School of Education & Social Policy :: Teacher Leadership: The Gifted

Teacher Leadership: The Gifted is designed to help certified teachers better meet the unique needs of gifted students in a variety of settings, including mixed-ability classrooms, schools for gifted students and gifted pull-out programs. Although the program's focus is on academically talented students, it also enables teachers and administrators to investigate approaches to curriculum planning and pedagogy that create a challenging learning environment for all students. Courses in Teacher Leadership: The Gifted are aligned with the Illinois Association for Gifted Children's professional teaching standards for teachers of gifted/talented learners.

Courses are scheduled to meet the needs of working educators. Certain courses are taught primarily online with students meeting in-person two Saturdays per quarter. Other classes are held once per week in the evening or during intensive sessions in the summer months.

Teacher Leadership: The Gifted benefits from a partnership with Northwestern University's nationally recognized Center for Talent Development. Experienced educators and researchers in the field of gifted education serve on the faculty for Teacher Leadership: The Gifted.

Students in Teacher Leadership: The Gifted may choose to pursue either a master's degree or a five-course certificate with mainly online courses. The certificate can be completed in one year, and the master's degree can be completed on a part-time basis while the student continues to teach full-time. Students may start taking courses in any academic quarter.

Required courses for Teacher Leadership: The Gifted Certificate Program

MS_ED 441 The Gifted: Differentiating Instruction for Gifted Learners (one-week intensive)

The course discusses differentiation strategies and resources to meet the needs of diverse student populations in the classroom.

MS_ED 442 The Gifted: Theoretical Foundations of Creativity and Giftedness (mainly online)

Participants gain a solid understanding of historical and current perspectives and conceptualizations of giftedness, talent and creativity

MS_ED 443 The Gifted: Leadership and Advocacy (mainly online)

The course explores gifted program standards, models and evaluation along with means of advocating for gifted education at the local, state and national levels.

MS_ED 444 The Gifted: Capstone (independent project)

The purpose of the capstone project is to give class participants an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired through their course work to develop a useful, meaningful and practical project.

MS_ED 445 The Gifted: Advanced Topics in Gifted Education (mainly online)

Participants examine critical issues in the fields of talent development and creativity in-depth.

Courses taken in the certificate program may be applied to the master's degree if the student later applies and is accepted as a matriculated student. The certificate program requires an abbreviated application. See the certificate application process page for more details.

Since Northwestern operates on the quarter system, one class is considered the equivalent of 2-2/3 semester hours. The five-course certificate program amounts to 13-1/3 semester hours. Students have the option to take a sixth class under the certificate program, bringing the total hours to 16.