The MindPlus curriculum

The MindPlus curriculum was developed by the New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education following the merger of Gifted Kids and the Gifted Education Centre (One Day School) in 2014 and draws on elements of both organisations’ curricula as well as international research and recommendations for best practice in gifted education. The curriculum development process was guided by Associate Professor Tracy Riley, who is a recognised expert in gifted education both here and internationally and consults with the Ministry of Education on gifted education. It has strong links to the Principles and Key Competencies in the New Zealand Curriculum and part of the consultation process during the development of the curriculum was discussions with personnel at both the Ministry of Education and the New Zealand Council for Educational Research. As with all curricula, the curriculum is open to development and ever-evolving.
The MindPlus curriculum is a specialised, differentiated curriculum designed to help meet the learning, social and emotional needs of gifted learners in New Zealand.
Learning strands in the MindPlus curriculum include three content strands and three process strands.
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Content Strands

• Personal Development:
  Personal development is about the exploration, understanding, development and acceptance of intra- and interpersonal knowledge and skills. The key focus for this curriculum strand is on understanding giftedness and the associated implications for managing self, relating to others and participating and contributing. 
  
• Conceptual Development: 
  Conceptual development involves complex and in-depth identification, exploration and formation of deep understandings related to universal concepts and big ideas. Conceptual development is accelerated, abstract and interdisciplinary learning. 
  
• Talent Development:
  Talent development is about the in-depth exploration and development of strengths, talents, interests and passions moving in a deliberate and planned way towards expertise. To further their giftedness, students need to participate in challenging learning experiences that extend from their talents, abilities and interests. 
  
  

Process Strands

• Research Development
• Complex Thinking Development
• Communication Development

While each of the learning strands is included as separate components, they are integrally connected. Progress in the learning strands is demonstrated in two ways: increasing breadth, depth, sophistication and complexity in students’ understanding and products of learning and increasing self-directedness in the pursuit and application of their learning.
At the New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education we are committed to quality teaching and learning for gifted students in particular, therefore, it is essential that our teachers’ pedagogy reflects the special intellectual, social, emotional and cultural needs of gifted learners. Research and experience tells us that gifted students learn best when their teachers create a responsive learning environment specifically for gifted learners and personalise learning for individual students. This is reflected in our curriculum.