Curriculum Journeys A GPS for Effective and Engaging Learning Opportunities for Gifted Students

High-Quality Curriculum for Gifted Learners Reliable map for the pursuit of important learning outcomes Systematic, defensible connections between gifted and general education Cornerstone element of educational programming for gifted learners

It’s about a recognition that we start from strong curriculum and strong instructional materials, focused on important learning outcomes, reflecting key features like a focus on depth and complexity and abstractness. It’s about using assessment effectively and consistently to inform instruction, and about applying flexible grouping in ways that will promote learning outcomes relevant to our groups of students. It’s about appealing to learners but not catering to learners; opening points of entry but not dumbing down or differentiating by volume. Often the two default approaches to differentiation for the gifted, now that differentiation lives much more in the middle, are differentiation by volume – which is illogical because more of the same doesn’t make us better; or differentiation by independent study, which can be ok but can’t be solely independent, because then we lose the support of teaching and the guidance of higher levels of expertise; or differentiation by peer tutoring, which is its own world of problem, because when you press on that one for the intended outcomes for advanced learners, you get nothing. [Explain the wordle]. And differentiation is fundamentally about providing learning experiences that support growth and progress toward learning outcomes – and where is the steadiness? Differentiation that is grounded in high-level curriculum designed for the learners, strategic use of grouping approaches, and use of assessment to inform instruction. – which leads us to our next buzzword.

Some Guiding Questions and Challenges How do we understand the vocabulary of high-quality curriculum – depth, complexity, rigor, and so forth? How does high-quality curriculum for the gifted relate to and differ from a broader conception of high-quality curriculum? How do we make wise choices regarding resources and approaches? How do we invest in the development of high-quality curriculum? How do we ensure that gifted learners are part of broader discussions about curriculum?

Structure of the Day 8:20-9:10: Panel discussion: Mapping the Terrain: What defines high-quality curriculum for gifted learners? 9:15-10:00: Panel discussion: Charting a Path: How are the needs of gifted learners part of district/state conversations about curriculum? 10:10-11:05: Breakout Roundtable Sessions: High-Quality Curriculum as a Vehicle for Broader Programming Goals 11:15-12:10: Breakout Panel Discussions: Roadblocks and Traffic Jams Limiting High-Quality Curriculum in Practice 12:10-12:55 LUNCH (Grand Ballroom E 3rd-Floor) 1:00--1:45: Breakout Small Group Discussions: Decision-Making for High-Quality Outcomes 1:45-2:30: Closing Session: Where Do We Go Next? Takeaways from the Workshop and Next Steps

Structure of the Day – 8:20-10:00 Panel discussion: Mapping the Terrain: What defines high-quality curriculum for gifted learners? Panel discussion: Charting a Path: How are the needs of gifted learners part of district/state conversations about curriculum?

Structure of the Day – 10:10-11:05 Breakout Roundtable Sessions: High-Quality Curriculum as a Vehicle for Broader Programming Goals Implementing curriculum-centered professional learning – Marquette III Using curriculum for talent spotting and identification – Marquette VI Curriculum worth a side trip – structuring curriculum in out-of-school settings – Marquette VII

Structure of the Day – 11:15-12:10 Breakout Panel Discussions: Roadblocks and Traffic Jams Limiting High-Quality Curriculum in Practice When educators believe “my kids can’t do it” – Marquette III When educators feel trapped by standards – Marquette VI When a district has too many initiatives – Marquette VII When efforts to build high-quality curriculum are too limited in time, resources, and training – Symphony I

12:10-12:55 Grand Ballroom East (3rd Floor) LUNCH 12:10-12:55 Grand Ballroom East (3rd Floor)

Structure of the Day – 1:00-1:45 Breakout Small Group Discussions: Decision-Making for High-Quality Outcomes Challenges of fidelity of implementation across the learning contexts of gifted learners – Marquette III Ensuring gifted learners are considered in the conversation about curriculum adoption – Marquette VI Evaluating resources and using evaluation data in selecting curriculum for advanced learners – Marquette VII Tailoring curriculum to the community context – Symphony I

Structure of the Day – 1:45-2:30 Closing Session: Where Do We Go Next? Takeaways from the Workshop and Next Steps – Marquette IV What will YOU take away? Share ideas, questions, points you want to remember here: