Curriculum Strategies
Dr C.J. Maker, University of Arizona
Curriculum for children with special abilities should build upon and extend
their unique learning characteristics. Curriculum should be differerentiated in
the following ways:
1. CONTENT MODIFICATIONS:
-
major focus on using abstract concepts and making
generalisations, e.g., a class study might look at the reasons why a
particular civilization vanished. An extended study could relate the key
elements of the disappearance to a modern industrial society and a current
tribal existence and make some comment about their future continuance;
-
variety in depth and breadth of topic areas
, e.g. in anthropology,
political science, sociology demography, legal sciences, filmmaking,
playwriting clothing design, architecture
-
organisation of content around key ideas so that economy of experience
is achieved, e.g., the study of dinosaurs to be treated within the context of
animal developments over time. This allows generalisations about the universal
aspects to be made more readily than if each animal group was studied
independently;
-
study of people
, e.g., biographies of a range of people who have made
recognised contributions to society. Study could focus on personal, career and
or social characteristics;
-
study of methods of inquiry
so that children have a variety of "tools" at
their disposal to help them to investigate and problem-solve, e.g. to make a
proposal to a bus company about a possible route change, a series of events
needs to have taken place first, which might include observing, measuring,
classifying, questioning , experimenting, recording, concluding and then
communicating.
2. PROCESS MODIFICATIONS
-
advanced thinking skills
which involve problem-seeking, problem-solving and
such, critical thinking processes as analysis, synthesis and evaluation; skills
development in planning, forecasting and decision making;
-
open-ended
questions and learning activities, e.g., What would happen if
people walked on their hands?, encourage higher order thinking and stimulate
creative, divergent thought, rather than "closed" questions which simply
require a yes or no answer, e.g., "Would you like to walk on your hands?";
-
creative thinking processes
need to be encouraged and developed:
|
fluency |
flexibility |
elaboration |
originality |
|
complexity |
risk-taking |
imagination |
curiosity |
-
discovery learning
situations which make use of inductive reasoning
principles, e.g., Hilda Taba teaching strategies, Society in View;
-
explanation or evidence of reasoning
used in reaching conclusions is
important to discovery learning, open-endedness and high levels of thinking;
-
appropriate pacing
of material e.g., early mastery of basic skills;
-
variety of presentation
, e.g., experiments, discussions, contracts,
learning centres. These approaches meet the child's learning style and allow
for sustained bursts of concentration;
-
freedom of choice
in terms of topics to be studied, where they are to be
studied and the methods to be used;
-
independent learning skills
are essential if the child is to make
responsible choices and become a self-directed learner, e.g., advanced research
and study skills, knowledge of school and community resources, multiple methods
of recording and presenting information, self-management of time and resources.
-
group interaction activities and simulations
which develop social and
leadership abilities, e.g., cooperative learning strategies. These activities
also provide opportunities for verbal skills development as well as an
increased understanding of self and of others
3. PRODUCT MODIFICATIONS
-
real problems
or issues in which the child is interested or has an area of
concern
-
real audiences
which provide an outlet for the product;
-
original, sophisticated products
which emphasise analysis, synthesis and
evaluation of information and the development of new ideas;
-
product evaluation by real audiences and the teaching of methods of
self-evaluation.
4. LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Many of these learning environment modifications are a matter of degree rather
than of kind.
The physical learning environment modifications important to children of
special ability include:
-
variety
of learning environments both within the school and community
- flexibility
of use
- more varied references and resources
- more sophisticated equipment
The psychological environment must encourage:
- freedom of expression;
- constructive criticism;
- deferred judgement;
and
- child interaction;
in order to deal effectively with adult-level problems, sophisticated
reasoning, controversial subjects and abstract ideas
|
