Download or read book The Peak in the Middle written by Mark E. Saul and published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. This book was released on 2010 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Good teaching is responsive to individual differences, tailoring instruction to meet the needs of individual learners. In gifted education, students need a curriculum that is differentiated (by level, complexity, breadth, and depth), developmentally appropriate, and conducted at a more rapid rate. This collection of essays from experts in the field addresses the particular needs educational institutions have in serving their gifted students. Topics include policy and philosophy; specific program models; supplemental materials and programs; knowledge and skills that teachers need in their work; international opportunities and possibilities; and equity. Many of the points raised are as valid for general education students as for gifted students. Many relate equally well to high school or elementary school. And many apply across the curriculum--not just to mathematics. This book contains nine chapters: (1) Philosophy and Policies to Guide Middle School Mathematics Instruction: Issues of Identification, Acceleration, and Grouping (Tamra Stambaugh and Camilla P. Benbow); (2) Program Models: Matching the Program to the Abilities, Needs, and Interests of Mathematically Talented Students (Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik); (3) Using Curriculum to Develop Mathematical Promise in the Middle Grades (M. Katherine Gavin and Linda Jensen Sheffield); (4) Preparing Teachers for Mathematically Talented Middle School Students (Carole Greenes, Dawn Teuscher, and Troy P. Regis); (5) Extracurricular Opportunities for Mathematically Gifted Middle School Students (Richard Rusczyk); (6) Articulation (Janet Lynne Tassell, Rebecca Ruth Stobaugh, Beth Duvall Fleming, and Chloe R. Harper); (7) Middle School Geometry: a Case Study (John Benson); (8) Equity (Max Warshauer, Terry McCabe, M. Alejandra Sorto, Sharon Strickland, Hiroko Warshauer, and Alex White); and (9) Inspiring and Developing Student Interest: Several Examples from Foreign Schools (Alexander Karp). A preface and afterword are also included.