Chapter 10: Mathematics For The Gifted Learner

—NCTM Agenda for Action (1980)

This is the first of a series of three articles on the provision of special programs for gifted learners in mathematics. This article will contain a summary of the characteristics of these students. The second article will describe the implications for the mathematics curriculum, and the final article will include a unit to illustrate differentiation for gifted learners.

There have been significant changes in the high school population in the last decade or so. Social and economic factors are largely responsible. Demands of employers for high academic qualifications coupled with high rates of unemployment (particularly among youth) have forced almost all young people to seek a high school diploma. In past years it was possible for students who had difficulty mastering an academic program to leave school and find a job. This is no longer possible; hence, there is a very broad range of abilities apparent in the mainstream classroom. It would appear that students at the extremes of the learning spectrum will be short changed unless their unique needs are met through special programs.