School of Education gets grant, offers classes for gifted and talented teachers in Columbia
Southern Wesleyan University’s School of Education received a $35,700 grant from the S.C. Department of Education to fund a graduate level course that will enable teachers to attain an endorsement to teach gifted and talented learners.
The first class, entitled “Educating Gifted and Talented Learners,” will start Oct. 15 and run until Nov. 6. The second class, “Methods for Teaching the Intellectually Gifted,” will be offered in the spring, with classes starting Feb. 11 and running through March 5. They will be taught by SWU education professor Dr. G. Fred Woodworth. Woodworth spent extensive time in study at the National Research Center for Gifted and Talented at the University of Connecticut. According to Woodworth, Southern Wesleyan is among just three institutions in South Carolina to offer the class. He added that any gifted and talented teacher from K-12 is required by the S.C. Department of Education to have the endorsement.
There is a $35 application fee and seating is limited. For an application form, go online to swu.edu/academics/education/documents and download the form. For details, contact Woodworth at (864) 644-5291 or e-mail . Southern Wesleyan’s Columbia location is at Pinnacle Point, off I-77 near Farrow Road.