One of the curriculum development efforts of the Center for Gifted Education at the College of William and Mary has resulted in a problem-based learning (PBL) science curriculum for high-ability learners in grades kindergarten through eight. Professional development programs accompany the curriculum, which are designed to facilitate unit implementation and to enable educators to develop their own units. The purpose of this discussion is to analyze the use of problem-based learning as a catalyst for developing and implementing a curriculum that is both challenging and constructivist in its orientation. The authors compare problem-based learning with creative problem solving and inquiry, explain how metacognition is linked to the approach of problem-based learning, and describe the PBL-based inservice programs developed for teachers and administrators. Implications for implementing problem-based learning in classrooms for gifted learners conclude the discussion.
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