Effective Curriculum Models for Gifted and Talented Students

Patricia Roberts (1996) describes integrated curriculum as “a way of teaching and a way of planning and organizing the instructional program so the discrete disciplines of subject matter are

Curriculums are the roadmaps for schools which provide purpose and direction for administrators, educators, parents, and students. Curriculum typically refers to, “the knowledge and skills students are expected to learn, which includes the learning standards or learning objectives they are expected to meet; the units and lessons that teachers teach; the assignments and projects given to students; the books, materials, videos, presentations, and readings used in a course; and the tests, assessments, and other methods used to evaluate student learning.” (Curriculum, 2015, para. 1) Curriculums may come in many shapes and forms, whether they’re purchased as a package at the school or district level or they’re created or refined by educators and

For this program outcome I chose my curriculum analysis paper from CUR 512, Curriculum Analysis and Planning. In this course we defined curriculum, the aspects that are considered when writing curriculum, the theoretical perspectives found within curriculum, and the goals of the curriculum. By writing this paper, I was able to focus in on a unit that I teach in third grade social studies to get a full picture of the curriculum. I was also able to see the complex issues surrounding the curriculum that I never previously noticed.

The Common Core has been developed as a nationwide measurement for student progress. Officially launched in 2009 as a federal funding bill, the standards identify skills that every student residing in the United States should master in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics from kindergarten through 12th grade (Gewertz, 2015). The Common Core itself is not a curriculum, however, it identifies rigorous objectives that must be met by a school’s curriculum. The purpose is to initiate a deeper focus on developmental learning by using interdisciplinary instruction. This redefines the way that students learn because their progress is no longer assessed on the outcome of their performance, but by the process that has allowed them to reach the

At the beginning of the school year, administration will present the plan to teachers and staff and explain the importance of the academic integration and the positive outcomes that are possible. A “Leadership Team” will formed consisting of experienced literacy, math, and CTE teachers, an administration member, and the curriculum director. The Leadership Team will be responsible for evaluating academic standards and CTE standards and forming a literacy and math plan that can be implemented in CTE courses. The Leadership Team will also be responsible for developing ongoing teacher training to include literacy and math in CTE courses and correspondence with literacy and math teachers.

A non-standardized curriculum allows students to focus on higher level thinking skills. Students are encouraged to learn from each other. Students are encouraged to challenge each other. Teacher’s use Bloom’s Taxonomy to have student think deeper into concepts. Instead of students learning ten concepts over the course of a year, students learn six that are more in depth. Students use a variety of alternative assessments to show their depth of knowledge. A student can choose how to display their knowledge. Students may give a presentation, create a 3-D model, design a PowerPoint, or write a story or a variety of other ways to present their ideas.

Van Tassel-Baska, J. (2000). Theory and research on curriculum development for the gifted. In K.A. Heller, F.J. Monks, R. J. Sternberg & R.F. Subotnik (Eds.). International handbook of giftedness and talent (2nd ed., pp. 365–386). Amsterdam: Elsevier.

You might think twice before sending a tennis coach to baseball’s spring training season; although there would be overlap in general kinesthetic and sports psychology knowledge, the nuances of the two sports are very different and require disparate sets of coaching skills. Just as a baseball team needs a coach who understands baseball, gifted students need guidance from well-trained, challenging teachers who understand their educational needs. Teacher training requirements for working with gifted students are determined at the state and local levels. Although gifted and talented students are in every school and classroom, few districts require that all classroom teachers receive training to address the educational needs of advanced learners.

1. Multiple assessments should be given to represent the categories of giftedness identified in the district’s definition (Moon, 2013, p.133).

The students within Northern Secondary School’s 2014-2015 Gifted Program graduating class slid into AP and gifted classes like they were made for them. Since the beginning of their middle school careers, these gifted high school students have been spoonfed a thought-provoking and comprehensive education. At Wong’s public gifted elementary school, Cummer Valley, the faced-paced and in-depth curriculum not only stimulated his intellectual capacity and unlocked his potential, but “compelled him to achieve higher academic standards and established a strong foundation to build upon for high school.” Wong claims that he entered Earl Haig, a non-gifted public high school, with a knowledge base practically a grade higher than the majority of his subordinate

Motivating gifted students can present a challenge for any teacher. Many children are coming to school with very little enthusiasm to learn, especially the gifted child. Although

In “The Secret to Raising Smart Kids” the author Carol Dweck says “Our society worships talent” (10). This is followed by the statements of one of the central beliefs of the article that there are two different kinds of learners. These two types are said to be those with a fixed mind-set and those with a growth mind-set. Throughout the article many examples are used by the author of studies and or experiments on student with fixed and growth mind sets.

Because of school-wide issue such as, funding, space, and staff availability, this may be the maximum amount of time that they can physically provide for pullout enrichment for gifted students. This is common, and in these cases, it is important to “ensure that the curricular and instructional experiences within the general education classroom are appropriate for the advanced needs of gifted students” (Brighton and Wiley, 2013, p.192). We know from the Lackland description, that their students are not receiving these educational opportunities in their general education classrooms because many of the students are displaying a lack of

Chapter fifteen of Multicultural Education is divided into three major sections. These three sections include recruitment and barriers, recruitment recommendations, and retention issues/difficulties. A large part of this chapter focuses on the underrepresentation of culturally diverse students in gifted and advance placement programs. When taking a look at gifted education programs, there is an extreme underrepresentation of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans in these programs. Gifted education programs are a need not just a privilege and should not be used as a simple form of segregation between races or cultures.

13) while promoting independence in learning and group-work (Taber, 2007a, pp. 16-17). This approach is in accord with the Maker Model (1982) which incorporates strategies for modifying curriculums for gifted students in the four key areas of content (what is taught), process (how content is taught), product (how students demonstrate their learning) and the learning