Curriculum models
To effectively implement programmes for gifted and talented students, schools need to consider issues related to the development of curriculum.
The term curriculum may be defined as "a set of planned experiences for a targeted population" (VanTassel-Baska, 1994, p. xvi). A curriculum should be comprehensive, taking into account the cognitive, social, cultural, and emotional needs of gifted and talented students.
Developing a curriculum structure of this nature ensures the longevity of gifted programmes by putting on paper the school's intentions for its gifted and talented students. When developed in conjunction with The New Zealand Curriculum Framework, it also eliminates the fragmented nature of these programmes. Planning curriculum also means that gifted and talented students' needs aren't accidentally met but are consciously addressed.
In designing appropriate curricula for gifted and talented students, a curriculum model or models may serve as an ideal framework. Educators of gifted and talented students throughout the world have worked for many years to design and implement programming models: theoretical and practical, abstract and concrete. Schools may choose to adopt a specific model or take a more eclectic approach in adapting several models that suit their needs.
Suitable curriculum models have purposes and procedures that allow for implementing qualitatively differentiated learning experiences for gifted and talented students.
Curriculum models in gifted education
- Enrichment Triad Model (Renzulli, 1977); Schoolwide Enrichment Model (Renzulli and Reis, 1985); Secondary Triad Model (Reis and Renzulli, 1986)
- Purdue Three-stage Enrichment Model (Feldhusen and Kolloff, 1978)
- Autonomous Learner Model (Betts, 1985)
- The Cognitive Domain (Bloom, 1956); The Affective Domain (Krathwohl, Bloom, and Masia, 1964)
- Williams' (1970) Model for Developing Thinking and Feeling Processes.
Criteria for selecting models
- Appropriateness to the situation
- Comprehensiveness
- Flexibility or adaptability
- Practicality
- Validity
The goal in selecting and adapting models is to create educational programmes that enhance the strengths and abilities of gifted and talented students and that reflect the school's definition and identification procedures. Intertwining enrichment and acceleration opportunities should also be an expected outcome.
The following three models, which have been used in New Zealand schools, are now examined in more depth: