The Parallel Model

Megan Suggs and Melissa King

Background
Parallel

Structure is a curriculum model not a

program model

Designed

to help teachers to help students make

sense of what they learn

The

original authors believed that gifted

education would make headway for all types of
learners

Model Created By:

Tomlinson,

Kaplan, Renzulli, Purcell, Leppien, and

Burns (2002)

Designed

from and supported by the research of:

Ausubel (1968), Bandura (1977), Bruner (1960,
1966), Gagne and Briggs (1977), James (1885),
Phenix (1964), Taba (1962) and Bloom (1956)

Basic Structure
Concept-driven

curriculum model

Four

parallel approaches to help students explore

and understand the disciplines

Core: What are the concepts and principles of a discipline?

Connections:

How do they help me to make

connections in and among what I learn?

Practice:

How do experts use them?

Identity:

How can they teach me about myself?

Basic Structure, continued

Uses

key curricular components to ensure

coherent planning

Aimed

at supporting all students in moving

systematically toward expertise

Also

a mechanism for ensuring persistent

challenge for advanced learners

Graphic Organizer from 587 in book

Parallels
Core
Connections

Practice
Identity

Essential Question
What are the big ideas & skills of a
discipline
How do they help me make
connections in & among the things I
learn?
How do experts use them?
How can they teach me about
myself?

Why This Model would meet the needs

of Gifted Learners
Appropriate

for all Learners of Special

Populations
Breaks

down the act of learning to help each

student make sense of their own learning at
each stage

Also

Appropriate for All Learners, not just

Gifted and Talented Learners

Why This Model would meet the needs

of Highly Gifted Learners
High

Ability Learners would benefit from

this model
Connected

to Ascending Intellectual Demand

(AID) strategies

Add

in additional strategies that raise the level

of challenge in a lesson, assignment or
curriculum unit

Address

each students Zone of Proximal

Development

Evidence of the Model Being Used

Project

CONN-CEPT in 2002

Research

Study that showed how difficult the

Parallel Structure is to implement

School

staff, especially the teachers, had

limited time and resources to implement the
structure

Showed

an overwhelming need for professional

development through administrators and
teachers

Evidence of the Model Being Used,

continued
Although

the entire Parallel Curriculum Model can be

overwhelming, you might also see the model being used:
Contracts
Centers
Agendas
Independent
Homework
Options
Alternatives
Choices

Study

Resources:

Book
http://people.wm.edu/~clties/PCM_Shelby_short.pdf

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=10&ved=
0CEwQFjAJ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgifted.tki.org.nz%2Fcontent%2Fdownload%2F
3408%2F25374%2Ffile%2FParallel%2520Curriculum%2520Model.pptx&ei=MaPP
VOHTIsLEggSFroD4BQ&usg=AFQjCNH9mYm9F5ToDh8hJm9l-ObTsccN_A&sig2=JjVlX
86CToOlwKqMfbS5IA&bvm=bv.85076809,d.eXY
http
://www.negifted.org/NAG/Spring_Conference_files/Using%20the%20Parallel
%20Curriculum%20Model%20to%20Develop%20Thinking.pdf

https://prezi.com/oqigdro8frp5/the-parallel-curriculum-model/