Course Number:
EDUC
546
Course title for the
catalog:
Introduction
to Educational Intervention
Catalog Description:
This
course is designed to review the history, legislation, legal definitions,
characteristics, and educational concerns of students with need for educational
intervention. Issues of assessment,
identification, individualized educational programming, educational trends,
service alternatives, and professional resources will be emphasized.
Text (required):
Turnbull,
A., Turnbull, R. Shank, M., & Smith, S. (2004). Exceptional
lives: Special education in today’s society (4th ed.).
Text (optional):
American Psychological Association (2001). Publication manual of
the American Psychological Association (5th ed.).
Course objectives
(including knowledge, skills, and dispositions):
Knowledge:
The
graduate education student will have knowledge of:
1. Various theories of intelligence and learning
as they relate to individuals with need for mild/moderate/intensive educational
intervention.
2. History of education of individuals with
disabilities including significant individual contributions, as well as
political/social/attitudinal trends, and recurring critical issues and themes.
3. Federal and state definitions of categories
of disabilities.
4. Medical terms related to and etiologies of
categories of disabilities, as well as types and transmission routes of
infectious disease.
5. Range of characteristics, including
cognitive, physical, emotional, and social needs of students with need for
mild/moderate/intensive educational intervention.
6. Appropriate use of and limitation of
assessment instruments and procedures used during the identification process of
individuals with disabilities.
7.
Issues regarding the reliability, validity, and norming
of assessment instruments used during the evaluation process.
8. Rights and responsibility of parents,
students, teachers, and other stakeholders in the assessment and identification
of individuals with need for mild/moderate/intensive educational intervention.
9. Legal and ethical concerns related to the
education, including assessment, identification and specialized health care of
students with need for educational intervention based on the federal and state
legislation and litigation.
10.
Procedures involved in the identification, placement, and delivery of services,
including, due process rights and considerations of least restrictive
environment and cultural and linguistic diversity.
11.
Continuum of placement options and services for individuals with need for
mild/moderate/intensive educational intervention and characteristics of each
option.
12. Instructional practices and materials,
including functional curriculum, used with students with need for educational
intervention and the theories and models underlying these practices.
13. Basic instructional adaptations and
interventions for students with need for mild/moderate/intensive educational
intervention
14. The role of teachers as models for students
with need for mild/moderate/intensive educational intervention.
15. The transdisciplinary
process and subsequent role release.
16. Concerns of parents of students with need of
mild/moderate/intensive educational intervention.
17. Sources of information and assistance for
teachers and parents including resource people, government/community agencies,
professional organizations, and journals.
18. Rights and responsibilities of parents,
students, teachers, and other stakeholders in planning and implementing
educational programming for individuals with need for mild/moderate/intensive
educational intervention.
19. How individuals with need for mild/moderate/intensive
educational intervention and their environment including family dynamics,
cultural and linguistic diversity, socioeconomic level, abuse/neglect, and
substance abuse interact.
20. Issues related to inclusion and
collaboration.
21. Issues related to cultural and linguistic
diversity and how they impact n assessment, placement, and programming for
students with need for mild/moderate/intensive educational intervention.
22. Qualitative studies which present the voices
of individuals with need for mild/moderate/intensive educational intervention.
23. The teacher’s role as advocate for students
with need of mild/moderate/intensive educational intervention.
24. Funding sources and how to access them.
25. Current research related to individuals with
need for mild/moderate/intensive educational intervention.
26. The leadership roles of the master level
teacher.
Skills:
The
graduate education student will have skills to:
1. Identify a student with a potential need for
mild/moderate/intensive educational intervention based on the student’s
characteristics and classroom performance.
2. Use the correct procedures including
utilizing an intervention assistance team for the purposes of identifying and
planning appropriate instructional strategies for students with need for
mild/moderate/intensive educational intervention
3. Work as part of a multidisciplinary team
including students, parents, and other stakeholders to plan, implement, and
monitor the assessment and identification in compliance with federal, state,
and local requirements and ethical standards.
4. Work as part of a multidisciplinary team
including students, parents, and other stakeholders to plan, implement, and
monitor the educational program for student with need for mild/moderate/intensive
educational intervention in compliance with federal, state, and local
requirements and ethical standards.
5. Identify educational objectives, design and
implement lesson plans identifying observable, measurable objectives, materials
and technology, adaptations for individuals within a group setting, management
plans, and student and self-evaluation.
6. Evaluate overall effectiveness of
instruction.
7. Value knowledge of student characteristics
and learning style, disability, family background, and cultural and linguistic
diversity in planning and implementing instruction.
8. Maintain ethical standards and
confidentiality.
9. Analyze the skills necessary for successful
school, community and job functioning within a given environment.
10. Utilize school, community, agency, and
professional resources in teaching career/self-care/community
living/personal-social/ occupational skills.
12. Utilize current research in the areas of
career/self-care/community living/personal-social/occupational skills in
designing curriculum and planning and implementing instruction.
13. Use copyrighted educational materials in an
ethical manner.
Dispositions:
The
graduate education student will:
1. Value and respect all students as individuals.
2. Have the attitude that all children can benefit from appropriate education.
3. Be disposed to treat each student as an individual, with unique needs and skills.
4. Have the attitude that if a student is not gaining skills, the responsibility lies with the teacher together with the student to initiate change.
5. Have the attitude that the services need to be tailored to the student and not the student to the service.
6. Have the attitude that multicultural backgrounds result in differences to be respected, rather than remediate.
7. Value the need for early intervention.
8. Value thorough assessment, planning, evaluation, and documentation of student outcomes.
9. Value the benefits of collaboration and teaming with all stakeholders, including students, parents, and community resources when working with individuals with need for educational intervention.
10. Have the attitude that education must provide students with the skills necessary for independent living and community participation.
11. Value the contributions of other educators and community resources in the preparation of student for independent adult functioning.
12. Value the role of technology in preparing students for adult functioning.
13. Value a curriculum that produces a contributing and well-functioning adult.
14. Value student choice and self-advocacy as part of assessment and instruction.
15. Value the importance of staying current within the field of students with exceptionalities.
16. Have the attitude that the teacher’s role is one of leadership inside and outside of the classroom.
Course Number:
EDUC
542
Course title for the
catalog:
Communication,
Consultation, and Teaming Skills
Catalog Description:
This
course is designed to provide professionals working within the field of exceptionalities
an understanding of effective verbal and nonverbal communication skills,
listening skills, and personality traits perceived as supportive. The development of sensitivity to the needs
of individuals, families, and professionals is emphasized. Focus will be on collaboration, consultation,
and teaming with emphasis on the skills of problem solving, effective handling
of confrontational situations and seeking and utilizing interdisciplinary
support from other professionals.
Prerequisites:
None
Text (required):
Dettmer, P., Dyck,
N., & Thurston, L.P. (2002). Consultation,
collaboration, and teamwork for students with special needs (4th ed.).
Text (optional):
American Psychological Association (2001). Publication manual of the
American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC.:
Author.
Course
objectives (including knowledge, skills, and dispositions):
Knowledge:
The
graduate education student will have knowledge of:
1.
Personality traits which are perceived as being supportive of
others.
2.
The broad definition of communication and language and the
implication of both verbal and nonverbal communication to successful,
convergent collaboration.
3.
Effective listening techniques as well as potential, personal
distractions.
4.
The grief process and its implications for developing sensitive,
successful interactions and interventions.
5.
Basic traditional counseling theories and their respective
effectiveness for use by teachers.
6.
The legal mandates for identification, assessment, placement,
and program development as established by IDEA 1997, as well as available legal
recourse when there is a disagreement, and how to effectively communicate such
information to all stakeholders including students, parents and paraprofessionals
within the educational community.
7.
Practical communication techniques for conflict resolution,
problem solving, dealing with “difficult” people and the process of
collaboration, consultation, and teaming, including the concept of role release.
8.
Community resources, specialized services and literature, as
well as local, state and national resources available to all stakeholders.
9.
Cultural/linguistic diversity and the impact on
communication/consultation, collaboration, and teaming.
10.
Current research related to collaboration and teaming.
Skills:
The
graduate education student will have the skills to:
1.
Identify personality traits which yield positive perceptions.
2.
Utilize effective communication skills and identify those behaviors,
in self and others, which interfere with the communication goals.
3.
Employ the critical concept of understanding the grief cycle as
an effective tool in empathy and collaboration.
4.
Utilize various techniques of communication, particularly as
they affect listening, conflict resolution, and dealing with “difficult”
individuals.
5.
Identify the most effective and practical counseling technique
which lends itself best to the environment and the individual.
6.
Articulate the basic principles and mandates required by IDEA
1997.
7.
Work as a cooperative, collaborative member of an
interdisciplinary team to plan and implement an IEP for a student with
exceptionalities.
8.
Work comfortably across social, economic and cultural
boundaries.
9.
Develop and maintain a current directory of community, state,
and national resources, services and specialize personnel available for
students, parents, and other stakeholders involved in the education of
individuals with exceptionalities.
10.
Serve as an advocate for all students with exceptionalities and
participate in the activities of professional organizations relevant to
individuals with disability.
Dispositions:
The
graduate education student will:
1.
Develop an attitude of sensitivity concerning his/her own personality traits as they may facilitate or
interfere with effective, supportive communication.
2.
Appreciate the value of understanding the communication process
and mastering language and listening skills as they facilitate the
collaboration and consultation process.
3.
Assume an attitude of sensitivity to and empathy for the role
language plays in communicating with bilingual and/or multicultural families
and individuals.
4.
Adopt an attitude of empathy toward those individuals or
families struggling with various stages of grief.
5.
Subscribe to the attitude that teachers are often the
coordinator or transdisciplinary services for
students with exceptionalities.
6.
Reflect the attitude that parents, major caretakers and other
professionals are valued members of the educational team.
7.
Adopt the attitude that teachers should be aware of services and
resources available to individuals with exceptionalities.
8.
Appreciate and adopt an attitude of empathy for the
multifaceted, broad impact a disability may bring to an individual, family or
community.
9.
Value the contribution of all stakeholders in the collaboration
and teaming process.
10.
Appreciate the contribution of research toward improving
communication, consultation, and teaming outcomes.
Course Number:
EDUC 548
Course title for the catalog:
Assessing and
Teaching Children with Mild/Moderate Educational Needs
Catalog Description:
Emphasis is
placed on developing the ability to use a variety of curriculum, methods,
materials, and technology available for educating students with mild/moderate educational
needs. Assessment and evaluation
techniques for academic and non-academic areas are emphasized with a focus on
critical analysis of current research and design of action research. The graduate students use these skills to
assess and instruct a child or a small group of children.
The prerequisite(s) for this course is
(are):
EDUC 546,
concurrent with EDUC 570
Text (required):
McLoughlin, J. A., & Lewis, R. B. ( 2001). Assessing
students with special needs (5th
ed.).
Text (optional):
American
Psychological Association (2001).
Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC.: Author.
Course objectives (including knowledge,
skills, and dispositions):
Knowledge:
The graduate
education student will have knowledge of:
1. Federal definitions of disability areas
and the corresponding eligibility criteria for the state of
2. The
role of the teacher as a member of the intervention assistance team, the eligibility
team, and the IEP team.
3. The required components of the
Individualized Education Program and the corresponding methods for monitoring the student’s progress.
4. How to give, score, and interpret a
variety of assessment devices and data collection methods designed to measure student performance in sensory,
cognitive, academic, social, affective, functional, behavioral, and career
skills.
5. The
legal and ethical implications of testing students with special needs including
state regulations for achievement and proficiency testing.
6. The
role of assessment data in curriculum development and implementation as based
upon the child’s present level of performance and future needs.
7. Sources
of specialized materials including available technology for assessing and
instructing students with mild/moderate needs.
8. The
history of assessment and instructional models including philosophy, curriculum
designs, and the decision making model.
9. Current
research in assessment and instructional practices relative to lesson design,
student evaluation and teacher self-evaluation.
10. Skill
sequencing and curriculum expectations in the general education program
including the standard instructional methods relative to specific content areas
as well as the relationships between the content areas.
11. Techniques
for adapting instructional methods, techniques and materials to better met the
specific learning styles and special needs of students including varied
evaluation models for measuring progress.
12. Methods
for creating positive learning environment including writing and implementing
measurable objectives which serve to connect lesson plans with IEP goals.
13. Methods
for incorporating learning styles, study strategies, social skills, and
multicultural factors in content area instruction.
14. Procedures
for accessing support and community services for students and their families.
15. Relationship between disabilities and
instruction in basic skills.
16. Issues
relative to validity and reliability of assessment devices especially with
regard for multicultural biases.
17. Issues pertinent to current research
methods.
Skills:
The graduate
education student will have skills to:
1. Demonstrate
how to select both formal and informal assessment devices that match both the
measurement purpose and the student’s needs.
2. Evaluate,
interpret, and communicate results of student assessment to students, parents,
and colleagues in both written and conference formats.
3. Evaluate
support needed for student success in the least restrictive environment and
participate in the team process to access these services.
4. Use
technology resources to gather data, improve student performance, and manage
records of student progress.
5. Write
operationally defined goals and objectives for student performance which
differentiate between long term and short term target skills with concise
criteria for achievement.
6. Apply
the decision making rubric to select effective instructional methods for
teaching basic skills and content based upon formal and informal assessment
data gathered from the student.
7. Write
assessment based, sequential lesson plans which provide information on the
student(s), objectives, criteria for achievement, supporting activities,
materials needed, methods for instruction, and methods for evaluating both
student and teacher performance.
8. Task
analyze skills to plan instruction in basic skills and content accounting for
student experience, learning styles, and age appropriateness of instruction
while incorporating appropriate evaluative criteria.
9. Prepare
students to be successful with a variety of assessment and instructional
methods including compensatory strategies for modification of formats outside
of the student’s comfort zone.
10. Integrate
a variety of methods and apply intervention strategies to address areas of
content, affect, and behavior simultaneously.
11. Select
materials and technology from the educational environment which best apply
instructional, affective, and behavioral techniques necessary for student
success based upon the data gathered.
12. Use
strategies that facilitate maintenance and generalization skills in a variety
of settings.
13. Involve
parents and support service personnel in the educational environment.
14. Comply
with the legal and ethical aspects of assessment including sensitivity to the
cultural and linguistic diversity of learners.
15. Synthesize
information for a variety of sources and make thoughtful decisions based on
theory and research.
16. Demonstrate
thoughtful reflection on one’s own teaching performance during the semester.
17. Write
a professional development plan in preparation for the next field experience.
18. Articulate
the teacher’s ethical responsibility to individuals who function similarly to
those who qualify for special education (at-risk)
19. Develop
and use a technology plan based on assistive technology assessment.
20. Integrate
student-initiated learning experiences into ongoing instruction.
21. Use
copyrighted material in an ethical manner.
22. Analyze
current research information critically and apply valid findings to practice in
the classroom.
23. Design
and complete a mini-research project including the evaluation and
interpretation of the data collected and the communication of the results to
peers.
Dispositions:
The graduate
education student will:
1. Believe
that all children can learn and that if learning is not evident, the
responsibility lies with the teacher, together with
the student, to initiate change.
2. Assure
that each student is able to indicate an understanding of why assigned
activities are performed.
3. Teach
students to advocate for themselves when needs for assistance or independence
arise.
4. Appreciate
the strengths and weaknesses of assessments, evaluations, and instructional
strategies relative to current research
findings.
5. Possess a desire to explore diverse
alternatives to instruction to motivate students to respond to learning
situations.
6. Value integrity and ethics in the
pursuit of proactive programming for students with mild/moderate educational
needs in the least restrictive
environment.
7. Value
assessment and evaluation as an ongoing part of the instructional process
necessary for preparing contributing, well-functioning
adults.
8. Value
content area knowledge and the reflective process in making decisions relative
to the student’s desired outcomes
as they move towards an adult community.
9. Possess
a willingness to respect student rights, confidentiality, and diversity.
10. Believe
that careful assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation provide the
student with a more meaningful educational
experience.
11. Value
the need to stay current in the field in order to best meet the needs of the
students.
12. Value
the research process.
13. Advocate for best practice in an effort to improve the overall educational environment for all participants.
Course Number:
EDUC
507
Course title for the catalog:
Language/Communication
Disorders in Children and Intervention
Catalog Description:
An
overview of language, both normal and disordered, with emphasis on terminology,
acquisition, development, physiological and psychological systems, impact upon
learning, assessment, and intervention strategies available to teachers.
The prerequisite (s) for this
course is (are):
EDUC
546
Text (required):
Kuder, S. J. (2003). Teaching students with language and
communication disabilities (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn
and Bacon.
Text (optional):
American Psychological Association (2001). Publication manual of the
American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC.: Author.
Course objectives (including
knowledge, skills, and dispositions):
Knowledge:
The
graduate education student will have knowledge of:
1.
The processes involved in normal communication and the impact of
language disorders on the psychological and educational development.
2.
A working vocabulary generally utilized by the speech/language
pathologist.
3.
The current theories of normal and pathological language
development as they relate to age, culture, and economic background.
4.
The fundamentals of the central nervous system and the know contributions
to comprehension, integration, and expression through the symbolic codes.
5.
The processes necessary to arrive at a valid assessment of language
functioning, including formal and informal measures, differential behavioral
analysis, and the critical role of cultural/ethnic differences play in the
assessment process.
6.
Specific strategies to stimulate, reinforce, and stabilize
receptive and expressive speech/language skills appropriate to age and
etiology.
7.
Alternative/assistive communication systems available for
individuals with limited physical (sensory/motor) and psychological receptive
and expressive speech/language communicative capabilities.
8.
Impact of disabilities on auditory skills.
Skills:
The
graduate education student will have skills to:
1.
Understand the professional terminology utilized by the speech
language pathologist working with disordered children.
2.
Recognize subtle indicators of potential language disorders.
3.
Pursue necessary transdisciplinary
assistance when a potential language disorder is suspected.
4.
Create and/or carry out prescribed strategies for language
intervention within the appropriate learning setting.
5.
Advocate for the funding and use of assistive and augmentative
communication devices.
6.
Assist students in the use of alternative/assistive communication
systems in school, home, and community environments.
7.
Assess reliable methods of response of individuals who lack typical
communication and performance abilities.
8.
Use effective instructional strategies to assist individuals with disabilities
to detect and correct errors in oral and written language.
Dispositions:
The
graduate education student will:
1. Appreciate
the broad ranging impact of a language disorder on the child, family, and the
educational process.
2.
Understand and appreciate linguistic variation across cultural lines as
language differences and not disorders.
3.
Value the need to interact and confer with appropriate colleagues and
professionals in a manner to guarantee respect and security for the child.
4.
Interact with patience, empathy, kindness, and respect for the child’s
dignity.
5.
Value the child as being able to learn regardless of the child’s ability
to comprehend or express within the traditional language code (speech) system.
6. Appreciate the fact that all children will not be capable of using the communication community code system (speech) and value any form of communication which enables the child to achieve some form of communication autonomy.