Innovative curriculum design: creating a multidisciplinary instructional unit for high ability learners

Abstract

Outstanding teachers are ones who support all types of learners in their classroom. High ability learners often fall through the cracks in a general education classroom because they tend to be more independent and achieve at a higher level. Teachers tend to focus on their struggling students because they are driven to close the achievement gap and increase these students’ success rates. Students who are identified as high ability learners require just as much support as struggling students, but that support is shown in a different way. High ability learners have unique characteristics such as: rapid learning, complex thinking, extrapolation of knowledge, multipotentiality, and many others. These characteristics require learning activities that stimulate their critical and creative thinking skills. It is important for teachers to support the development of high ability students by providing them with opportunities that require higher level thinking and application of content. One way to provide these students with an appropriate learning experience is to teach a multi-week unit that includes the creation of a cumulative project. In this creative project, a multidisciplinary unit is developed. This work provides educators with the resources and materials needed to carry out a comprehensive unit for high ability students.