Sat 20.09.2014 - 11:30-13:30 - Plečnik 2-3

Language Arts Curriculum Design for Verbally Gifted and Talented Learners at Middle School and High School Levels  Paper

Presenter: Christine Chifen Tseng
Author(s): Christine Chifen Tseng (National Taichung University of Science and Technology, Taiwan)

This paper provides a thorough review of literature about differentiated curriculums for gifted and talented learners and depicts the development of implementation of verbally talented programs in Taiwan. Verbally gifted and talented learners are students who demonstrate precocity in linguistic development, rich imagination and creativity, acute sensitivity to life and a positive attitude toward challenge. To help verbally talented learners fully develop their potentials and thrive in the fields where they outshine their normal counterparts, educators need to design differentiated curriculums which are different from the normal curriculums appealed to the general students. Based on educational theories and consideration of the specific social and cultural milieu of Taiwan, the author delineates principles for designing language arts curriculum for verbally talented students at middle school and high school levels. Meanwhile, ten educational goals, five core abilities of students, and six course elements are enumerated to serve as guidelines for educators in designing an appropriate differentiated curriculum for their students.