Differentiating instruction involves responding constructively to what students know. It means providing multiple learning pathways so that students can have access to the most appropriate learning opportunities commensurate with their capacity to learn. It involves matching students’ approach to learning with the most appropriate pedagogy, curriculum goals and opportunities for displaying knowledge gained. This requires the differentiation of regular curriculum.

Differentiation is increasingly recognised as a means for meeting the individual needs of all students and particularly for those who have exceptional learning profiles. For those exceptional learners who have learning difficulties, this differentiation is increasingly seen as the responsibility of classroom teachers. One form of differentiation used to cater for literacy and numeracy underachievement is the Response to Intervention approach. This approach uses students’ capacity to benefit from the instruction provided to infer their approach to learning and to differentiate subsequent teaching to take account of this. Three levels or tiers of teaching differentiations are usually implemented: modification to classroom-based teaching (Tier 1); focused small group interventions (Tier 2); and more intensive intervention comprising 1:1 tutoring (Tier 3). The tier in which an exceptional student is located is determined by their knowledge, which includes their ways of thinking and learning.

The need for modified curriculum provision for gifted and talented learners has long been acknowledged. For these students, however, the differentiation has been implemented in below alternative ways that are more removed from the responsibility of the regular classroom teacher.

being located in the classes of chronologically older students, for example, through early entry to kindergarten, primary, secondary or tertiary education, grade-skipping, subject acceleration/partial acceleration
continuous progress at the gifted students rate of learning, both where this is controlled by the teacher and by the student (self-paced instruction)
curriculum compacting; the gifted students curriculum is modified, for example, to include less introductory activity, drill, and practice or bigger increments in learning compared to the curriculum
telescoping the curriculum; the gifted student is taught at a faster rate than peers and is placed in a higher grade
mentoring
extra-curricular programs and correspondence courses
advanced credit is provided; the gifted students’ advanced knowledge is credentialed in various ways, for example, the subjects studied at one level receive credit for a corresponding subject at a higher level, the student studies subjects at an earlier age (advanced placement) or receives advanced credit by completing successfully the relevant assessment requirements such as examinations (credit by examination).

This set of options focuses on accelerating the gifted students through the curriculum, both through grade placement and curriculum modification as a prime means of providing access to differentiated learning experiences. They have been associated with higher achievement for gifted and talented learners

References:

Munro, J. (2012). The expert knower model as a conceptual tool for understanding gifted and talented knowledge. Occasional Paper (in press). East Melbourne: Centre for Strategic Education.
Reis, S. M., Eckert, R. D., McCoach, D. B., Jacobs, J. K., & Coyne, M. (2008). Using enrichment reading practices to increase reading fluency, comprehension, and attitudes. Journal of Educational Research, 101(5), 299–314.