Overview+of+PCM

The Parallel Curriculum Model is a concept-based approach to developing curriculum for a broad range of students. It offers four parallel ways of thinking about curriculum: Core, Connections, Practice, and Identity

Core //Understanding// "What are the big ideas and skills of a discipline?" (Tomlinson et al., 2002).
 * The core is the "starting point for all the parallels in this model" (Tomlinson et al., 2002).
 * The core is the foundational curriculum where national or state standards are used and implemented.
 * The core "establishes the basis of understanding within relevant subjects in grade levels" (Karnes & Bean, 2009).

Connections //Linkages// "How do they help me make connections in and among the things I learn?" (Tomlinson et al., 2002).
 * The connections are an extension of the core.
 * The connections help support students' learning and aids them in other studies.
 * The connections "help students think about and apply key concepts, principles, and skills" (Tomlinson et al., 2002).

Practice //Applications// "How do experts use them?" (Tomlinson et al., 2002).
 * When put into practice, the students become a part of the discipline rather than simply studying it.
 * When put into practice, the students understand the nature of the discipline in a real-world application.

<span style="display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: center;">Identity //Self-Actualization// <span style="display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: center;">"How can they teach me about myself?" (Tomlinson et al., 2002).
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Students gain identity when they reflect upon the relationship between the skills learned and their own interest.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Students gain identity when they "study essential information skills, concepts, and guiding principles of a discipline as a vehicle for increased self understanding" (Renzulli et al., 2009).