ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides a clear and cogent way to approach the development of curriculum for gifted and high-ability learners that is substantive, rigorous, and aligns with the paradigm of academic rationalism via the integrated curriculum model (ICM). The ICM has relevance to other areas of the curriculum such as the arts, technology, and foreign language. Constructivist philosophy pervades many of the new curricula at the instructional level, using approaches that allow students to create meaning for themselves. Many gifted programs try to be eclectic in their curricular orientation, never ascribing totally to one view over another. The book argues that an overarching concept or theme can bind curriculum study together within and across areas of learning so students can appreciate the world of ideas as a superordinate bridge to understanding their world.
