Running head: DIFFERENTIATING FOR GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS

Differentiation in the Classroom for Gifted and Talented Students

Kristina Gooden
James Madison University

DIFFERENTIATING FOR GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS

Differentiation in the Classroom for Gifted and Talented Students

Differentiation based on students abilities and interest levels is something that all
effective teachers employ in the classroom. As a beginning teacher, I know that it is necessary to
make sure all students are able to learn to the best of their abilities and that no one student should
ever be left behind, no matter how far behind they may be. As a result, it is the teachers job to
prepare lessons and activities so that students are able to learn and advance from wherever they
currently are in their understanding and abilities. That means if a student is struggling, then that
student would receive an assignment or be put into a group that is working with more general
concepts than those students who are right on track and working with higher level issues or
problems. However, even though all students in a typical classroom may be working with
different levels of a particular lesson, they are all still working towards the same common
understanding or learning goal, just at different paces. The overall goal of differentiation is to
make sure that all students in a classroom are being challenged by the material being taught,
whether they are behind or right on track. Every student needs to feel like they are learning and
progressing without feeling left behind.
If it is important that all learners in a classroom are being challenged no matter where
they are in their understanding, what does that mean for the gifted and talented learners who are
well beyond their peers in their foundational knowledge and learning abilities? These students,
while still on the same level, academically, as all of their peers, are more advanced than the rest
of the students and tend to pick up on things quicker, therefore learning faster and already

DIFFERENTIATING FOR GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS

knowing information before it is presented. Since these students are more advanced and learn
quicker than their peers, they are not being challenged near as much as their classmates for the
simple fact that they dont need any extra help because they already get it. Even if they already
understand the information being taught, gifted and talented students still have a desire and a
need to learn as well as any other student. They seek a challenge. Re-learning and regurgitating
information is the most commonly and frequently identified cause for boredom, lack of
motivation, and low self-image for gifted students (Keighley, 2003). However, as a teacher, no
matter what level our individual students are at, it is still necessary to keep all of our students
within the same context of instruction. This paper examines two common methods of
differentiating for gifted and talented students so that they are being challenged beyond their
understandings and abilities while still remaining concurrent with the other learners in the class.
Literature Review
Differentiating instruction is described by Tomlinson and Kiernan (1997) as an
educational phenomenon that enables teachers to develop and implement curriculum that is
appropriate for all students. It is a process that teachers do almost naturally when it comes to
giving students work that best fits their needs and grouping them based on where they could use
the extra support. It is simple to give a struggling student work that is easier for him to achieve in
order to build up the skills needed to master the learning goals. Alternatively, it is much more
challenging and time consuming to come up with work for an advanced student, by integrating
and adapting the varying levels of student readiness and ability to the next level beyond the
required curriculum so that she is equally being challenged (Ehlers and Montgomery, 1999). In
an article by VanTassel-Baska and Stambaugh (2002), regarding the challenges that teachers face

DIFFERENTIATING FOR GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS

in creating opportunities for gifted students, they discuss the issue of teachers needing to have
the advanced understanding of concepts beyond their grade level in order to give students
assignments that are more challenging and to effectively be able to assess their work. They do
argue, however, that even though this is true, it is not completely necessary for the teacher to be
the keeper of all knowledge (VanTassel & Stambaugh, 2002). The teacher is not responsible
for knowing all of the standards and learning goals for all of the advanced levels of students that
will be in their classes. While not having to know everything, it is important for teachers to be
able to find sources that go beyond their own curriculum in order to provide an enriched and
accelerated experience for advanced learners. These sources could come from other teachers,
librarians, or resource specialists when they are not able to acquire information on their own.
One of the biggest antidotes to boredom that gifted students usually face is student
choice. Choice implies interest and interest comes from a source of passion or motivation from
within the student that is both self-directed and consuming for gifted individuals (Powers,
2008). When students have an interest in something, it is easier for them to learn, and they
become much more invested in the outcome. This is especially true for gifted learners who view
their educational opportunities as meaningless unless [they] are allowed to have input into their
own learning (Betts, 2004). Knowing that choice is important for these students, the challenge
for teachers then becomes figuring out how to connect students interests to the classroom
curriculum by encouraging choice.
Independent study is a common differentiation technique in classrooms for teachers of
gifted students that allows for student autonomy and choice in the learning process. Betts (2004)
regarded independent study as the highest level of learning because it connects the interest and

DIFFERENTIATING FOR GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS

readiness level of the individual student to essential critical thinking skills for gifted education.
Independent study employs the use of essential critical thinking skills such as decision making,
investigation, problem solving, inquiry, questioning, and reflection that students use to research
problems and make conclusions based on research and peer discussion. Often, as a higher level
of learning, gifted students may be expected to make interdisciplinary connections or relate
products to real-world events, instead of simply just recreating work from the research and
findings of other work (VanTassel & Baska, 2005). This method of research allows students to go
above and beyond the classroom into the world to see how the curriculum translates to society on
a larger scale.
Using independent study in the classroom for gifted learners holds each student
accountable for their own learning. The students are given the power of choice by the teacher,
who decides on their unit of study that is concurrent with the rest of the class, and then the
student is responsible for the direction and outcome of the final product given their choice of
performance task related to the unit (Powers, 2008). These students, being able to work with
something that is of interest to them and slightly more challenging than the work their classmates
are doing, are actively engaged in the learning process and more motivated to achieve their own
potential. While it is not necessary for the teacher to guide them through every process, it is still
necessary for the teacher to provide instruction and feedback throughout, using appropriate
resources. The teachers job is to provide gifted students with the choices that are relevant to the
curriculum being assessed and to provide them with a framework and model to be expanded
upon. Once they are given a framework and general guidelines, the students are then free to
direct the learning process in whichever direction they choose.

DIFFERENTIATING FOR GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS

One major issue that concerns the teachers of gifted students deals with end of the year
achievement tests based on the required curriculum that should be taught throughout the year. As
discussed already, gifted and talented students usually see the information being taught as too
easy, which often leads to boredom and disenchantment with school in general and, as a result,
they just tend to check out during classroom instruction, neither absorbing information or
learning anything new. (Renzulli, Smith, and Reis, 1982). Giving these students advanced work
that challenges them and allows them to learn along with the other students in the classroom is
ideal, but in order to have their own enriching assignments, they are missing the instruction that
is going on in the classroom pertaining to the required standards for that grade level. Even
though the students are advanced, and already know the information that is being taught, there is
still concern that when they take the end-of-year assessments, they wont do as well since they
werent actually present during instruction due to having their focus on their own assignments.
Renzulli et al. (1982) discusses that providing special services for these students, such as
independent study, is a step in the right direction, but we are fooling ourselves if we do not also
take major steps to modify the regular curriculum. Gifted students spend the majority of their
time in the regular classroom with non-gifted students, so it is important that we do our best to
consider the curriculum when planning for alternate assignments.
Curriculum compacting is a way to incorporate both the regular curriculum while
allowing gifted students the ability to work on a level that is actually challenging for them. Karen
Rogers (2002) describes curriculum compacting as streamlining or shortening the regular
school curriculum in a specific subject area by pre-assessing the gifted child to discover what she
has already mastered with replacement learning experiences or curricula that are new and more

DIFFERENTIATING FOR GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS

appropriate. The process is not a simple task for educators, however. Compacting the
curriculum requires several steps in order to put into practice. Rogers (2002) breaks down the
process by explaining that teachers must first define the goals and outcomes of a particular unit
to identify what important information they want their students to learn. Based on the identified
goals, teachers must then develop pre-tests or other assessment techniques to evaluate how much
of the essential information has already been mastered by the students. These tests can be done in
many different ways, including the use of ready-made pre-tests, or end-of-unit tests from
curriculum guides and textbooks, or by reviewing the students previous performance in a
particular area. The teacher then develops a set of criteria to go with the level of achievement
that is considered as evidence the student has mastered the content. After determining what
content is mastered and can essentially be skipped over, the teacher and student sit down together
to come up with an individualized curriculum by replacing only the mastered content with more
enriching activities and learning experiences while still maintaining the same pace with the rest
of the class. Reis et al. (1992) describes this phase of the compacting process as a creative
opportunity for an entire faculty to work cooperatively to organize and choose a broad array of
enrichment experiences. Excitement can be added to the teachers part in the process by having
to teach a mini-course to the gifted students on a particular topic that is of interest to both of
them, or by investing time in researching a topic for the student that is also of interest to the
teacher.
The time that is saved by compacting parts of the curriculum while students are still in
the classroom is used for more enriching and challenging activities for the student. These
activities are determined based on the individual student, at the discretion of the teacher, and

DIFFERENTIATING FOR GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS

based on available resources. Some examples of alternate, enriching assignments that are
commonly used, according to Reis et al. (1993), include self-selected independent investigations,
mentorships, self-selected mini-courses, and special topic seminars directed by students or other
community resource persons. In order for learning to occur, the instruction or activity should be
above the students current level of performance, which requires the teacher to have some of the
advanced knowledge as well, in order to accurately assess the students understandings and
ability to translate their understandings into various culminating projects.
Curriculum compacting serves as a legitimate procedure for allowing an advanced
student time for advanced work and participation in special activities (Renzulli et al., 1982).
While simultaneously alleviating the boredom that gifted students face during regular classroom
instruction, it also provides an evidence-based way of differentiating for gifted students so that
progress can be tracked over time. This allows for more effective programs and enrichment
activities for students that can be assessed and adapted for each individual throughout their
school career.
Discussion
While there are many different options for helping gifted students feel challenged, I have
researched and discussed the two most commonly used alternatives for adapting to the needs of
these learners. Independent study seems to be very effective in a specific classroom setting where
the teacher can propose alternative research assignments for gifted students to do in place of
regular classwork, in which they have shown mastery, by way of substitution, or by making
higher order, cross-curricular connections. Having a few downfalls, such as the students not
being present during instruction and potentially not being able to pass the end-of-year

DIFFERENTIATING FOR GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS

assessments, and the teachers not necessarily knowing the advanced curriculum that their
students would be working with is something that each individual teacher has to decide. The
choice has to be made whether or not the alternative work is in the best interest of the student as
far as learning goals, and whether or not the alternate assignments can be worked out between
both the student and the teacher. Then there is also the issue of what happens the following year
with the student and whether or not they have a teacher who is willing to spend more time with
them and providing them even more enrichment beyond what they have mastered.
As a more effective alternative to independent study, curriculum compacting is more
versatile in its usability. Not being tied to a specific classroom, content area, or grade level, it can
be adapted to any educational framework. Gifted students are able to stay on track with end-ofyear assessments and any other required testing throughout, while still being able to move
beyond their peers to a level that is both challenging and enriching for them. Encompassing both
independent study in its methods, along with various other means of providing enrichment for
gifted students, compacting the curriculum seems to be the most effective way for teachers to
help gifted students alongside their lower level and on-track learners so that learning is beneficial
to everyone in the classroom. This process would also follow them throughout their education
and tends to be more consistent and effective for the student in the long run.
Limitations of These Findings
The limitations I have found within these two articles focus mainly on the issue of how to
differentiate for multiple gifted students within one class. The articles I have read focused on a
specific student and adapting the curriculum or proving alternate opportunities for enrichment for
one individual. Neither of the two options discussed are simple in their means of preparation for

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10

the student, making me believe that it isnt as possible to accommodate more than one student by
having to provide an alternate curriculum plan for both, whether that be a compacted curriculum,
or an independent study plan. The chances of having two or more gifted students who are both
gifted in the same way and can work at the same pace isnt very likely. Further research would be
needed to understand the ways in which multiple gifted students can be accommodated while
still attending to the regular learners, and whether or not there is a process for compacting the
curriculum for a set of students, rather than one individualized plan for each individual student.

References
Betts, G. (2004). Fostering autonomous learners through levels of differentiation. Roeper
Review, 26, 190-191.
Ehlers, K., and Montgomery, D. (1993). Teachers perceptions of curriculum modification for
students who are gifted. Rural special education for the new millennium, 1-11.
Powers, E. A. (2008). The use of independent study as a viable differentiation technique for
gifted learners in the regular classroom. Gifted Child Today, 31(3), 57-65.
Keighley, T. (2003). To produce or not produce? Understanding boredom and the honor in
underachievement. Roper Review, 26, 20-28.
RenZulli, J., Smith, L., Reis, Sally, M. (1982). Curriculum compacting: An essential strategy for
working with gifted students. The Elementary School Journal, 82(3), 185-194.

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Reis, S., Westberg, K., Kulikowich, J., Caillard, F., Hebert, T., Plucker, J., . . . Smist, J. (1993).
Why not let high ability students start school in January? The National Research Center
on the Gifted and Talented.
Rogers, K. (2002). Re-forming gifted education: how parents and teachers can match the
program to the child. Scottsdale, AZ: Great Potential Press.
Tomlinson, C. A., and Kiernan, L. J. (1997). Differentiating instruction. Alexandria, PA:
Association for supervision and curriculum development.
VanTassel-Baska, J. & Stambaugh, T. (2005). Challenges and possibilities for serving gifted
learners in the regular classroom. Theory into Practice, 44(3), 211-217.