Catering for exceptional students in mathematics

Recently, there has been considerable attention to the development of the mathematical capability of Australasian citizens. It is widely accepted that all citizens should be numerate. That is, they should be able to cope with the everyday mathematical demands of life at school, in the home, at work, and in the community. Additionally, there is a need for adequate numbers of citizens to develop the high-level mathematical capability necessary to support and advance our technologically-oriented society (Howard, 2001; MacGillivray, 2000). Thus, the dual goals of contemporary mathematics education are (1) to develop a numerate citizenry, and (2) to develop a society with sufficient high-level mathematical capability. However, to achieve these goals, we must understand how to adequately cater for exceptional students, such as those who have learning difficulties and those who are gifted in mathematics. While students with learning difficulties and gifted students clearly differ substantively, they are both "at risk" of underachieving in mathematics (Diezmann, Thornton, & Watters, 2003). This chapter provides an overview of the context for the education of students with learning difficulties and mathematically gifted students, reviews the associated research, and suggests avenues for future mathematics education research to support exceptional students