Study On Integrated Curriculum Model Of Gifted Education In The USA

Curriculum design is one of the fundamental problems in the practice of gifted education.This study takes the Integrated Curriculum Model(ICM)in gifted education as the research object,and use the William & Mary science curriculum units for 4-6 grade designed according to the integrated curriculum model and the “Jacob's Ladder Reading Comprehension Program” for 7-8 grade which is supplemented for the language arts course as cases.Then compared with the Parallel Curriculum Model in gifted education.Through literature analysis,case study and comparative research,the theoretical framework,curriculum design cases and characteristics are analyzed.The enlightenment of cultivating top-notch innovative talents will be summarized.This thesis analyzes and discusses the topic in the following six chapters.The first chapter mainly introduces the research origin of this thesis.After that,the two core concepts “Integrated Curriculum Model” and “Gifted Education” were defined,and the research status of gifted education curriculums at home and abroad was combined to enhance their understanding.Finally,the research contents,research thought and research methods of this thesis are explained.The second chapter analyzes the Integrated Curriculum Model from the theoretical basis and the main components.Its theoretical foundations include Vygotsky's zone of proximal development,constructivism,as well as academic rationalism,which are about challenging tasks,critical thinking,problem-based learning,students' knowledge construction and other aspects of the curriculum content,implementation methods and students' thinking mode lay the foundation for the formation of the curriculum model.After starting from the three dimensions of the Integrated Curriculum Model,analyze the focus,intrinsic connection and application of each dimension in discipline: The content dimension determines “what to learn”,the process-product dimension determines “how to learn”,the concepts / issues / themes dimension determines "how to organize the curriculum content",this three dimensions are different and can complement with each other,jointly direct the curriculum design.The third chapter sorts out William & Mary science curriculum units for 4-6 grade from the basic elements of curriculum design,and then analyzes it with the three dimensions of the integrated curriculum model as the analysis framework.It is found that the curriculum enhances the challenge of content by integrating multidisciplinary content and practical knowledge;it develops students' higher-order thinking skills through the use of problem-based learning and creative product;using conceptual system as the theoretical basis and analytical framework of the curriculum to enable students to develop disciplinary thinking and interdisciplinary understanding.The fourth chapter analyzes “Jacob's Ladder Reading Comprehension Program” for 7-8 grade from the basic elements of the curriculum design,and then analyzes the process-product dimension of Integrating Curriculum Model,and finds that the program emphasizes the use of critical thinking in the process,analysis of multiple perspectives,and focusing on comparison,creation and reflection.The fifth chapter first compares the two cases and sums up the characteristics of the curriculum model which is that students can use multidisciplinary knowledge to solve real problems,use multiple strategies to cultivate students' higher-order thinking skills,and use abstract concept as the learning framework to systematically learn knowledge and use performance-based assessment as the main assessment method.Then comparing with the Parallel Curriculum Model,it is found that the Integrated Curriculum Model is more specific and targeted in the curriculum objectives,the integration of curriculum design principles is strong,the curriculum implementation method is student-centered,and the curriculum assessment focuses on the completion degree of the curriculum objectives.According to the above research,the sixth chapter puts forward suggestions for the curriculum development of gifted education in compulsory education of China : improve the abstraction and multidisciplinary nature of curriculum learning,focusing on integration with basic curriculums;develop higher-order thinking skills through student-centered learning methods and the use of multiple thinking strategies;emphasize that the evaluation is consistent with the curriculum content and the selfmonitoring function of the evaluation.