Gifted Education Online Modules

Affective Guidance: Addressing the Social-Emotional Needs of Gifted Students 1.5 credits

We invite you to recognize the affective needs of gifted students, to understand the components of a supportive classroom environment as well as the impact of appropriate intervention, and to be able to respond to specific social/emotional and educational needs of gifted students in a classroom environment. Required Text: When Gifted Kids Don't Know All the Answers by Jim Delisle. Ph.D., and Judy Galbraith, M.A.

Creativity for the Gifted Learner 1.0 credit

In this module you will be introduced to specific information, research, strategies, and models for developing and/or enhancing creativity. Instruction in this module will enable you to recognize, nurture, and assist in developing the creativity of your student/s. When researching the field of creativity, one will find a multitude of opinions, suggestions, and ideas. This module is a selection of information gleaned from educational, psychological, and mainstream resources. In that sense, it is clear that creativity transcends the classroom walls. One can find creativity in a backyard as children fashion a clubhouse from found materials as well as in a dance studio at the Joffrey Ballet. We may be surrounded by creative individuals and not even realize it. Required Text: Fostering Creativity in Gifted Students by Bonnie Cramond.

Developing Mathematical Thinking in Gifted Learners 1.5 credits

During this course the participant will:

• Identify mathematically promising students.
• Use a variety of evidenced-based programming and instructional strategies to create environments that promote the growth of the mathematically promising.
• Select, modify and/or create materials to use with these students.
• Assess the effectiveness of the strategies and materials used with mathematically promising students.

Each of the sections in this module is designed to help you increase your expertise in working with students with mathematical promise.

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Gifted Learners 1.5 credits

This course is designed to introduce educators to the unique characteristics and needs of gifted students from culturally and linguistically diverse populations.  In addition, they will investigate teaching strategies used to develop talent, multiple pathways to gifted identification and best practices for increasing cultural competence within schools and systems.

The Gifted Learner 1.0 credit

This course is an introduction to understanding the characteristics and needs of gifted learners and will provide you with a foundation in gifted education. This course also includes resources and strategies supported by research that have been shown to be most effective for gifted learners. It will provide the interactive structure supported by a facilitator for participants to both practice and reflect upon implementation in an on-going manner.

The Gifted Reader 1.0 credit

This course will assist educators in identifying the characteristics and needs of gifted readers. Using a K-12 student as their case study, participants will practice strategies and design a reading unit that adds depth and complexity to lessons for the gifted reader.

Raising Thinking Skills for Gifted Learners, a Concept-Based Model 1.5 credits

This course will assist teachers to build higher level thinking skills and expertise for gifted learners via “pathways” for creative, critical, and reflective thinking. Strategies for building higher level thinking through different questioning models will be highlighted as just one approach to “bump up” the thinking levels of gifted students. Each section in this module will assist teachers to build skills for the development of a concept-based lesson or unit framed around essential questions and higher level questions for gifted students.

Twice-Exceptional (2e) Level 1: Foundations 1.0 credit

This course is designed to provide you with an understanding of the complex characteristics and needs of different 2e learners.  You will collaborate with others in the course to use strength-based programming to develop an educational plan that is responsive to a student’s profile.

Using Depth & Complexity to Differentiate 1.5 credits

In this module participants learn the basics of differentiation including the five key elements, what to differentiate and strategies to use for differentiation.  Participants also learn about the depth and complexity prompts and content imperatives and how to increase rigor in their instruction.  Using a case study example participants develop and implement their own instructional plan for gifted/advanced students by incorporating the depth and complexity thinking model within differentiation strategies.