Special Education Courses

An introduction to the characteristics of children with cognitive, social, emotional and physical disabilities and educational principles applicable for them. Includes education principles, methods and materials that may be useful in meeting the varying needs of learners with disabilities.

Prerequisite: admission to an education program; non-majors must have consent of the instructor.

.75 credit

An introduction to curriculum, the underlying principles of instructional planning and the beginning skills for instructional delivery and classroom management. Matching materials to the students’ needs and their developmental levels through the evaluation, selection and adaptation of curricular materials and technologies will be introduced.

Prerequisites: SPE 223 and SPE 311. Fall Term.

.25 credit

An introductory practicum requiring directed and supervised preclinical experiences in curriculum, planning and instruction. The majority of the preclinical experiences will be in diverse instructional settings prearranged and supervised by program faculty.

Prerequisites: SPE 223 and SPE 311. Completed concurrently with SPE 300. Fall Term.

An introduction to the psychological principles and theories of human development, learning and motivation in K–12 educational settings. Includes the study of educational research, child and adolescent development, developmentally appropriate and instructional best practices, individual differences, learning environment and assessment.

Prerequisites: admission to the program; ENG 106; PSY 210 or EDU 104.

.75 credit

An advanced study of the development of language skills and the provision of support for meeting the literacy needs of the diverse learner, K-12. Focus areas include reading foundations, methodological approaches, emerging literary skills, remediation, developmental reading instruction, content area reading support, materials and resources.

Prerequisites: SPE 223 and SPE 311. Fall Term.

.75 credit

A study of the collaborative processes and communication skills necessary for effective interaction among parents, professionals, paraprofessionals and students in providing services for individuals with disabilities. Roles, rights and responsibilities of all team members will be reviewed. January Term.

.75 credit

An advanced study of the development and the diverse educational, physical, motor, communication, social-emotional and cognitive needs of students with moderate/severe disabilities. Research on and implications for appropriate diagnosis, service delivery and instructional methodology are examined.

Prerequisites: SPE 223 and SPE 311.

.75 credit

An advanced study of curriculum trends including both general and special education settings. Methods and materials for teaching at PreK through high school levels, the use of assistive technologies and augmentative communication system components and the decisions involved in selecting these components for individual students.

Prerequisite: SPE 300. Spring Term.

.25 credit

A practicum that requires directed and supervised pre-clinical experiences in curriculum, planning and instruction for Pre–K–12 diverse learners. The majority of the pre-clinical experiences will be in diverse instructional settings prearranged and supervised by program faculty.

Prerequisite: SPE 300. Completed concurrently with SPE 350. Spring Term.

.75 credit

An advanced study of the special methodology, materials and approaches for teaching students with mild to moderate disabilities. Educational assessment strategies, components in individualized education programs and the design of strategic instructional approaches are reviewed.

Prerequisites: SPE 223 and SPE 311. Fall Term.

.75 Credit

An advanced study of the application of integrated behavioral theory in the management and the influence of behavior in educational settings. Focus areas include strategies that promote positive social interaction, functional assessment of behavior, proactive behavior interventions and the supports and tactics to address significant behavior problems.

Prerequisite: SPE 350. Fall Term.

.75 credit

An advanced study of the assessment, curriculum development and instruction in meaningful curriculum design including functional academics; critical life skills; and communication, social and mobility areas. Authentic assessment strategies, components in individualized education programs and the implementation of functional curricula across settings is studied.

Prerequisite: SPE 300. Spring Term.

.50 credit

An advanced study of the characteristics, needs and supports for individuals with physical, health and sensory impairments. Common medical conditions and health impairments, the effects of various medications and the specialized health care needs at school will be covered.

Prerequisite: SPE 300. Spring Term.

.75 credit

An advanced study of the assessment, diagnosis and remediation of reading problems, with a focus on methodological approaches for evaluating, planning and organizing remedial reading instruction, content area reading support, materials and resources for students with reading difficulties.

Prerequisites: SPE 350, ELM 350. SPE 440 is a prerequisite for EDU 445. The two courses may be taken concurrently only with permission of the EDU 445 instructor. Fall and Spring Term.

.50 credit

An advanced study of the theories, methods and materials used to teach mathematics with a focus on evaluating, planning and organizing multi-sensory instruction for students having difficulties with mathematics.

Prerequisites: ELM 350 or SPE 350. Fall and Spring Term.

An advanced field-based, clinical experience designed to apply knowledge and skills from Core I and II coursework with a focus on effective instructional practices, optional learning environments, professional collaboration, school policies and procedures (e.g., mandated reporting) and reflective practice. Candidates present their professional e-portfolios as part of the evaluation process for admission to student teaching. Requires a minimum of two full days per week in each of the prospective student-teaching placements.

Prerequisite: SPE 350. Fall Term.

1.50 credits each

Full-day assignments in two special education settings, each assignment for an eight-week period. Attendance at seminar sessions is required. No additional courses should be taken while student teaching.

Prerequisite: SPE 450. Pass/No Pass grading.

Individually designed course under the supervision of a faculty member in the Department of Education.

.75 credit

This course is designed for teacher candidates to examine the relationship among culture, classroom practices and policy, and how this relationship influences the education of English language learners. Teacher candidates begin by first examining their own culture and their cultural assumptions and biases and how those influence teaching and learning in the classroom. Issues of equity, access and cross-cultural understandings are examined as well. Teacher candidates will analyze and redesign curriculum so that it is linguistically and culturally relevant. This course requires 10 field experience hours in an ESL and/or bilingual Pre–K–12 classroom.

Prerequisite: EDU 104.

.75 credit

This course is an introduction to and immersion into the theoretical frameworks of English as a Second Language (ESL) and bilingual education and the research, movements and policies that inform them. A variety of ESL/bilingual models and programs that exist in PK-12 schools and classrooms will be identified, analyzed and evaluated through multiple assignment and media. Teacher candidates will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between theory and practice and will define their roles as teachers of and advocates for English learners. This course requires 10 field experience hours in an ESL and/or bilingual PK-12 classroom.

Prerequisite: EDU 104.

.75 credit

This is an advanced course in the teaching of bilingual and sheltered English instruction to English language learners (ELLs). Students will learn different approaches and methodologies used to support the development of listening, speaking, reading and writing in social and academic contexts. The course provides opportunities for teacher candidates to develop curriculum for ELLs in bilingual and ESL classrooms, and examine instructional delivery through videotaping and analyzing practice. This course requires 20 field experience hours in an ESL and/or bilingual Pre–K–12 classroom.

Prerequisites: TEL 204 and TEL 212 and admission to teacher education.

.75 credit

The purpose of this course is to introduce linguistic concepts as they apply to teaching in a variety of contexts, including (but not limited to) monolingual and bilingual classrooms. In addition, this course is designed to provide teachers with a meta-linguistic awareness in order to facilitate learning and instruction. This course will help students understand, think and talk about the complexities of language, learning and human development. The fields of linguistics, applied linguistics and linguistic anthropology are dedicated to questions about the nature, function and purposes of language. Students will use readings anchored in these disciplines to apply linguistics to teaching. This course requires 20 field experience hours in an ESL and/or bilingual Pre–K–12 classroom.

Prerequisite: EDU 104.

.75 credit

This advanced course will focus on the discussion of basic principles and current approaches to assessment of language learning students in ESL and bilingual Pre–K–12 educational settings, including the policies, procedures and issues that inform the assessment of English Language Learners (ELLs). Students will learn about the different purposes of process and product assessment tools, authentic and curriculum-based forms of assessment, issues in the assessment of ELLs, and assessment of academic content knowledge. As teacher candidates, students will have opportunities to examine critically and practice administering assessment tools used in current educational contexts. Students will learn to identify language needs and how to differentiate them from developmental needs. This course requires 20 field experience hours in an ESL and/or bilingual Pre–K–12 classroom.

Prerequisites: TEL 204, TEL 212, TEL 317 and TEL 319 and admission to teacher education.

.50 credit

This course is the first part of a two-course sequence in the inquiry and application of bilingual and ESL methods. In TEL 448, teacher candidates will design an action research proposal, which they will implement in TEL 449. The proposal will address how they will study their own teaching of bilingual and ESL methodologies that support the development of listening, speaking, reading and writing in social and academic contexts. In preparation for conducting their action research in TEL 449, teacher candidates in TEL 448 will learn how to use action research methods to collect data on teaching practices and for research projects. They also will develop a situated and transformative action plan for future teaching that is anchored in sociocultural views of learning.

Prerequisites: TEL 204, TEL 212, TEL 319, TEL 317 and admission to teacher education.

.25 credit

This course is the second part of a two-course sequence in the inquiry and application of bilingual and ESL methods. Students will implement an action research proposal of teacher inquiry that they developed in TEL 448. Students will study their own teaching of bilingual and ESL methodologies that support the development of listening, speaking, reading and writing in social and academic contexts. Teacher candidates also will implement their action plans developed in TEL 448 to collect classroom data, analyze critically their own bilingual and ESL instructional practices, and report findings that inform their future teaching of language learners. This course requires 30 field experience hours in an ESL and/or bilingual Pre–K–12 classroom.

Prerequisite: TEL 448.