Are We Differentiating Effectively for the Gifted or Not? A Commentary on Differentiated Curriculum Use in Schools

This article examines the effects of digital inequality in conjunction with curricular tracking on academic achievement. Capitalizing on an original survey administered to seniors (fourth-year secondary school students), our survey data ( N = 972) come from a large American public high school with a predominantly disadvantaged student body. The school’s elective tracking system and inadequate digital resources make for an excellent case study of the effects of a differentiated curriculum and digital inequalities on academic achievement. Multilevel random-effects and fixed-effects regression models applied to the survey data reveal the important role played by digital inequalities in shaping academic achievement as measured by GPA. As the models establish, academic achievement is positively correlated with both duration of digital experience and usage intensity regarding academically useful computing activities, even when students’ curricular and class placement are taken into account. In contrast, both leisure computing and smartphone usage are negatively correlated with academic achievement as measured by GPA. Also with regard to GPA, findings show that students in the higher curricular tracks benefit more from longer durations of digital experience than do students in lower curricular tracks. These results underscore the importance of focusing attention on the ways in which digital inequalities combine with curricular tracking in shaping academic achievement.

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How Does Pedagogical Flexibility in Curriculum Use Promote Mathematical Flexibility? An Exploratory Case Study

Mathematics ◽

10.3390/math8111987 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (11) ◽

pp. 1987

Author(s):

Kyeong-Hwa Lee ◽

GwiSoo Na ◽

Chang-Geun Song ◽

Hye-Yun Jung

Keyword(s):

School Teacher ◽

Classroom Environments ◽

Central Tendency ◽

Exploratory Case Study ◽

Alternative Approaches ◽

Written Curriculum ◽

Authentic Classroom ◽

Insight Into ◽

Curriculum Use

Flexibility has been increasingly valued in mathematics education to better prepare students for lives in the rapidly changing society of the future. Although there has been conjecture that teachers’ flexibility plays a substantial role in facilitating students’ mathematical flexibility, there has been little examination of how teachers can use a flexible curriculum to develop mathematical flexibility (MF) in authentic classroom environments. This paper elaborates the notion of flexible curriculum use, referred to as pedagogical flexibility (PF) in curriculum use, as the competence to expand pedagogical space and make alternative pedagogical decisions when planning and enacting a curriculum that differs from the routine practices provided in the intended and written curriculum. We develop a framework for PF in curriculum use to identify and characterize teachers’ curriculum use to promote MF. In an explorative case study with one middle school teacher, we analyzed what and how specific aspects of PF in curriculum use promote potential and actual MF in the learning of central tendency measures. Findings indicate that the teacher could expand his pedagogical space by carefully differentiating the pedagogical considerations of the curriculum and could find alternative approaches by making associative and reflective connections among them. This provides insight into how PF in curriculum use can promote students’ potential and actual MF.

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Designing Curriculum for Parents of Gifted Children

journal for the education of the gifted ◽

10.1177/016235329201500206 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 182-200 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Robert Strom ◽

Aileen Johnson ◽

Shirley Strom ◽

Paris Strom

Keyword(s):

Child Development ◽

Low Income ◽

Gifted Education ◽

Primary Grade ◽

Gifted Children ◽

Summer Institute ◽

Hispanic Parents ◽

Education Programs ◽

Differentiated Curriculum ◽

Gifted Education Programs

Gifted education programs typically underrepresent children from minority and low income backgrounds. Uncommon screening measures were used to identify an equity sample of 68 potentially gifted youngsters who would participate in a summer institute. The instruction offered these preschool and primary grade students was complimented by a learning component for their parents. A common and differentiated curriculum was developed for Anglo and Hispanic parents based on their expressed expectations regarding child development. Findings show that schools can serve communities better when opportunities for growth are provided to parents as well as their children.

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