Guidance and counseling gifted students to help them achieve their talents requires skillful coaching and motivational address of the students in their care, with a particular focus on college and career readiness, addressing the needs of special categories of learners, and development of the gifted students’ full potential.. This course will examine the need for special guidance and counseling of the gifted and talented, and propose multiple self-concept and motivational strategies focused on their specific needs for career and family counseling. Students will be able to identify common attitudes, biases, and expectations about gifted students, then research the ways in which these attitudes and biases affect learning, behavior, environment, etc. Understanding personality types, characteristics of emotional and spiritual giftedness, along with  strengths, vulnerabilities, and how they tie into specific behaviors among gifted students. As participants learn to identify risk factors and resiliency related to gifted students, they will come to understand categories of acceleration while understanding, and rising to, the need for supportive services needed for gifted individuals due to the complexity and sensitivity of their nature.

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This course is 60 hours

Participants will learn the various theories behind the pedagogy of the gifted and talented in order to differentiate and adapt instruction. Knowledge of the role of state and national standards will be pivotal to understanding the principles of differentiation and UDL. After researching and reviewing models for teaching gifted students, participants will understand and practice with the delivery of effective models of instructional strategies and curriculum selection. The role of assessment will drive selection, planning, and student placement to effectively match instructional needs to learners. After identifying student needs, participants will locate resources both in the course and outside of the course through action research that are pertinent to their students’ needs. Demonstrate the ability to develop a unit of instruction aligning curricular components to Florida State Standards, including objectives, introduction, teaching strategies, learning activities, products, resources, and assessments to meet the cognitive and affective needs of gifted learners. Knowledge of a continuum of services that support the needs and interests of gifted students will be key. Demonstration of various types of assessments and assessment strategies used before, during, and after instruction will also provide evidence of student growth and understanding. Participants will ultimately demonstrate their ability to work and communicate effectively with students, families, and school personnel in the interest of students who are gifted.

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This course is 60 hours

After an introduction to theory of inclusion and giftedness, participants in this course will work diligently to examine and analyze the resources for mainstreaming and research-based approaches with strategies that work for inclusion of students with special needs in regular classrooms. Various programs from around the country will be analyzed and vetted for their movement of students in gifted programs, along with an introduction to multiple resources that include materials, strategy guides, implementation tools, and examples to be embedded into final projects. Rich discussion will inform larger sections of theory and sharing of best practices that interface with course approaches and what research says about teaching to students in inclusive settings, particularly for the gifted. Competencies include educating special populations of gifted students such as minorities, underachievers, handicapped, economically disadvantaged and highly gifted to include student characteristics and programmatic adaptations.

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This course is 60 hours

Valuing creativity, the knowledge and characteristics of creativity, its importance in the curriculum; implications, and benefits of creative thinking in the classroom will be explored in-depth. From assessment and evaluation, to personalizing a committed action plan and teaching it will all occupy the focus within this course. History and theory of gifted and talented education will interface with how it can be used to address problems in society, promote personal growth, and build student capacity in reading, writing, thinking, and problem-solving. This course is geared toward introducing participants to multiple cognitive-based strategies with a strong research based, proven to work in gifted settings. Beginning with environment, participants will look at methods to nurture creativity by cultivating and employing “the art brain” in their students.  In addition, students will examine the role assessments play in evaluating and differentiating for creativity. They will investigate various creative programs and design instructional plans that work to establish an appropriate classroom environment that nurtures and fosters creative thinking.

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This course is 60 hours

This course provides an overview of the nature and historical evolution of gifted education to include its importance, implications, and overall benefits. Significant events, policies, and procedures affecting the delivery of gifted education will be reviewed, as well as the cognitive, social, and emotional characteristics specific to students identified as gifted. Historical, national, and state definition of giftedness will be examined. Teaching gifted students involves careful planning and identification of students; use of data in the planning stages, delivery models, and a teamed approach that involves parents and all educational stakeholders. Analyzing student/teacher relationships and prioritizing needs will begin with individualized student plans as participants develop their ability to analyze and plan to differentiate for multiple learner types and instructional needs.  Strategies for co-teaching using traditional and 21st century curriculum will inform an understanding of the teacher's responsibility for record-keeping and developing suitable educational plans.

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This course is 60 hours