Reporter's Notebook

Williamsburg, Va.

Educators received pointers on how to differentiate their instruction to address the needs of youngsters of varying ability levels at a recent conference focusing on strategies for teaching gifted students.

At the March 7-10 conference here, sponsored by the Center for Gifted Education at the College of William and Mary, differentiated instruction was cited by several speakers as part of the answer to meeting gifted students' needs. The center's annual National Curriculum Network Conference focused this year on the theme "Seeking Excellence in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment."

Differentiation, the use of varied teaching techniques to serve students of different ability levels within the same class, can help prevent gifted students who are taught within regular classes from underachieving, explained Carol Ann Tomlinson, an education professor at the University of Virginia. It can also be useful in classes of all gifted students, because some may excel in some subjects but struggle...