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Differentiation for Gifted Learners: Going Beyond the Basics

By Diane Heacox & Richard Cash

With increasing numbers of students receiving gifted services every year, it's more important than ever to make certain we are meeting their unique learning needs in the classroom. Differentiated instruction for these learners must go beyond adjusting content levels, task complexity, or product choice—it must truly challenge and support learners on all levels: academic, social, and emotional. A leading resource in the field of gifted education, this book connects the unique learning differences among gifted students to the specific teaching methods used to tailor their learning experiences.

Participants will examine the world gifted education through the lenses of characteristics, brain research, common models, and most importantly practical strategies to use in the classroom. The primary focus of the book study will be applying these strategies and best practices to your lessons and examining how they alter the learning experience for your students.

Course is Open From September 22nd - May 1st and may be completed at any time during that window.

This 15 contact hour online book study will require:

• Self-Paced completion of content
• Independent reading of the text
• Engagement with online Chapter Modules
• Digital interaction with fellow participants
• Development of and reflection on actionable strategies in the classroom

Participants are responsible for the purchase of the book.

Meets Gifted PD Competencies:

The ability to differentiate instruction based on a student's readiness, knowledge and skill level, including using accelerated content, complexity, depth challenge, creativity and abstractness;

The ability to select, adapt or create a variety of differentiated curricula that incorporate advanced, conceptually challenging, in-depth, distinctive and complex content;

The ability to provide an extension or replacement of the general education curriculum to modify the learning process through strategies such as curriculum compacting and to select alternative assignments and projects based on individual student needs.