Powerful Learning: Dual Differentiation for Twice-Exceptional Learners

Twice-exceptional (2E) learners’ readiness levels and learning profiles provide unique challenges in providing meaningful, rigorous learning experiences, making it difficult for general education teachers to consistently meet the needs of neurodiverse gifted learners. Differentiation, an instructional strategy which benefits all learners, is frequently used by many teachers to support below-level learners. But teachers do not readily or always effectively use differentiation to support advanced learners. Educators who dually differentiate for depth and complexity for the 2E learner improve both practice and student learning outcomes. Education preparation programs (EPPs) should provide learning opportunities for teacher candidates to explore what, how, and why differentiation works for 2E learners. This praxis paper in the special issue on poster session proceedings shares how an EPP implemented a scenario to develop teacher candidates’ pedagogy related to differentiating for 2E learners, and applies this to inservice professional learning to enhance practicing teachers’ effective use of differentiation.