Course Requirements & Plan of Study – AIG

The Graduate Certificate Program in Academically or Intellectually Gifted consists of a 12 credit hour sequence. Each course is worth 3 credits. Candidates typically enroll in 1-2 courses per semester. The four required courses are listed below in sequential order. We recommend that candidates take the courses in order as they are designed to build off one another.

SPED 5211 Nature and Needs of Gifted Students:

Offered in Fall and 1st Summer | No prerequisites

Examination of the historical and philosophical perspectives of education for gifted and talented learners with emphasis on answering the question “What is giftedness?” Issues explored in the course include identification procedures, instructional options, the nature of intelligence and creativity, laws/policies, psychological and emotional correlates of talent, and current research findings.

SPED 6124 Methods of Instructing Gifted Students:

Offered in Fall Only | Prerequisite or co-requisite: SPED 5211

An introduction to the basic skills necessary to plan, implement, and evaluate instructional procedures that facilitate learning by gifted students. Specific theories discussed include Bloom, Bruner, Krathwohl, Parnes, Kohlberg

Course Note: This course requires candidates to implement and reflect on lesson plans they will teach in a classroom that includes identified AIG students or other learners who show evidence of high potential. Usually this means candidates are currently teaching in a classroom.

SPED 6161 Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted Students:

Offered in Spring and 2nd Summer | No prerequisites

An overview of current theory and practice in understanding gifted students’ social and emotional development. Topics discussed in class range from the social and emotional needs of the general population of gifted students to the unique needs of specific sub-groups of gifted students (e.g., gifted girls, gifted and learning disabled, gifted minority students)

SPED 6224 Adapting Curriculum Materials and Classroom Differentiation:

Offered in Spring Only | Prerequisites: SPED 5211 and SPED 6124 | Prerequisite or corequisite: SPED 6161

Students study methods of making accommodations to meet the gifted students in the regular classroom. Topics include differentiated lesson plans based on national and state standards as well as methods of adapting the learning environment to support multi-level learning

Course Note: This course requires candidates to implement and reflect on lesson plans they will teach in a classroom that includes identified AIG students or other learners who show evidence of high potential. Usually this means candidates are currently teaching in a classroom.

Timelines

To help you plan your course of study, note the following times when courses are offered:

SPED 5211: Summer Session 1 and Fall only

SPED 6124: Fall only

SPED 6161: Summer Session 2 and Spring only

SPED 6224: Spring only

Options for course sequence depend on when you enroll in the program. Whenever possible, we recommend that courses are taken in sequence. Candidates should plan out their course of study with their advisor’s input. When deciding on the course sequence, candidates should consider their anticipated graduation date.

NOTE: Candidates who plan to apply for financial aid must be enrolled part-time each semester. This is equivalent to taking 4.5 credits each semester. To retain financial aid, candidates should register for 2 courses per semester.

There may be a 2-credit-hour online topics course (EDUC 6000-080) titled “Classroom Management: Culturally Responsive Classroom Management” that students may take in conjunction with a 3-credit-hour course in order to earn 5-credit-hours and qualify for half-time financial aid. When this course is available, candidates will need to contact Dr. Adam Myers (amyers35@uncc.edu) in the Department of Middle, Secondary, and K-12 Education for a permit to enroll.

The table below shows examples of possible course sequences. Option 1 and 2 are typical course sequences.

*Option 2 is an accelerated one for candidates who wish to receive their AIG license by the following May, usually due to a district requirement. Note that this option is a larger time commitment than taking one course per semester. Candidates should discuss this option with their advisor.

**For Option 3, if you choose to not take a summer course, you will need to take SPED 5211 and SPED 6124 in the fall to be able to graduate the following May.

***Note that Option 6 will not include a course in Spring of Year 1.

For more information about these courses and your plan of study, please contact Dr. Gilson at cgilson@uncc.edu.