Courses
The courses in this 9-credit series build upon one another and must be taken in order. Register by October 15, 2008, for the first course. This is your last chance to enter the program until 2009.
There are five courses in the series, four of which are appropriate for all teachers, across academic disciplines. The fifth course has two options, tailored specifically for elementary and secondary education teachers.
The course content is delivered via professionally produced DVDs, with supplemental reading and online activities.
Course 1: Foundational Skills for Working with Students with Special Education Needs in General Education Classrooms (1 credit)
Register now for the November 3 session!
Instructors: Dr. David McNaughton (lead), Dr. Linda Mason, and Dr. Constance Lyttle
Prerequisites: none
This course addresses foundational skills for working with students with special education needs in general education classrooms. Broad course objectives include student understanding
of the history and current relevance of special education law; roles and responsibilities of the general education teacher in providing services to students with special education
needs; providing effective instruction to students with mild and severe disabilities; and developing and maintaining effective education teams.
Course 2: Evidence-Based Methods for Monitoring Student Progress and Making Instructional Decisions (2 credits)
Instructor: Dr. David Lee
Prerequisite: Course 1
October 13–December 19, 2008
This course is based on a model of effective instruction that includes (a) deciding what to teach, (b) instructional design, and (c) assessing the effectiveness of instruction. A feedback loop is created by continually assessing the effects of instruction and is used to inform practice and make instruction more effective and more efficient. After completing the class students should be able to: (a) give a rationale for the collection of data in classrooms; (b) describe the assessment process; (c) describe response to intervention and the general educator’s role in the process; (d) summarize data using graphs and trend lines; (e) create and administer curriculum-based assessments in reading, mathematics, and writing; (f) design systems to collect behavioral data in classrooms; (g) interpret a variety of norm-referenced test scores; (h) use brief experimental analyses to identify effective academic interventions; (i) interpret norm-referenced test data; and (j) determine if the reliability/validity of an assessment is adequate for a given purpose.
Course 3: Evidence-Based Practices for Inclusive Behavior Management (2 credits)
Instructors: Dr. Kathy Ruhl (lead) and Dr. Rick Kubina
Prerequisites: Courses 1 and 2
January 12–March 13, 2009
This course addresses aspects of managing and motivating learners with special needs placed in general education settings based upon the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Broad course objectives include student acquisition of knowledge and skills related to ABA principles and interventions such as: identifying the nature (positive or negative) of consequences maintaining or decreasing specific behaviors; operationally defining behavior; establishing a classroom and school environment conducive to learning for all students; creating classwide, schoolwide, and individual motivation systems; and intervening to decrease specific behaviors.
Course 4: Evidence-Based Design and Delivery of Effective Instruction for Students with Learning Difficulties (2 credits)
Instructors: Dr. Charles Hughes (lead), Dr. Linda Mason, Dr. David McNaughton, Dr. Pamela Wolfe, and Dr. Rick Kubina
Prerequisites: Course 1, 2, and 3
March 23–May 22, 2009
This course addresses aspects of designing, delivering, and adapting instruction for students across the range of disability (i.e., mild, moderate, and severe).
Elementary education–level teachers take:
Course 5A: Evidence-Based Practices for Inclusive Elementary Classrooms (2 credits)
Instructors: Dr. Linda Mason (lead), Dr. Rick Kubina, and Dr. Paul Morgan
Prerequisites: Courses 1, 2, 3, and 4
June 15–August 21, 2009
This course addresses aspects of providing reading, writing, and mathematics instruction to elementary school students with special education needs in the general education classroom. Broad course objectives include student acquisition of knowledge and skills in reading (e.g., word recognition, fluency, reading comprehension, vocabulary); writing (e.g., spelling, grammar, handwriting) and written expression (e.g., narrative, informative, persuasive); and mathematics (e.g., computation and problem solving).
Secondary education–level teachers take:
Course 5B: Evidence-Based Practices for Inclusive Secondary Classrooms (2 credits)
Instructors: Dr. Charles Hughes (lead) and Dr. Linda Mason
Prerequisites: Courses 1, 2, 3, and 4
June 15–August 21, 2009
This course addresses a variety of procedures and approaches to help students with special education needs gain meaningful access to the secondary curriculum content without watering it down or ignoring the instructional needs of students without disabilities. Broad course objectives include ways of planning and delivering instruction to help all students, including those with learning problems, understand and retain critical course content.
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