UC Irvine Extension offers Online GATE Courses for United States K-12 Teachers

Its programs provide options for k-12 teachers with focused professional development sessions; individual courses; and entire certificate programs, aligned with the California Association for the Gifted (CAG), the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), and state standards for excellence. Taught by some of the nation’s most talented GATE instructors, researchers and scholars, UC Irvine Extension’s instructor-led, online courses are designed to provide greater context, theory and practical strategies for teaching today’s GATE students.

The first of the three new courses, “Identification, Diagnosis and Evaluation of the Gifted,” will help educators more readily identify gifted students and help them to use evaluative models to better understand students’ capacity for learning. The second course, titled “Meeting the Social and Emotional Needs of the Gifted,” walks teachers through the processes of understanding the needs of gifted students so that they can better design classes, coursework and incentives. The final course, “The Arts in GATE Education,” helps teachers understand the developmental role the arts can play in the lives of GATE students and also helps them determine the different approaches in arts education versus more fundamental education.

“Parents clamor for more GATE programs at their students’ schools, but very little is ever said about the challenges of teaching GATE students,” said Darlene Boyd, director of UC Irvine’s Gifted Students Academy, advisory committee member and master instructor for UC Irvine Extension’s GATE Certificate Program. “The University is committed to the development of gifted and talented students, and most importantly funds research and educational programs to train the most valuable asset in our school systems – our teachers. Our online courses are designed specifically for k-12 teachers to help build competency, develop best practices, stay apprised of the latest research and develop more fully the potential of their GATE students.”

“The University has made the decision to offer these courses online, because we understand the current demands being put on today’s teachers,” said Angela Jeantet, director of UC Irvine Extension’s Education Programs Department. We’re fielding more and more requests to offer courses in more flexible formats to complement teacher’s busy schedules – and online is the ideal solution to meet the demand of the nation’s teachers.”

These online courses are part of UC Irvine Extension’s comprehensive GATE Certificate Program. Each course is offered on a quarterly basis, four times per year. During UC Irvine Extension’s winter quarter, “Identification, Diagnosis and Evaluation of the Gifted” is offered from Jan. 14-Feb. 8. “Meeting the Social and Emotional Needs of the Gifted,” is offered from Jan. 21-Feb. 29. “The Arts in GATE Education” is offered from Jan. 28-Mar. 14. For more information about UC Irvine Extension’s GATE Certificate Program or to enroll in these three online courses, please contact the Education Programs Department at 949-824-9304.