Deferential Differentiation

Abstract

Deferential differentiation occurs when the curriculum modification process defers to students' preferred ways of learning rather than relying on teachers' judgments. The preferences of 416 students identified as gifted (grades 3-8) for features of differentiated curriculum recommended for gifted students were compared with those of 230 students not identified as gifted. While thinking of their favorite school subject, they responded to the 110 items on the Possibilities for Learning survey. Most and least popular items are reported in nine thematic categories (pace, collaborative learning, choice, curriculum content, evaluation, open-ended activities, expert knowledge, teacher/student relationship, and sharing learning). Self-pacing, choice of topic, and choice of workmates were most popular with students in both groups. Compared with nonidentified students, more of the students identified as gifted wanted to learn about complex, extracurricular topics and authentic, sophisticated knowledge and interconnections among ideas; to work with others some of the time; and to choose the format of the products of their learning. More students identified as gifted also disliked waiting for the rest of the class and asking for help. Overall, the groups' preferences differed in degree rather than kind, and reflected cognitive abilities frequently cited as distinguishing characteristics of learners with high ability.

Parents' experiences with their children's grade-based acceleration: Struggles, successes, and subsequent needs

“…Moreover, Gross et al (2011) concluded that acceleration might happen as a result of parental advocacy in schools and/or systems that would not otherwise offer accelerative options. Many researchers have examined educators' attitudes towards acceleration (Gallagher & Smith, 2013;Gross et al, 2011;Hoogeveen, van Hell, & Verhoeven, 2005;Missett, Brunner, Callahan, Moon, & Price Azano, 2014;Rambo & McCoach, 2012;Siegle, Wilson, & Little, 2013;Southern, Jones, & Fiscus, 1989;Wood, Portman, Cigrand, & Colangelo, 2010) and there is emerging research on students' views on accelerative practices (Dare & Nowicki, 2015a;Kanevsky, 2011;Perrone, Wright, Ksiazak, Crane, & Vannatter, 2010). However, few researchers have reported parents' perspectives and experiences with their accelerated children (Gallagher & Smith, 2013).…”

Examining Students’ and Teachers’ Perceptions of Differentiated Practices, Student Engagement, and Teacher Qualities

“…Research demonstrates that gifted students require differentiated practices to meet their unique learning needs in the classroom, and sustain their engagement (Fredricks et al, 2004;Kanevsky, 2011). Gifted learners require effective teachers who can build collaborative partnerships with students and foster their areas of talent (Chan, 2001;Mockler & Groundwater-Smith, 2015;Vialle & Quigley, 2002;Vidergor, 2015).…”

BE COOL! a digital learning environment to challenge and socially include gifted learners

“…First, inquiry learning provides enough room to present challenging tasks to gifted children. It is a type of instruction that aligns with the advanced knowledge schemas of the gifted (Kalyuga et al 2003) and with their preferred modes of learning (Kanevsky 2011;Scager et al 2013). Due to its open-ended tasks that call for scientific reasoning, inquiry learning is considered to be an appropriate instructional approach for gifted children (De Corte 2013).…”