Sample Syllabus -- Foundations - Cengage



Sample Syllabus for

Foundations of Special Education

Your University

College of Education

Syllabus for EDU XXX

Semester Year

Course Title and Credit:

EDU XXX: Foundations of Special Education

Instructor:

Office:

Office Hours:

Phone:

E-mail:

Course Blackboard Site:

Catalog Description:

An introductory course to expose students to a variety of disabling conditions and to teach about the experiences of children and adults with exceptionalities. Students will learn to design instructional programs for success by building on the abilities, strengths, and interests of disabled students. Students will develop data-based decision making skills for transforming academic material into hands-on activities and exercises to teach socialization and life skills with a focus on using technology to support the teaching and learning process. This course, or EDU 545, is a required course for all teacher education students. 3 credit hours

 

Required Books:

Irvine Belson, S. (2003). Technology for Exceptional Learners. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 0-618-07359-0

Keller, H. (1996). The Story of My Life. New York: Dover Publications (originally published in 1903 by Doubleday; any edition is acceptable).

Course Objectives (Related CEC/NCATE Performance-Based Standards):

Students enrolled in Foundations of Special Education will master the following objectives:

1. Educational and technical foundations

1. Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the history and philosophy of Special Education.

2. Identifies major issues in U.S. education and special education and the historical, social, cultural, economic, and philosophical bases.

3. Demonstrates knowledge of P.L. 94-142; P.L. 99-457, P.L. 101-476 (IDEA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

4. Demonstrates knowledge of the legal responsibilities of schools, parents, teachers, and students with regard to special education.

5. Demonstrates basic knowledge of normal child development.

6. Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of normal development from the prenatal period to adulthood in the areas of emotional, physical, social, neurological, cognitive, and perceptual growth.

7. Demonstrates basic knowledge and understanding of the characteristics of various exceptionalities including:

1. Learning Disabilities

2. Emotional or Behavioral Disorders

3. Communication Disorders

4. Hearing Impairments

5. Visual Impairments

6. Physical and Health Disorders

7. Giftedness and Talents

8. Multiculturalism/Bilingualism

8. Demonstrates basic knowledge and an understanding of the role of the family in relationship to the development of the child.

9. Identifies variations in beliefs, traditions, and values from across cultures within society and their effects on children, families, and school practices.

10. Demonstrates knowledge and an understanding of the basic educational principles and psychology of learning

11. Understands the educational implications of possible deficits and deviations from normal growth and development.

12. Demonstrates knowledge of the physical, nutritional, cultural, and environmental factors related to learning.

13. Demonstrates knowledge and skills related to integrating technology into the teaching and learning process for students with exceptionalities.

2. Identification, evaluation, and placement process

1. Demonstrates skill needed to identify, and refer for screening, students who may be in need of special services.

2. Demonstrates skills needed to effectively collaborate and monitor students who may be in an inclusive or mainstreamed program.

3. Can discuss the role of technology and other tools in the evaluation process, for ongoing assessment, and to monitor students.

4. Can discuss the role of the special education teacher, classroom teacher, other educational specialists, students, administrators, and parents in conferences, including multidisciplinary conferences, individualized education program (IEP) meetings, and placement conferences.

5. Demonstrates knowledge of the interpersonal working of individualized education program (IEP) teams, and the ability to communicate effectively with other team members.

3. Professional development and responsibilities

1. Demonstrates knowledge of federal, state (district), and local laws, policies, and procedures regarding confidentiality and due process.

2. Can describe the characteristics and effects of the cultural and environmental milieu of the child and the family, including cultural, linguistic, and economic diversity.

3. Demonstrates an understanding of the significant roles of the parents in the total environment of children with exceptionalities.

4. Expresses a personal philosophy of special education, particularly in terms of the relationship with regular education.

5. Demonstrates effective communication techniques, including conflict management and resolution skills.

6. Demonstrates respect for the worth and uniqueness of all individuals, and shows sensitivity to the needs of others.

7. Identifies variations in beliefs, traditions, and values from across cultures within society and their effects on children, families, and school practices.

8. Demonstrates an awareness of community and agency resources.

9. Demonstrates the ability to provide support and collaborative services as needed to special education teachers, parents, and other school personnel.

10. Demonstrates the ability to locate and share professional materials and ideas.

11. Demonstrates the ability to work with staff regarding identification, screening, and referral procedures.

12. Demonstrates an understanding of expectations and values held by peers, fellow students, paraprofessionals, parents, etc., regarding the purpose of special education for individuals with disabilities.

13. Demonstrates knowledge to utilize related services and support personnel (i.e., physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy).

14. Demonstrates a positive attitude toward teaching exceptional children and learning about education for exceptional children.

15. Demonstrates knowledge and the ability to effectively respond to health and safety emergencies.

Schedule of Course Content:

|Date |Topic |Assignments |

|January 22 |Introduction: What Is Special Education? | |

| |A Brief History of Special Education and Trends | |

|29 |Learning Disabilities: Current Research and Trends |IB: Chapters 1, 3 |

| |How Difficult Can This Be? | |

|February 5 |Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities |IB: Chapters 2, 4 |

| |An Introduction to Integrating Technology |Course Forum A |

|12 |Emotional and Behavioral Disorders |IB: Chapter 5 |

| | |Course Forum 1 |

|19 |Communication Disorders |IB: Chapter 6 |

| | |Course Forum 2 |

|26 |Hearing Impairments |IB: Chapter 7 |

| | |Course Forum 3 |

|March 5 |Blindness and Low Vision |IB: Chapter 8 |

| | |First Draft of Resource |

| | |Handbook |

|March 12–18 |SPRING BREAK |Enjoy! |

| 19 |Physical and Health Impairments |IB: Chapter 9 |

| | |Course Forum 4 |

|26 |Giftedness and Talents |IB: Chapter 11 |

| | |Course Forum 5 |

|April 2 |Other Disabilities: Autism, Deaf-Blindness, Multiple Disabilities |IB: Chapter 10 |

| | |Course Forum 6 |

|9 |Early Childhood Special Education |IB: Chapter 12 |

| | |Course Forum 7 |

|16 |Communication and Assessment in Special Education |IB: Chapter 13 |

| | |Course Forum 8 |

|23 |Special Education: The Future |IB: Chapter 14 |

| | |Course Forum 9 |

|30 |Course Summary |Keller: Complete |

| | |Course Forum 10 |

|May 7 |Final Exam |Resource Handbook Due |

IB = Irvine Belson, S. (2003). Technology for Exceptional Learners. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 0-618-07359-0

Keller = Keller, H. (1996). The Story of My Life. New York: Dover Publications (originally published in 1903 by Doubleday; any edition is acceptable).

Assignments:

 The coursework consists of three parts:

I. Tying the textbook and required reading to the demonstrations and films you see in class through discussion, writings, and group presentations.

II. Setting up a course resource handbook—a portfolio of ideas, sources, and cross-references that may be useful to you in your later teaching career.

III. Participating in a small group, you will present a "course information forum" that includes a series of readings and resources designed for a specific exceptionality.

 

These three parts are described in order below.

 

I. Participation and Required Reading

You are expected to attend class each week and participate in the discussion. Each week, it is critical that you read the pertinent chapter from your textbook, which will prepare you for our discussions. Attendance policy: If you miss more than two class meetings, your grade will decrease by one letter grade (e.g., from a "B–" to a "C–"). If you miss more than four class meetings, your grade will decrease by two letter grades. If you miss more than six class meetings, you will receive a grade of "F" in the course. No exceptions to the attendance policy will be made. It is the responsibility of the student to make arrangements for missed class meetings, including informing the instructors and obtaining notes from a classmate.

 

II. Overview of Exceptionalities Resource Handbook (200 points)

Your final draft of your course resource handbook will be due May 7; a draft is due on March 5. While this assignment may seem daunting at first, please realize that if it is done correctly, the portfolio will be an excellent, critical resource for you in the future. By beginning work on your portfolio early in the semester, you will find it is not overly time-consuming. It is strongly recommended that you DO NOT wait until close to the due date to begin this assignment. If you read the textbook and related books, and take notes in class, you should be able to complete one of the sub-sections every two weeks. As you complete your sections, you are encouraged to submit the section to one of the instructors for review and feedback. We will return the section by the next class meeting, and students in previous sections of the course have found this to be a valuable tool in developing their portfolios.

 

Please organize and index your course resource handbook along these lines:

 

1. Your Philosophy of Special Education

What is special education? How do special education and regular education relate to one another? Put some quotations or inspirational messages here about your own reflections on special education. (10 points)

2. Specific Disabilities

Complete section 2 for each of disabilities listed below in this order:

1. Learning disabilities

2. Mental retardation

3. Emotional disturbances

4. Physical and motor impairment, (e.g., cerebral palsy, spina bifida, multiple sclerosis)

5. Blindness and visual impairment

6. Deafness and hearing impairment

7. Additional disabilities such as language and speech disorders, autism, epilepsy, etc.

a) Definition of the exceptionality. Reserve at least a page for the definition of the disability, describing it from its most mild form to its most severe. (4 points each—28 points total)

b) Implications of teaching in each area of disability and modifications of teaching approaches. What channels can be used to work with? Explain general approaches that work with a specific disabling condition. Provide activities and materials (commercial and teacher-made) most suited to the particular disability (e.g., how the blind can use tape recorders to both record the lesson and write a paper; how a teacher might assign a Talking Book to a student with learning disabilities). (5 points each—35 points total)

c) Specific technology used frequently by people with certain disabilities. For example, the TTY can be used by individuals with a hearing impairment to enable them to use the telephone system; many mediations are available to assist in the range of emotional disorders; and so on. (5 points each—35 points total)

d) Annotated list of reference materials and information sources for each disability (e.g., individuals, organizations, newspaper and magazine articles, books, films) with a few words on why they are useful. (5 points each—35 points total)

3. Service Learning Experience (50 points)

Students may choose one of the following two projects for this component of the handbook:

• Observations: Complete four (4) observations of children with exceptionalities throughout the course of the semester. You may select each observation population. Use a nondiscriminatory method of data collection during the observations to organize your notes, and then provide a reflection on what you learned about this student and about his or her educational (or social, family) experiences. Relate your own reflections to the information presented in class, in the textbook, or in other sources. For these observational projects, you are to observe children (ages 0 to 18) in educational, social, and/or family environments, and use observational case study techniques to analyze the observed behavior. It is your responsibility to arrange for observation times with appropriate populations.

• Tutoring: Complete 12 weeks of tutoring with a student with an exceptionality (either K–12 or an adult). Create a tutoring portfolio that indicates the goals of the tutoring relationship, the objectives of each tutoring session, activities conducted during each session, assessment of each session, and a discussion of how the theoretical principles of educational psychology apply to this practical experience. Your tutoring portfolio must contain references to the textbook and other readings for each session. The student is responsible for selecting the tutee, and prior approval from the instructor with regard to the tutoring situation is mandatory. Your portfolio may include photographs, illustrations, and sample student work in addition to your written reflections on each session.

4. Peer Forum Materials

You are also expected in organize the materials distributed during the course information forums into your resource handbook. (7 points)

III. Course Information Forums (100 points)

 

Each week, we will participate in a weekly forum (either in person or online), discussing current issues in special education.. Participation in this forum is critical to attaining goals and objectives for the course. Students are expected to participate actively in these discussions, and provide meaningful input into the topic. Your participation in each forum is worth up to 4 points. These points will be assigned based on your degree of participation in the forum, your ability to convey that you have read the assigned readings, and how you connect the topic and readings to principles of educational psychology and human development discussed in class and described in the textbook. (4 points per discussion x 10 forums = 40 points)

In addition to participation in discussion, students are expected to lead the weekly discussion at one point during the semester. In this group project, students will distribute reading material to the course participants one week prior to their discussion session (in print or via the class website), plan an activity to present the topic, and facilitate the following discussion regarding the topic. Topics for discussion forums will be discussed during the first weeks of class. You can earn up to 60 points during your facilitation of the discussion forum. Points will be distributed as follows:

• Quality of information packet 30 points

• Quality of presentation 10 points

• Quality of facilitation 10 points

• Overall quality of the presentation 10 points

As part of this forum, you are to prepare a packet of information to pass out to your peers in the week before class. Your packet should include:

1. At least two articles about the topic you have selected

2. A set of Internet resource links related to your topics

3. A commentary on issues of cultural, socioeconomic, linguistic, or other diversity as it relates to this disorder or issue

4. A hands-on activity that both presents your topic AND provides an insight into the condition that can be adapted for use in a variety of settings

5. A list of supporting books, articles, and materials for more information about your topic

Late Assignments

All assignments are due on the dates listed in the course schedule. Any assignments turned in after the assigned due date will receive an automatic 10% deduction from the total amount available for the assignment (additional points may also be deducted for incomplete or substandard work). Please attempt to turn in all assignments on time. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the course instructor if an assignment will be late. Please note that there is no penalty for assignments turned in early.

Assessment of Performance

Achievement of course objectives will be measured through the instructor’s evaluation of student participation in class discussion, in-class assignments, written assignments, and projects. Specific requirements and evaluation procedures are detailed above.

Evaluation

Percentage of total points available (300) will be used to determine the class grade as follows:

|100–94% A |86–82% B |74–71% C |

|93–90% A- |81–78% B- |70–67% D |

|89–87% B+ |77–75% C+ |66% and below F |

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