November 2021 | Teaching for High Potential 3www.nagc.org
Differentiating Curriculum for
Gifted Learners
C
urriculum for gifted learners requires adaptations
from the typical grade level content to address
their cognitive and affective characteristics. Curricular
adaptations should occur regardless of
the grouping model and the type of giftedness. A teacher
who differentiates effectively is balancing differentiation
across the dimensions of content, instruction, and product.
Figure 1 (below) provides a differentiation features
template for educators. The efficacy of curriculum models
employed in gifted education rest on the defining aspects
of these features (VanTassel-Baska & Brown, 2007). In the
differentiation features framework, there are four researchbased
ways to differentiate content. Under each feature
are aspects that define the feature further. The differentiation
features framework can be used to ensure that curriculum
content is sufficiently differentiated and responsive
to the needs of gifted learners.
The feature of acceleration in terms of curriculum could
be employed in a variety of ways. For example, using a
pre-assessment to determine the level of previous acquired
content (in order not to repeat) is one way to differentiate
the content. Another accelerative approach is speeding up
the process for learning, if students demonstrate a readiness
for the content area, or teaching the unit of study in
a shorter amount of time (e.g., covering a 6 week unit in 4
weeks), thus compacting it. For secondary gifted students,
using above grade level content (e.g., Advanced Placement)
or sophisticated primary source documents accelerates the
content knowledge.
The feature of complexity is when teachers add layers of
challenge to a task. It can involve adding
more variables to study, such as
when a student is creating a book report
or a presentation and the teacher
adds complexity (more variables to
include) to the assignment. Another
way to add complexity is to engage
students in challenging tasks that require
higher levels of Revised Blooms
Taxonomy (Krathwohl, 2002) simultaneously;
thus students are synthesizing,
evaluating and creating within a
task demand.
The feature of depth involves focusing
on a particular task, topic, or
concept that requires study to fully
understand it at a “deeper” level resulting
in product creation. If students
are asked to consider multiple perspectives about a
historical event and then create a product including those
perspectives, that’s adding depth. Framing a unit of study
around a conceptual question, such as Is war necessary?
adds depth to student understanding.
Creativity as a differentiation feature should always be a
component of differentiating curriculum. It allows students
to work within the bounds of a structure or a given set of
criteria but, with open ended access, opportunities and
pathways. Projects derived from subject areas should try
to reflect real-world connection to careers associated with
them (VanTassel-Baska & Baska, 2019).
Uses for the differentiation framework are many. Educators
can use it to analyze lesson plans and current approaches
to determine target areas to differentiate. It can be
used as a planning framework, when planning out a unit of
study to ensure that aspects of it are differentiated appropriately
for gifted learners. It can be used as a communication
device with parents and administrators and finally it can
used overall as a strategic way to differentiate “up” content
standards. THP
References
Krathwohl, D. R. (2002). A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy: An overview.
	 Theory into Practice, 41 (4), 212-218.
VanTassel-Baska, J. & Brown, E. (2007). Towards best practice: An
	 analysis of the efficacy of curriculum models in gifted education.
	 Gifted Child Quarterly, 51 (4), 342-358.
VanTassel-Baska, J. & Baska, A. (2019). Curriculum planning & in
	 structional design for gifted learners (3rd ed.). Prufrock Press.
CURRICULUM café
Elissa F. Brown
Hunter College
elissa.brown@hunter.cuny.edu
Figure 1. Differentiation Features