This course serves a dual purpose: (1) it focuses on the fundamentals of instructional design and the use of multimedia technology as a teaching and learning strategy that addresses diverse student needs and encourages active participation in learning; (2) it emphasizes technology tools that facilitate communication and collaboration within local and global learning communities as a means of improving leadership functions and effectively engaging with others in online and remote learning environments.
This course provides a critical examination of the formation and re-formation of education in the US public school system. The concepts and theories of power and oppression serve as a framework for understanding the her/historical, cultural, and political context of education. With a focus on the educational narratives of language, race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and immigration status, culturally responsive education is explored as a tool for creating and sustaining educational equity.
Assessment serves as a cornerstone of special education, both in terms of eligibility determination and instructional planning. This course will focus on the wide array of assessment methods available for identifying students with disabilities and evaluating their responsiveness to instruction. Assessments included are norm-referenced, criterion referenced, curriculum based, observational, and dynamic. Students will design instruction, intervention, and support based on assessment results. Field experience hours required.
The process of creating an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for a student is the foundation for compliance with IDEA. A well-written IEP utilizes a team of individuals to address the student's needs and write appropriate goals that can help to meet those needs. This class includes assessment practices, cultural and linguistic differences, individual motivation differences, and instructional arrangements to accommodate learning differences.
This course explores the process of collaboration and problem solving between students with disabilities, teachers, their families, and outside agencies. It provides an overview of IDEA requirements for students with disabilities. This course will also prepare students to plan for the transition of adolescents and young adults with disabilities from school to future careers, continuing education, and independent living.
This course examines specific methods for identifying learning styles and how to design activities and instructional approaches to accommodate each style. Designed for all grade level teachers.
This course provides a foundation for educational partnerships between regular and special educators. It offers new and innovative ways to jointly meet the needs of special students.
The focus of this course will be the development of an understanding of assessment materials that may be used to monitor students' progress in reading skills and concepts. The literacy leader will learn options for assessment that are appropriate for the age, background, and needs of the child. This course will also center around the use of research and best practice as it applies to assessment and instruction.
This course focuses on the knowledge of oral language development and the knowledge of the unique needs and backgrounds of students with language differences and delays. Effective research-based strategies and instructional technology for faciliating the learning of Standard English by all learners, including English Language Learners, will be covered.
This course focuses on the development of effective reading strategies and skills in content areas for K-12 students. Text structure and the dimensions of content area vocabulary and comprehension, including literal, interpretive, critical, and evaluative are studied. A variety of research-based strategies and practices for effective instruction in reading and writing are reviewed and studied.