Gifted & Creative Education

Degree: Master of Education
https://www.towson.edu/coe/departments/earlychildhood/grad/gifted-creative-education/

Program Director: Dr. Sara Hooks
Phone: 410-704-4628
Email: [email protected]

The M.Ed. in Gifted & Creative Education is an advanced degree program designed to prepare the degree candidate for a future professional role, to increase competence in a current career role or to provide a step toward further study in the field of gifted and creative education. It is not an initial teaching certification or licensure program, but an opportunity for increased professional development at the graduate level. With a special emphasis on diverse learners, the MEd program in Gifted and Creative Education help teachers to develop children's problem solving and thinking skills. 

The M.Ed. in Gifted & Creative Education makes available a strong foundational knowledge of principles of development (human, child, and/or adolescent), and concepts from the fields of assessment, curriculum, instruction and research to provide candidates with the basis for understanding these exceptional learners. The program is designed so that it will provide candidates with the maximum benefit to enhance their professional interests and needs. For this reason, all candidates will take five core courses designed to provide them with exposure to and expertise in ways to develop the talents of gifted and creative children. The program will also explore concerns and issues facing the field, including concerns about increasing access to Gifted & Creative Education programming for children from traditionally underserved groups. To that end, the program will help candidates to acquire new ways to conceptualize giftedness, creativity and talent that are not based upon traditional approaches. 

Towson University's M.Ed. in Gifted & Creative Education is aligned with National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Advanced Standards in Gifted and Talented Education. These advanced standards stress seven components that teachers of the gifted, talented and creative child must master, including:

1. Assessment;
2. Curricular content knowledge;
3. Programs, services, and outcomes;
4. Research & inquiry;
5. Leadership and policy;
6. Professional and ethical practice; and
7. Collaboration.

The 30-unit program consists of five required courses, an internship and four elective courses that are designed to provide each student with a deeper understanding of the knowledge base represented by these advanced standards, while supporting individual areas of professional specialization and academic interest. The faculty in the Gifted & Creative Education program has developed specific courses to support students in their professional development and in their future contributions to the field of gifted and creative education through their chosen career paths.

NAGC Advanced Standard 1.0: Gifted education specialists use valid and reliable assessment practices to minimize bias

Assessment is critical to the advanced roles of gifted education specialists. Underlying assessment is the knowledge of systems and theories of educational assessment, along with skills in examining the technical adequacy of instruments and the implementation of evidence based practices in assessment. It is critical that assessments that minimize bias are used in the selection of instruments, methods, and procedures for both programs and individuals. With respect to assessment of individuals with gifts and talents, gifted education specialists in advanced roles apply their knowledge and skill to all stages and purposes of assessment, including identification of abilities, strengths, and interests and in monitoring and reporting learning progress in the general education curriculum as well as in the specialized curriculum in their gifted education placement.

NAGC Advanced Standard 2.0: Gifted education specialists use their knowledge of general1 and specialized2 curricula to improve programs, supports, and services at classroom, school, community, and system levels

Gifted education specialists use their deep understanding of educational standards within and across domains to provide access to challenging curriculum to meet the needs of individuals with exceptionalities. Gifted education specialists continuously broaden and deepen their professional knowledge, and expand their expertise with technologies, curriculum standards, effective teaching strategies, and assistive technologies to support learning. Gifted education specialists how individual learning differences and diversity inform the selection, development and implementation of comprehensive and cohesive curricula for individuals with exceptionalities.

NAGC Advanced Standard 3.0: Gifted education specialists facilitate the continuous improvement of general and gifted education programs, supports, and services at the classroom, school, and system levels for individuals with exceptionalities

Effective gifted educators in advanced roles design and implement research activities to evaluate the effectiveness of instructional practices and to assess progress toward the organizational vision, mission, and goals of their programs. They develop procedures for continuous improvement management systems. They use their understanding of the effects of cultural, social, and economic diversity and variations of individual development to inform their development of programs and services for individuals with exceptional learning needs. Gifted educators in advanced roles apply their knowledge of cognitive science, learning theory, and instructional technologies to improve instructional programs at the schoolwide and system-wide levels. They provide for a continuum of services to ensure the appropriate instructional supports for individuals with exceptional learning needs. They use their deep understanding of educational standards to help all individuals with exceptional learning needs access challenging curriculum.

NAGC Advanced Standard 4.0: Gifted education specialists conduct, evaluate, and use inquiry to guide professional practice

Research and inquiry inform the decisions of gifted educators in advanced roles in guiding professional practice. Gifted educators in advanced roles know models, theories, philosophies, and research methods that form the basis for evidence-based practices in gifted education. This knowledge includes information sources, data collection, and data analysis strategies. Gifted educators in advanced roles evaluate the appropriateness of research methodologies in relation to practices presented in the literature. They use educational research to improve instructional techniques, intervention strategies, and curricular materials. They foster an environment supportive of continuous instructional improvement and engage in the design and implementation of action research. Gifted educators in advanced roles are able to use the literature to resolve issues of professional practice and help others understand various evidence-based practices.

NAGC Advanced Standard 5.0: Gifted education specialists provide leadership to formulate goals, set and meet high professional expectations, advocate for effective policies and evidence-based practices, and create positive and productive work environments

Gifted educators in advanced roles promote high professional self-expectations and help others understand the needs of individuals with exceptional learning needs within the context of an organization's mission. They advocate laws based on solid evidence-based knowledge to support high quality education for individuals with exceptional learning needs. They also advocate for appropriate resources to ensure that all personnel involved have effective preparation. Gifted educators in advanced July 2013 4 roles use their knowledge of organizational theory and the needs of different groups in a pluralistic society to formulate organizational goals promoting evidence-based practices and challenging expectations for individuals with exceptional learning needs. They provide leadership to create procedures that respect all individuals and permit professionals to practice ethically. They create positive and productive work environments and celebrate accomplishments with colleagues.

NAGC Advanced Standard 6.0: Gifted education specialists use foundational knowledge of the field and professional ethical principles and Program Standards to inform gifted education practice, engage in lifelong learning, advance the profession, and perform leadership responsibilities to promote the success of professional colleagues and individuals with exceptionalities

Gifted education specialists in advanced roles have a comprehensive knowledge of gifted education as an evolving and changing discipline based on philosophies, evidence-based principles and theories, relevant laws and policies, diverse and historical points of view, and issues that have influenced and continue to influence gifted education and the education of and services for individuals with exceptionalities both in school and in society. They are guided by professional ethics and practice standards. In their advanced roles gifted educators have leadership responsibilities for promoting the success of individuals with exceptional learning needs, their families, and colleagues. They create supportive environments that safeguard the legal rights of students, families, and school personnel through policies and procedures that promote ethical and professional practice. Gifted educators in advanced roles continuously broaden and deepen their professional knowledge, and expand their expertise with instructional technologies, curriculum, effective teaching strategies, and assistive technologies to support access to learning. Gifted educators in advanced roles plan, present, and evaluate professional development based on models that apply adult learning theories and focus on effective practice at all organizational levels. They are actively involved in the preparation and induction of prospective gifted educators. Gifted educators in advanced roles model their own commitment to continuously improving their own professional practice by participating in professional development themselves and promote the advancement of the profession.

NAGC Advanced Standard 7.0: Gifted education specialists collaborate with stakeholders to improve programs, services, and outcomes for individuals with gifts and talents and their families

Gifted educators in advanced roles have a deep understanding of the centrality and importance of consultation and collaboration to the roles within gifted education, and they use this deep understanding to improve programs, services and outcomes for individuals with exceptional learning needs. They also understand the significance of the role of collaboration and apply their skill to promote understanding, resolve conflicts, and build consensus among both internal and external stakeholders to provide services to individuals with exceptional learning needs and their families. They possess current knowledge of research on stages and models in both collaboration and consultation and ethical and legal issues related to consultation and collaboration. Moreover, gifted educators in advanced roles have a deep understanding of the possible interactions of language, diversity, culture and religion with contextual factors and how to use collaboration and consultation to enhance opportunities for individuals with exceptional learning needs.