Curriculum for the gifted - Essay Example

Curriculum for the Gifted Curriculum for the Gifted ment Many changes have occurred over the years relatedto the curriculum development for gifted learners. Please support and defend this statement citing examples from Chapter 1.  Curriculum development for gifted learners has evolved through the years. According to Renzulli, previously, gifted learners were exposed to activities which honed their thinking and research skills, but new developments have pushed for their exposure to activities which required them to solve real problems (Chapter 1 - Curriculum for the gifted: Past, present and future directions).

New curriculum designs for the gifted have stressed the importance of both content acceleration and enrichment strategies (Chapter 1 - Curriculum for the gifted: Past, present and future directions). A major shift in the curriculum design for the gifted was introduced by Van Tassel-Baska and Little when they suggested that the curriculum design should be a performance-based model which gives emphasis on the level of functioning of the individual to determine whether he is ready to go up the next level (Chapter 1 - Curriculum for the gifted: Past, present and future directions).

This new development changed the view that the curriculum should have an optimal match with the characteristic of the gifted learner. With this new approach therefore, the curriculum design becomes more responsive to the needs of the gifted learner.Statement 2: According to Chapter 2, what are some current issues in developing a curriculum for gifted learners? Please site examples from the text supporting your response.  There are several issues in developing a curriculum for gifted learners.

A major issue which confronts a teacher in developing a curriculum for the gifted is that not all gifted learners are alike with regards to their characteristics and needs (Chapter 2 - Curriculum design issues in developing a curriculum for the gifted). The background of the student, like income level, must be taken into consideration so that the curriculum can be adapted accordingly. Another issue that faces the curriculum developer is the choice of content and the process design (Chapter 2 - Curriculum design issues in developing a curriculum for the gifted).

A decision has to be made on whether the topic will be of interest to the gifted. The content should be meaningful and challenging enough so that the students will be interested to explore it. The teacher who will be discussing the topic must be appropriately knowledgeable of the topic, else the gifted student might lose interest in it. The strategy to be used in teaching the content is another issue that must be tackled by the instructor of gifted individuals. A single strategy may not work for all learners.

The issue is determining what combination of strategies must be applied so that the gifted learners get the maximum benefit from the curriculum (Chapter 2 - Curriculum design issues in developing a curriculum for the gifted).References(n.d.). Chapter 1 - Curriculum for the gifted: Past, present and future directions.(n.d.). Chapter 2 - Curriculum design issues in developing a curriculum for the gifted.