discusses in detail and elaborates, is often academically ahead of his age and shows strong emotions and opinions.

Often the student already knows the answer and needs few repetitions before mastering. They build abstract connections, draw their own conclusions, guess well and process information in an independent way. The student is happy to start their own projects, is intense, creates new things and thrives best with complexity.

The student often prefers older children or adults, is keenly observant and both self-critical and critical of others. Some may become withdrawn or take on the role of class clown, and may challenge or fight against established routines.

Students with high learning potential make up 10–15 percent of the student population. They are not necessarily those who get top grades, but they may have significant potential for very high performance in one or more subjects. With properly adapted education and support, they can reach a level that is far above their peers (NOU, 2016).*

Students with high learning potential are rarely motivated by grades. Their motivation stems from an inner need to learn, discover and wonder. Grades are therefore an inaccurate measure of this group of students. They are often based on the reproduction of knowledge, which many of these students do not enjoy.

The establishment of talent centers in science is a follow-up to the science strategy Close to Science, which was presented by the Ministry of Education and Research in the fall of 2015. Talent centers in science are an offer of adapted education for students with great learning potential.

In the spring of 2019, the talent center program was established as a permanent educational offering, subject to the Education Act and commissioned by the Ministry of Education. The Talent Center in Science at Oslo Science Centre is an offering for students in grades 5–10.

The talent centers will provide academic offerings based on mathematics, science, and the natural sciences to students who need greater challenges. They will contribute to more children and young people achieving at a high and advanced level, and facilitate students with great learning potential to connect with other like-minded people through organized student networks.

The students' participation is part of the regular teaching. This is regulated by the Education Act through the right to reallocate up to 25 percent of the hours in subjects for individual students.

The Ministry of Education's guide on organizing students (page 7) states, among other things:

“[…] The reallocation of hours assumes that the student receives instruction in all the competence objectives in the subject curricula. This cannot lead to any competence objectives being completely eliminated, but it will be permissible to have somewhat reduced goal achievement within the individual competence objective if there is reason to believe that the student's overall goal achievement will nevertheless improve. As long as it must be assumed that these prerequisites are met, this exception can be used for both academically weak and academically strong students. […]”