The Parallel Curriculum Model PCM The Parallel Curriculum

The Parallel Curriculum Model (PCM) • The Parallel Curriculum Model (PCM) was developed by Dr. Carol Ann Tomlinson in an attempt to take lessons to a more inclusive level. The biggest advantage of this curriculum model is that it "can be adapted for any learner, subject domain, or grade level. "

Carol Ann Tomlinson • Carol Ann Tomlinson's career as an educator includes 21 years as a public school teacher, 12 years as a program administrator of special services for struggling and advanced learners. She was Virginia's Teacher of the Year in 1974. She is a reviewer for eight journals and an author of over 200 articles, book chapters, books, and other professional development materials.

The use of the PCM's four component structure • The nature of the Parallel Curriculum Model and its 4 components makes it very easy to use within a GIFTED classroom, collaboration or even selfcontained classroom setting. • Classroom teachers can choose to incorporate any one or more of the curriculum's in a particular lesson or unit and develop activities based on student learning styles and readiness. Here's a snapshot of how each curriculum component is used. .

The four Dimensions of PCM • Core Curriculum • Curriculum of Connections • Curriculum of Practice • Curriculum of Identity

The Core Curriculum • The Core Curriculum is a plan that includes a set of guidelines and procedures to help curriculum developers address the core concepts, principles, and skills of a discipline. This parallel is designed to help students understand essential, discipline-based information, concepts, principles, and skills through the use of representative topics, inductive teaching, and analytic learning activities. • • • Promotes student understanding of a discipline Makes new learning easier and more efficient Promotes content expertise Promotes teachers’ understanding of a discipline Promotes higher level thinking Responds to the knowledge explosion in a practical and efficient manner Promotes equity and opportunity to learn Increases depth of understanding Promotes transfer

The Curriculum of Connections • The Curriculum of Connections builds upon the Core Curriculum. It is a plan that includes a set of guidelines and procedures to help curriculum developers connect overarching concepts, principles, and skills within and across disciplines, time periods, cultures, places, and/or events. This parallel is designed to help students understand overarching concepts and principles as they relate to new content and content areas. • • • To discover key ideas in multiple contexts To use ideas from one context to understand another context To use connections and contexts to formulate questions and hypotheses To improve depth of understanding To see the world in a grain of sand To enhance perspective To improve problem solving To “make the strange familiar” To develop wisdom

The Curriculum of Practice • The Curriculum of Practice is a plan that includes a set of guidelines and procedures to help students understand, use, generalize, and transfer essential knowledge, understandings, and skills in a field to authentic, discipline-based practices and problems. This parallel is designed to help students function with increasing skill and competency as a scholar, researcher, problem solver, or practitioner in a field. • Allows students to function as a practitioner, a producer, a researcher, or a scholar in the discipline • Helps students see the relationship between the questions that disciplines seek to answer and the questions that they seek to answer in their daily lives • Allows students to assume a leadership role in conducting their own research • Provides a rationale for the persistent student question, “Why is this so important to learn? ” • Provides students with the tools and methods for independent learning • Offers students the opportunity to learn how to use and apply the skills of the discipline in real world situations

Curriculum of Identity • The Curriculum of Identity is a plan that includes a set of guidelines and procedures to assist students in reflecting upon the relationship between the skills and ideas in a discipline and their own lives, personal growth, and development. This parallel is designed to help students explore and participate in a discipline or field as it relates to their own interests, goals, and strengths, both now and in the future. • Emphasizes the role of the individual within a content area • Provides opportunities for self exploration • Supports an individual’s search for affinity, affiliation, and knowledge of self • Offers a sequential plan to address increasing levels of interest and commitment to a field

The Parallel Curriculum Model (PCM) Hopefully, if you are a regular classroom teacher, you are familiar with and using the core curriculum (Now known as the common core curriculum. ) in your classroom every day.

Evidence of Effectiveness of PCM using Connections 7 th Grade Mathematics 7 th Grade Social Studies • Students retain and gain a better understanding of subject matter when they can make a connection to real-life situations or even other content areas. In 7 th Grade Social Studies, the following standards are covered and are directly correlated to several 7 th Grade Mathematical Standards: • Economic Understandings : • SS 7 E 8 The student will analyze different economic systems. a. Compare how traditional, command, market economies answer the economic questions of (1) what to produce, (2) how to produce, and (3) for whom to produce. b. Explain how most countries have a mixed economy located on a continuum between pure market and pure command. c. Compare and contrast the economic systems in China, India, Japan, and North Korea. • In 7 th Grade Mathematics, Unit 3 -Ratios and Proportional Reasoning, students are introduced to a concept called “unit rates. ” This concept is used in Social Studies as a means of converting foreign and domestic currency between countries that directly impact the US Economy, and identifying how these conversions impact GDP, income and consumer confidence: • MGSE 7. RP. 1 Compute unit rates associated with ratios of fractions, including ratios of lengths, areas and other quantities measured in like or different units. For example, if a person walks 1/2 mile in each 1/4 hour, compute the unit rate as the complex fraction (1/2)/(1/4) miles per hour, equivalently 2 miles per hour.

Evidence of Effectiveness of the PCM using its Four Components Self-Expressive Question Create your own unit rate problem where you have to determine the exchange rate of foreign currency based on the following scenario: “You are traveling back from Saudi Arabia with 652. 71 Riyal. On the way back to the US, you have to pass through China, and India, where you are required to convert to each country’s currency before leaving for the next country. ” How much money in US currency will you have after all the conversions? Create a table or a model to display your results.

Evidence of Effectiveness of the PCM using its Four Components (c 0 nt. ) Mastery Question: Determine the best buy of the following scenario using unit rates: A 12 -ounce sports drink costs $0. 99, and a 16 ounce sports drink costs $1. 19. Which size is the best buy? If you had 6. 57 Chinese Yuan, would you be able to purchase the sports drink that is the best buy? Understanding Question You and a coworker have just won the lottery for 40 million US dollars. After taxes and splitting the winnings equally, you both receive 15 million which you plan to use to retire in a foreign country. You check the currency exchange rates in the following countries: China, England Jamaica: (use the concept of unit rates to check your answers). Which country will provide you with the maximum amount of money if you decide to retire there and convert to their currency? What will that amount be based on the above table? Explain your outcome of your calculations. Countries US Exchang e Rate China England Jamaica $1 $1 $1 6. 5784. 7018 120. 300

With whom might I use the PCM? • Individual students • Small groups of students • Entire classes • Students with specific interests and affinities • Students who are currently unmotivated by traditional curriculum • Students with advanced levels of prior knowledge • Students with latent strengths and abilities • Students with advanced cognitive abilities

Ten Unique Things About PCM • Defines curriculum and curriculum models • Describes the 10 components of curriculum design • Unifies various purposes for differentiated curriculum • Identifies specific goals for each parallel • Describes how curriculum can be used to address the affective domain • Describes specifics for increasing intellectual challenge • Treats all parallels as equal in value • Supports an inclusive approach to special education • Addresses collaboration between ESE, gifted, and general education • Stresses the development of talent and expertise for every learner