This document summarizes James Gallagher's contributions to curriculum and instruction for gifted students over four eras from 1964 to the 1990s. It provides an overview of Gallagher's early work defining characteristics of gifted students and approaches to teaching them arithmetic, science, and social studies. It describes Gallagher's later emphasis on collaboration and the content specialist model for curriculum development. The last section discusses Gallagher's view that curriculum should be driven by the needs and potential of individual students.

1. Shelagh A. Gallagher, Linda P. Robinson, Richard Courtright, Sneha Shah-Coltrane
http://www.rfwp.com
Teaching the Gifted Child: James Gallagher’s
Contributions to Curriculum and Instruction

2. Teaching the
Gifted Child
Era 1:
1964

3. Table of Contents
1 - Definition of Gifted Children
2 - Characteristics of Gifted Children
3 – Low Producers Among Gifted Children
4 – The Changing School Program for the Gifted
5 – Arithmetic for the Gifted
6 – Science for the Gifted
7 - Social Studies for the Gifted
8 – Creativity and Gifted Children
9 – Discovery and Inquiry – Tools for Teaching the Gifted
10 – Programming for Low-Producing Gifted Children
11 – Administrative Changes for the Gifted
12 – Personnel for Work with the Gifted

4. Four Profiles of Gifted
Learners
Cranshaw
Zelda
Joe
Juan
Classroom
Conversations

5. Gallagher Speech Presented at
NAGC, April, 1965
“Theoretically the curriculum should be
based on these fundamental
characteristics which set the gifted child
apart from the average child. In my opinion
this has not been effective because it
presented the teacher with a literally
impossible task.”

6. “It is as though we would ask a perfectly
good general practitioner to not only treat
his clients effectively but also to do basic
research in biochemistry, initiate a whole
new family of antibiotics, test and evaluate
them, then apply them appropriately.”
“Then when these bewildered individuals
fail, as they must inevitably fail, we would
then throw up our hands at their
bewildering incompetency.”

7. Chapter 5:
Arithmetic for the
Gifted
“One obligation of teachers of gifted
children is to allow them the
opportunity of seeing such a
structure, and not to be so concerned
with the solution of an individual
problem as to neglect the over-all
pattern, structure and order” (p.104).

8. Chapter
6:
Science
for the
Gifted
“For gifted children, the
approach should stress a
deep and prolonged emphasis
on one topic, rather than a
superficial bee-flitting
approach to many topics….
The particular area of study…
is probably not terribly
important.
What is important is that the
student experience the
excitement of inquiry, of
striving to solve a difficult
problem and, finally, of
understanding, in depth, the
topic under study.” (p. 130).

9. Chapter 7:
Social
Studies for
the Gifted
How to make SS boring:
“Holiday Curriculum” and “Europe in 3
Days”
“In a world tearing itself apart
through the inability of one man
to communicate with another,
where many leaders of our
society often are economic and
psychological illiterates, it is a
gross disservice to the growing
generation not to give some
better portrait of man and his
problems to those who will be
keystones of the next generation”
(p. 153).

10. • Advanced Conceptualization
• Teaching for Generalizations
• Dramatizing the Human
Element
• The Importance of
Methodology
• The Right to Inquire

11. QUESTIONING STUDIES
“Preliminary Report on Analyses of
Classroom Interaction”
(1963)
James J. Gallagher and Mary Jane Aschner
! Investigated productive thought
processes in gifted children.
! Five consecutive classroom sessions
in 12 classrooms of intellectually
superior junior high children in SS,
math, science and English.
“Three Studies of the Classroom”
James J. Gallagher
Study 1 – Productive Thinking Study
118 boys; 117 girls
Jr. high and high school
Study 2 - Topic Classification Across
Content Areas with the Same
Training
Study 3 – Biological Sciences
Curriculum Study (BSCS, 1959)

12. OVERALL
! Productive Thinking
! Topics Related to
Generalization
! Relationship to Teacher
Questions and Study Talk and
Questions
! Variation
! Summarizing

13. Era 2:
1975
Collaboration

14. http://www.texaspsp.org/resources/PrinciplesDiffCurriculum.pdf

15. Content
! Present content that is related to broad-
based issues, themes, or problems
! Integrate multiple disciplines into area of
study
! Present comprehensive, related, and
mutually reinforcing experiences within an
area of study
! Allow for in-depth learning of a self-selected
topic within the area of study

16. Process
! Develop independent or self-directed study skills
! Develop productive, complex, abstract, and higher-
level thinking skills
! Focus on open-ended tasks
! Develop research skills and methods
! Integrate basic skills and higher-level thinking skills
into the curriculum

17. Product
! Encourage the development of products that
challenge existing ideas and produce “new” ideas
! Encourage the development of products that use
new techniques, materials, and items

18. Affect
! Encourage the development of self-understanding,
i.e., recognizing and using one’s abilities, becoming
self-directed, appreciating likenesses and
differences between oneself and others
! Evaluate student outcomes by using appreciate and
specific criteria through self-appraisal, criterion
references, and/or standardized instruments

19. Ethics

20. The Martian Expedition 5th
grade
! Crashed on Mars for 11 months
! 4 month food supply
! The negligent artist
! Valuable resource
! On holy ground of the natives
! (avoidance)
! Dying Crewman
! Food?
! Yes, doctor error

21. The Kids
JuanSam

22. Era 3:
Curriculum
Development

24. The Challenge of Curriculum
Development
! To design and develop such curriculum, the
K-12 teacher requires an impressive variety of
skills and knowledge.
! The range of knowledge and skills that address
sophisticated content in a variety of areas will
rarely be found in a single human being.

25. To address this problem, James Gallagher implemented
the Content Specialist model in developing curriculum,
based on the idea that...
The sophisticated knowledge of the content
areas is in the possession of scholars and
academicians who are often found in
university settings…
A Solution to the
Challenge

26. “…whereas the special knowledge of how to design
experiences and programs for specific gifted youngsters is
most likely in the possession of experienced and capable
special [gifted] education teachers.
The physical and psychological distance between
persons with these attributes has been inhibiting
sophisticated program development during the past
several decades.”
A Solution to the
Challenge

27. Combining problem-based
learning with the content
specialist model:
! Helps students make connections between classroom
learning and the real world;
! Fosters an inventive spirit in students so they recognize
the world’s problems and needs and think of how to
design, test, redesign, and implement practical solutions;
! Provides high level content specific knowledge of a field
for the rigor gifted students require; and,
! Allows educators to focus on the development of the
problem-based, interdisciplinary project.

30. Era 4 (1990s):
The student drives
implications for
gifted education
curriculum &
instruction

31. • 4th version
Last version and still current
• With Dr. Shelagh Gallagher
• New Student Profile, Stephanie,
representing the artistically gifted child
• Still guides all of our work today,
regarding curriculum and instruction for
students who need advanced learning

32. NC’s Nine Model Sites
! 9 LEAs selected/volunteered to “de-centralize” state process
for ID, C & I, Teacher Preparation, Evaluation (1993-96).
Agreed to financial commitment.
! Needs assessment & recommendations to local school
boards, facilitated by S.T.A.G.E. (Javits and NCDPI funding)
! “Designing, building, and flying the airplane at the same
time.”
! Outcome: State Legislation, Article 9B (1996).
! Continues mandate to identify and serve AIG students but
focuses on local and student needs, not just a one-size fits all
model.
! Every LEA develops a three year gifted local plan with its own
identification and programming components (among others)
to be approved by Local School Boards and reviewed by State
Board of Education.

33. Continued Impact in NC Today
Continued Era 4 (2000s)
All focused on the student
! Article 9B still growing strong.
! NC AIG Program Standards: Differentiated Curriculum and
Instruction Standard, Total School Programming
! Regional Support Structure
! Student Data to guide programming and policies
! Variety of services for our AIG students – DEPs –
program based on student needs.
! Credit by Demonstrated Mastery, Early Graduation, Early
Entry to K, Differentiation Expectations K-12, NCSSM,
NCSOA, Career and College Promise, CIHS, AP/IB, U-
STARS~PLUS

34. Using Problem-based Learning to
Explore Unseen
Academic Potential
Shelagh A. Gallagher
Engaged Education, sgallagher5@carolina.rr.com
James J. Gallagher
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, james.gallagher@unc.edu
Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1322

36. Middle School students’ study
Challenge or Boredom?
(1994-96)
! 871 students from 9 model/pilot sites (E, MS,
HS)
! Student views on their schooling
! Survey Questionnaire
! Results:
! Challenge (AG and math)
! Pacing (E,M, H)
! Educational context: Teacher effectiveness
! Identity: OK to be smart

37. Student Quotes
• Climate & Instructional Issues : I understand that the
teachers are responsible to other students other than myself,
but many times our needs are addressed collectively instead
of individually
• Pacing: I learn the day’s lesson quickly, do my work once I’m
assigned it, and sit bored during class. No challenges are
there to-not being redundant-challenge me.
• Being “gifted”: People respect you and ask for your help.
People look up to you and acknowledge you (MS). Much of the
student body looks down on “gifted” or “exceptional”
students. Many times, creativity is criticized, and possibly,
stifled (HS)

38. Middle School & Gifted Ed:
Educators’ Perceptive
! 400 participants
! Random selection from 4 national advocacy
associations (NAGC, NMSA, ASCD, TA)
! 84% response rate
! Effect size was used to calibrate responses
! Grouping: 1.76
! Curriculum: 1.07
! Program delivery: .89

39. Specialized Settings
! Full time placement for gifted students provides
for:
! Cognitive/Academic needs met through accelerative
content, sophisticated assignments/tasks, research
endeavors, competitions
! Affective needs met through a “community of
learners”
! Highly trained teachers: content knowledge (PhD, MD,
Law, Masters in content area) and teachers “like”
gifted students and other specialized support
personnel (eg counselors)

40. When given appropriate education opportunities,
children who are gifted will become increasingly
knowledgeable; therefore, their need for
differentiation increases as well, as compared to
others of their age, experience, and environment.
-James J. Gallagher