The Parallel Curriculum: A Design to Develop High Potential and Challenge High-Ability Learners

This book presents a model of curriculum development for gifted students and offers four parallel approaches that focus on ascending intellectual demand as students develop expertise in learning. The parallel curriculum's four approaches include: (1) the core or basic curriculum; (2) the curriculum of connections, which expands on the core curriculum's key concepts and principles; (3) the curriculum of practice, which encourages students to function in a discipline with increasing expertise; and (4) the curriculum of identity, which helps students see themselves in relation to the discipline. Individual chapters address the following topics: the rationale for an evolving conception of curriculum to develop expertise; an overview of the Parallel Curriculum Model; the essentials of curriculum design; the core curriculum parallel; the curriculum of connections parallel; the curriculum of practice parallel; the curriculum of identity parallel; and making decisions about the use of the Parallel Curriculum Model. Each of the chapters detailing the four curriculum approaches discusses the meaning of the approach, key features and characteristics of the approach, content and standards, teaching methods, assessment, learning activities, resources, and modifications based on learner need. An extended example of each curriculum approach completes these chapters. (Contains 75 references.) (DB)