Educational Psychology and Special Education: EDUC 4186 Aboriginal Teacher Certification Program: Summer Session Part 1 and 2 Course Instructor: Dr. Warnie Richardson (A350) EXT: 4557 Date: July 16 July 20 Time: 12:30 pm 3:55 pm (Rm. H 111) STATEMENT OF INTENT: GENERAL COURSE DESCRIPTION: The purpose of this course is to present an introduction to basic concepts and practices within Educational Psychology and Special Education. At its conclusion, you should be able to integrate some of the more practical aspects of the course and successfully apply it to your general classroom experience. As a direct corollary, it is also hoped that students will leave this course committed to a general educational philosophy which seeks to maximize the full learning potential for those who are most vulnerable within Ontario s education system, the exceptional, at-risk, and/or marginalized student. Every attempt will be made to distill the general content of the course through a specific First Nations perspective. Related directly to this, EDUC 4186 (Part 1 and 2) will specifically examine the following areas: 1. The general developmental stages of preadolescents and adolescents, particularly with reference to language, physical, social, emotional and cognitive considerations. 2. At risk, marginalized and criminal youth: Understanding and teaching the underachieving, unmotivated, behavioural student. 3. Motivation and management strategies, specifically related to underachieving students. 4. The diagnosis and misdiagnosis of the exceptional student. Getting it right matters! 5. The theories of B.F. Skinner, Jean Piaget, Abraham Maslow, Erik Erikson, Albert Bandura, and Howard Gardner. 6. High and Low Incidence Exceptionalities: Specific Identification and Specific Strategies. 7. The In School Team, IEP, IPRC, and the Assessment Process.
Upon the successful completion of this two-part course, educators of students with special needs or exceptionalities should be able to demonstrate an understanding of: the immense benefits of early identification and aggressive strategic intervention. the IPRC and IEP processes, especially with respect to the role played by the regular classroom teacher. the eclectic nature of exceptionalities as dealt within Provincial and / or Federal legislation the basic skills required in the adaptation, accommodation, modification, and differentiation of curriculum, pedagogy and overall expectations in order to effectively meet the needs of the exceptional learner within the confines of the regular classroom. the relationship of other factors, besides those that are educational in orientation, which have an impact on the identification, classification, and programming of / for the exceptional student. some current and effective models of practice/service delivery within the Province of Ontario. some adaptive technology and its potential in the classroom; particularly as it pertains to the exceptional learner. the general developmental stages of preadolescents and adolescents, particularly with reference to language, physical, social, emotional and cognitive considerations. the central tenets of theories directly linked to learning, motivation, and management. the myriad hands on instructional techniques, methods and resources which can be effectively utilized to greatly enhance the educational experiences of those with exceptionalities. the most frequently used tests (assessments) utilized in diagnosing and programming for learning and behavioural exceptionalities. the need to teach beyond the basics, by incorporating, on occasion, social and vocational/career skills into the overall educational experience. what it takes to become a culturally proficient/sensitive special educator. current issues and future trends within the profession, particularly related to special educational matters. a working knowledge of all areas of identified exceptionality, in both the high incident and low incident: domains.
REQUIRED TEXT: The Special Education Companion & Fact Sheets ARTICLES CONSULTED: 1) Suicide and Depression: Special Education s Responsibility 2) 15 Common Management Mistakes 3) Risk, Resiliency and the Schooling Experience 4) What Works? Research in Practice 5) What Makes Teens Tick? 6) Bullying: It Isn t What It Used To Be 7) Motivation: A Misunderstood Concept 8) Risk, Resiliency and Defying the Prediction 9) Strategies for the Special Student 10) Silk Purses, Recast Dies, and Peripatetic Apples Although the specific Ministry of Education special educational website will be generally referred to throughout the course, these specific documents will be accessed and examined on a regular basis. Websites: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/speced/speced.html http://snow.idrc.ocad.ca Documents: The Education Act: On Special Education Highlights of Regulation 181/98 The Individual Education Plan: A Resource Guide (2004) Special Education: A Guide for Educators Special Education: General Funding Guidelines The Assessment Companion Autism Handbook Also, in year two, the OSSTF/FEESO publication, entitled, School Law: A Reference Guide for Ontario, specifically Chapter 6 (pages 89-102) Special Education will be utilized.
RAY SMITH: Richardson, W. J. (2005). Voices from the Margins. (Aydy Press) With the special program, I eventually pretty much lost all interest in school. We started to get into more serious criminal shit and pretty soon school stopped mattering at all It was only when I got much older that I started to realize what a bonehead I was. The different programs, schools, that kind of thing, I d let it all get by me. But to be honest, you offer a kid a shortcut and they ll take it every time. I was the idiot for taking the short cut, but maybe the school shouldn t have offered me one in the first place! When you finally wake up as a sixteen or seventeen year old and you haven t really passed any grades in high school, what s the point? And it s really too bad because I was a fairly smart kid, everybody told me that. FINAL GRADE IN COURSE: 40% In Class Participation (readings/activities/assignments/quizzes) 40% Final Exam 20% Independent Study: Exceptionality Research Assignment Independent Study Assignments: Year 1 - Assignment #1: Exceptionality Research Assignment On the designated date you will be required to submit 30 (pre-assigned) exceptionalities correctly matched to their specific profiles. Year 1 - Assignment #2: Exceptionality Profile Assignment In this assignment, students will each be assigned a very specific area of exceptionality, which they must research and profile. All profiles will strictly adhere to specific guidelines established by the professor. Year 2 - Assignment 1: Teaching Strategy Research Assignment In this assignment, students will each be assigned 15 very specific sets of teaching strategies and asked to match these teaching strategies to the correct area of exceptionality. Year 2 - Assignment 2: Article Review and Summary: 1) Motivation-A Misunderstood Educational Concept 2) Behaviour Management Strategies: 15 Common Mistakes 3) Some Go To Strategies for the Identified Student Year 2 - Assignment 3: Theorists and Theories: Educational Psychology and Special Education In this assignment students will be required to research 15 designated theories (and their creators), noting their significance within broad field of special education.
Special Education/Educational Psychology ATCP (Part1) Summer Session 2011 AGENDA - DAY 1: JULY 14 (Monday) 1. General Overview of Course (Explanation of Assignments) 2. Ontario and Special Education: A Historical Perspective 3. High Incidence Exceptionalities (A General Overview) 4. Low Incidence Exceptionalities (A General Overview) 5. A General Behavioural Model (Illustration and Explanation) 6. A General Learning Model (Illustration and Explanation) 7. How Difficult Can This Be? Learning Difference Up Close 1. The Learning Disabled Perspective AGENDA - DAY 2: JULY 15 (Tuesday) 2. Gifted, Learning Disabled and Poorly Behaved (An Overview) 3. Teen Species (Boys) (Transition-Childhood to Adolescence) 4. The Behavioural Identification/Label (Self-Fulfilling Prophecies) 5. The Behavioural Plan (Intervention Strategies) A Case History 6. Misunderstood Minds: More on Learning Disabilities 7. Motivation: An Approach AGENDA - DAY 3: JULY 16 (Wednesday) 1. At Risk and Resilience: Practical and Theoretical Views 2. The Individual Education Plan and the IPRC 3. The Individual Education Plan (A Practical Approach) 4. Teen Species: (Girls) (Transition- Childhood to Adolescence)
5. Modifying, Accommodating and Differentiating: Importance of Knowing the Difference Application to Specific Cases 6. Developmental Disabilities: An Overview 7. The Aboriginal Special Educational Experience: Questions, Answers, and Debate. Theory vs. Reality! A Cultural Perspective! AGENDA - DAY 4: JULY 17 (Thursday) 1. Behaviour: Symptom or the Real Thing? Getting it Right! 2. Learning Disabilities, Giftedness, Behaviour, and ADHD. What are the Connections? The In- School Team Approach and the IPRC Process Acting as an Advocate for Your Students! 3. Teen Species: (Transition - Adolescence to Adulthood 4. A Case History (James) Dysgraphia (grapho-motor) 5. A Case History (Sally) Parenting, Abuse and School Performance 6. A Case History (Glennie) A Teacher s Role in Moving Forward 7. Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Overview AGENDA - DAY 5: JULY 18 (Friday) 1. Behaviour: Management Approaches and Special Education 2. Mental Health Considerations and Special Education 3. Brain Plasticity, Learning and Behaviour- The Work of Norman Doidge 4. Working with Unidentified, Underachieving Students: Some Specific Strategies (underachieving, unmotivated, and misbehaving) 5. Summary and Final Exam
1. Review: Ontario and Special Education Special Education/Educational Psychology ATCP (Part2) Summer Session 2012 AGENDA - DAY 1: JULY 16 (Monday) 2. Special Education: A First Nation Perspective 3. Explanation of Assignments 4. IEP, IPRC, and Assessment Processes. Getting it Right Matters! 5. Theories, Theorists, and Special Education 6. Review: Behavioral and Learning Spectrums AGENDA - DAY 2: JULY 17 (Tuesday) 1. Undiagnosed: Learning Disabled and Badly Behaved 2. Walk a Mile in My Shoes : Learning and Behavioral Difference from a Personal Perspective 3. Self-Fulfilling Prophecies Revisited: Success is a Funny Thing! 4. Social and Psychological Confliction: A Case History 5. Rick Lavoie, Mel Levine, and More on Learning and Behavioural Difference 6. Motivation and Performance: Misunderstood Concepts AGENDA - DAY 3: JULY 18 (Wednesday) 1. Practical and Theoretical Views of Risk and Resiliency: Teachers Matter! 2. The Individual Education Plan and the IPRC Revisited 3. The Individual Education Plan: A Critical Analysis and Deconstruction 4. Learning Disabilities and Accommodation 5. Modifying, Accommodating and Differentiating: Importance of Knowing the Difference (Revisited) Application to Specific Cases 6. Mild Intellectual Disabilities and Modification
AGENDA - DAY 4: JULY 19 (Thursday) 1. Behaviour Management: Proximity, Voice, Body Language, and Environmental Manipulation. 2. Rules, Expectations, and Consequences: Engage, Ignore, and Defer 3. Schooling and Life Trajectory: Teaching and Learning Styles! 4. A Case History (Anthony) Dysgraphia (Vision / Motor Integration) 5. A Case History (Angie) Parenting, Neglect, Indifference, School Performance, and Unidentified Learning Difference: Gifted and Learning Disabled 6. A Case History (Jeremy) Behaviour as Symptom of Something Else! 7. Mental Health: Exceptionalities on the Rise in Ontario (6 out of 30)! AGENDA - DAY 5: JULY 20 (Friday) 1. Special Education: The Latest Research 2. Designing and Implementing an IEP No Cut and Paste Here! 3. Silk Purses, Recast Dies, and Peripatetic Apples : A Personal Perspective 4. The Career You Are About to Embark Upon: It s Up to You! 5. Course Overview: Core Principles, Special Education, Teachers, and Schools 6. Final Exam