American University
College of Arts and Sciences
School of Education, Teaching, and Health
In-Service Training Project in Learning Disabilities
EDU 792 § 6 SEMESTER HOURS § FALL 2014-SPRING 2015
LAB SCHOOL: FOXHALL LIBRARY § MONDAY 12:30 – 2
INSTRUCTORS
Jennifer Durham, Ph.D § (703) 869-2140 § Jennifer.durham@labschool.org
OFFICE HOURS
Mondays at 2pm or by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Internships in cooperating school systems, colleges and universities, and
other agencies and organizations as an integral part of degree programs in
the School of Education. Usually offered every term.
COURSE ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Who are you as a special education teacher?
What tools and strategies will maximize your effectiveness as a special
education teacher?
How do the individual needs of children with learning disabilities and ADHD
impact program planning and implementation and teaching methods?
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students will:
•
•
•
•
•
Develop an understanding of students with learning disabilities and learn to provide
individualized instruction.
Understand and implement programs, techniques, methods, and materials in
reading in math and instruction.
Select, adapt, and use instructional materials according to the characteristics of
the learner.
Implement a diagnostic-prescriptive teaching approach.
Apply strategies for behavior management.
COURSE READINGS AND MATERIALS
Will be assigned on a weekly/bi-weekly basis
TECHNOLOGY AND COMPUTER ACCOUNTS
•
•
We will use the course Blackboard site for students to receive their grades,
announcements, and any class content files.
Students may acquire computer accounts providing access to the email system and
campus wide network at AU (Eaglenet) through Computer Accounts in the Office of
Information Technology. All students MUST read their AU email, and are strongly
encouraged to forward their AU email to the account they read most frequently. All
AU email accounts are issued free of charge and will expire when you graduate from
AU (or shortly thereafter).
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COURSE REQUIREMENTS / ASSESSMENTS
Graded Course Outcomes: Fall
DAILY ATTENDANCE: 40%
# of Absences
0-5
6-8
9-11
12-14
<15
Grade
74
68
0
WEEKLY SEMINAR ATTENDANCE: 15%
Absences
0-2
3-4
5
6
<6
Grade
74
68
0
100
84
100
84
✪ On most Mondays, you will also be required to attend a seminar at the Foxhall Campus
from 12:30 – 2:00 p.m.
The purpose of the Intern Weekly Seminar is to scaffold the growth of teaching interns
within their classroom practices at the Lab School of Washington. Seminars will cover a
variety of topics that will help to build, strengthen, and extend the knowledge and skills
that interns are developing through coursework and classroom experiences. While some
topics have been pre-selected, many of the topics will be decided based upon the needs
of interns and supervising teachers as the semester unfolds. This may include content
specific strategy instruction, behavior management strategies, use of data in instructional
decisions, IEP development, use of technology, working with diverse students, working in
inclusive classrooms, and cooperative teaching skills.
It is possible that seminar dates can be used to allow interns the opportunity to observe
and participate in other programs offered at the Lab School of Washington in order to
more fully understand the program. This includes science classes, performing and visual arts
classes, academic clubs, and IEP meetings. The Seminar will offer interns the opportunity to
observe in settings outside The Lab School. This is contingent upon the agreement and
scheduling of teachers of these courses/schools and those outside of the LSW setting.
OBSERVATIONS: 10%
The University Supervisor will formally observe each intern. The first observation will be
announced; the subsequent observations may not; although your Master Teacher will be
able to provide appropriate observation dates and days ahead of time to the University
Supervisor. The supervisor will sit in the classroom and observe you as you work with
students for a class period (or 2). You and she will then schedule a meeting to review the
observation. The University Supervisor will complete 4 form C’s (2 fall, 1 early spring, 1
takeover week) and a final FBPA in May.
INTERN JOURNAL/DISCUSSION BOARD: 12 TOTAL ENTRIES: 15%
Point Value: 100 points
# Of posts
12
11
10
9
8
<7
Points
73
0
100
93
86
79
Delivery: Blackboard
✪ INTERN Journal/Discussion Board:
You will be observing and learning so much each day in your internship experiences that it
may seem overwhelming to remember and retain all the information and data you collect.
Therefore, you are asked to blog every week about your experience in response to a
particular question. Each week one intern and/or the University Supervisor (based on the
schedule) will propose a question to the group. This is to be completed not later than each
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Monday at 8 p.m. Responses will be posted throughout the week (by the following Monday
at 8 p.m.) and can be unique or in response to another’s posting; however, each intern is
expected to post one response within 7 days of the initial posting. The intern who posted
the question also needs to include his/her response to either the question or another’s
posting within the week time frame.
FALL WEEKLY BLOG POSTING
1. September 15: Dr. D
2. September 22: Brittany
3. September 29: Nicole
4. October 6: Jessica
5. October 13: Inge
6. October 20: Julie
7. October 27: Ashley
8. November 3: Emily
9. November 10: Alie
10. November 17: Avery
11. November 24: Emily
12. December 1: Hali
FBPA: December: 20% Due: December 1
Point Value: 100 points
Total Points
16-32
<16
Grade
Pass
Fail
FORM C: 2-due December 12 (1of your master teacher, and one of art/club and/or
science)
Form C
2
1
0
Grade
100
50
0
✪ During the week of December 15-19, you will be NOT be in your regular classrooms,
rather rotating throughout your building to observe other teachers, arts classes, academic
clubs, science, and PE.
Delivery: GoEd
✪ You and your classroom Master Teacher will complete a formal evaluation (FBPA;
included in your notebook) two times a year. The December end of semester forms will be
used for goal setting (January) and instructional conversations about areas of strength and
need. The end of the semester forms will be used as part of the process to determine your
semester internship grade. Additionally, in December after your end of the semester
review, you and your master teacher will develop 4-6 goals for you to work towards based
upon the FBPA. All FBPA’s will be completed on GO ED. You will also complete 4 Form C’s
on your GO ED portfolio..
The forms will be completed:
Fall Semester final FBPA and 2 form C’s: December 1
Goal Setting Form: January 26
Spring Semester final FBPA, Goal Setting Review, 2 form C’s: April 27
Evaluation will be a continuous, educational process for both the intern and the Master
Teacher as they work together in the classrooms throughout the year. The intern and
Master Teacher will meet each morning at 7:45 a.m. with the teaching team, and on a
rotating basis during lunch in a one-to-one situation. These meetings allow for
communication between the members of the teaching team as well as allow time for the
Master Teacher to provide instruction to you related to internship experiences. Ideally, your
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master teacher will meet with you one day a week during lunch to review your
performance, areas of strength/need, answer questions, and to show you specific
teaching methods. The morning meeting times are to be used for planning, review, asking
questions, gathering materials, and preparing for the morning instruction.
The intern and the Master Teacher will complete a formal evaluation (FBPA) in December
to review performance within the fall semester. The same process will take place in in May
(FBPA) during the spring semester. In January, you will meet to discuss personal goals for
your Spring semester using teacher feedback and the FBPA to guide the development of
4-6 professional goals. You will review these goals in April with your Master teacher and
University Supervisor. The evaluations in December and May are to provide information
towards the semester grade. Additionally your Master Teacher will do a formal observation
of you sometime during November-April using From D.
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SPRING GRADING
Weekly Blogs: Spring 12 total blogs: 10%
# Of posts
12
11
10
9
8
<7
Points
100
93
86
79
73
0
SPRING WEEKLY BLOG POSTING
1. January 5: Brittany
2. January 12:Nicole
3. January 19: Jessica
4. January 26: Inge
5. February 2: Julie
6. February 9: Ashley
7. February 23: Emily
8. March 2: Alie
9. March 9: Avery
10. March 23: Emily
11. April 6: Hali
12. April 13: Dr. D
GOAL SHEET and FBPA: 15%
INITIAL GOAL SHEET: Due January 26
FINAL GOAL SHEET WITH FEEDBACK: Due April 27
Goal Setting 27-30 (6)
26-22(6)
21-15 (6)
Total Points
25-21 (5)
20-16 (5)
15-11 (5)
20-17 (4)
16-13
12-9 (4)
Grade
A
B
C
14-9 (6)
10-6 (5)
8-5 (4)
D
<9 (6)
<6 (5)
<4 (4)
F
✪ In January, you will meet to discuss personal goals for your spring semester using teacher
feedback and the FBPA to guide the development of 4-6 professional goals. You will
review these goals in April with your Master teacher and University Supervisor. This is your
signature assignment for your portfolio under Standard 9: Professionalism
FBPA: Due April 27
FBPA
20-32
Total Points
Grade
Pass
<20
Fail
Delivery: GoEd
DAILY ATTENDANCE: 25%
Absences
0-5
6-8
9-11
12-14
<15
Grade
84
74
68
0
100
TAKE-OVER WEEK OBSERVATIONS: 20%
✪ In mid-spring (usually the end of March/month of April) you will take over the class for a
week. This includes all the planning, organization, and implementation of lessons and intact
behavior systems. You may plan around a theme, event, or week-long project. The
purpose of the take-over week is not to show how you can mimic your master teacher’s
plans, but how you can plan a unit of lessons all on your own using what you have learned
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thus far. The university supervisor will observe several times during this week. You MUST have
your plans to your master teacher and your supervisor two weeks prior to the takeover in
order for review and editing. You will also be asked to reflect, in writing, upon your week
after it is completed using the form provided to you by your university supervisor. This will
help guide your feedback meeting with the university supervisor. Your grade will be based
upon your timeliness of set guidelines (2 weeks prior submission of plans), your use of
appropriate teaching methods, implementation of behavior strategies, ability to execute
lessons, and overall connection of lessons to content/strategies learned in your university
program.
WEEKLY SEMINAR ATTENDANCE: 10%
Absences
0-2
3-4
5
6
<6
Grade
100
84
74
68
0
FORM C: 2-due March 20th
Form C
2
1
0
Grade
50
0
100
✪ During AU’s spring break, March 9-13, you will be spending 1 day in the High
School, 1 day in the Junior High School, and 2 days in either elementary or
intermediate (Foxhall interns go to Reservoir/Reservoir interns come to Foxhall)
Attendance
American University and the Lab School of Washington (LSW) are responsible for
documenting that you complete at least 720 hours over the course of the school year in
order to recommend you for certification. All interns follow the schedule of LSW, including
their Spring Break, and remain in your internship at LSW until the end of the LSW calendar.
Your days will begin at 7:45 and will end 12:20 (depending on campus).
You MUST complete a daily sign-in sheet (attached in the intern notebook) that your
master teacher must sign before submission. These will be turned in on a monthly basis to
Dr. Durham.
Your internship is perhaps the most important aspect of the Master of Arts in Special
Education program which your greatest learning comes through your time spent in the
classroom with your Master Teacher and your students applying the theoretical and
practical training your receive in your graduate courses. Therefore, it is imperative that
your attendance be regular and consistent. Absences and tardiness should be limited to
emergencies. It is your responsibility as the intern to notify your Master Teacher and Dr.
Durham as soon as possible if you will be absent or tardy. You can do this by email,
phone, or text. If you have an emergency (personal, sickness, etc…) that arises in the
MORNING before school, please TEXT your master teacher and Dr. Durham immediately.
You are allowed to miss a maximum of 20 hours per semester. This amounts to roughly the
equivalent of 5 mornings per semester, which should allow you time for things you cannot
avoid during school mornings. You are asked to sign in and out each day to document
your hours for certification. Late arrivals or early departures will count towards these 20
hours. As your time in the classroom is VERY important and a valuable venue for your
learning this year; your semester grade for EDU 792 is related to your attendance. If you are
very ill and miss three days in a row, a doctor’s note will be required.
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If it happens that an intern exceeded more than 20 hours of absence per semester, he or
she may be asked to repeat the internship assignment or may fail the internship. In the
case of significant absenteeism, you may be dismissed from the program. The Director of
Teacher Education and the University Supervisor will make recommendations to the Dean
in these cases. In the case that the Lab School has a FULL PD DAY scheduled, you are NOT
required to attend UNLESS the PD is specifically related to your responsibilities or you have
been asked by your school supervisor.
Only registered students can attend class. Non-registered students or family, children or
guests of registered students cannot attend class. Additionally, only registered students will
get credit for the course.
Late Assignments
Late assignments will not be accepted unless prior permission has been given. Early and
on-time assignments will be accepted.
COURSE OUTLINE: The course outline presented below is the framework for this course. It is
subject to change based on the needs of the class.
COURSE GRADING:
Percent of Total Points available will be used to determine the class grade as follows:
A: 95% - 100%
A-: 90% - 94%
B+: 87% - 89%
B: 83% - 86%
B-: 80% - 82%
C+: 77% - 79%
C: 73% - 76%
C-: 70% - 72%
D:66% - 69%
F: 65% or less
YOUR DAY: (tutoring notes, materials, turn off cell phone, sign in, etc…)
When you arrive in the morning (7:45), your master teacher will go over the plans for the
day. You can ask questions, explore materials, search out games/books in the curriculum
room or review any material that may be necessary.
There may be times when the master teacher must be out the classroom for staff meetings,
parent meeting, or IEP meetings. During this time, the assistant will be in charge, but is
expected that you will still work as expected, asking any questions to the assistant and
keeping a close eye on all of the children. During these times, you are expected to
demonstrate and practice classroom management skills.
You will be involved in the instruction of morning meeting, reading and math (in the
elementary program you will also be observing/assisting with Jr. Great Books instruction).
Each day you will work with small groups of children implementing the lesson plans the
teacher has prepared. At first, you will spend some time observing the assistant and
teacher providing instruction, but will then be expected to work on your own. At ANY time
during instruction, if you feel uncomfortable, have a question, or notice that instruction isn’t
being understood by your students, you can ask another teacher for clarification or help. If
the teacher is delivering large group instruction, ask her/him what it is you should do during
this time. You may be asked to take notes, observe a particular student, or just watch.
You will also be expected to take tutoring notes on the lesson plans you have for students.
These notes help the teacher in understanding what students did or did not understand
and the next steps needed in planning instruction. Tutoring notes should be well organized,
complete, and include observations, insights and miscues. More information about this will
be provided during your orientation training as well as in our weekly seminar. Additionally,
your master teacher will help guide you in the format that is most effective for his/her
instruction.
Lunch. (You may stay if you choose) The students all eat in their classrooms and often
move from one room to another for “lunch dates” with friends. This is a great time for you to
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get to know the students on more of a personal level. Spend some time connecting with
them, asking about their likes/dislikes, interests, activities, etc… This will also help you in
gaining valuable information that can be used to “hook” the student in learning or in
planning for their instruction.
APPROPRIATE INTERACTIONS: While it is vital to get to know your students, please refrain
from sharing very personal information with them. You are a “teacher” in the classroom
and must learn to develop professionalism within your interactions with students. Under NO
circumstances should you ever invite a student over to your house or give them your
phone number. While physical affection is acceptable if appropriate (i.e. a hug to comfort
a sad child; a high five in celebration; an arm around the shoulder) you should not hold
children on your lap, consistently hold hands with a particular child, or bring in any “gifts”
for children that are not part of a predetermined behavior system which has been cleared
with your master teacher.
Keep in mind that children are very intuitive. In fact, they are MUCH more aware of our
facial and body language than we are. Both send messages to the children that can
either make or break a teaching relationship. I am sure each of you can remember a
teacher in your educational history who never smiled, always sighed loudly at a particular
child, or who was difficult to approach because she/he was “mean.” Learn to keep in
check your emotions, especially those you wear on your face. Through time, you will
develop an intuition about children; you will be able to “feel” when they are frustrated,
shutting down, or on the verge of losing control. Remember, that when you become
frustrated with a child (for whatever reason) they are probably twice as frustrated! Be
patient, speak kindly, and ALWAYS focus on the positive!
DRESS CODE: The Lab School policy is “jeans only of Friday.” Please dress professionally, but
remember that you will most likely be on the floor, sitting in “small” chairs, and even playing
with the children throughout the day. Don’t choose clothes that “drop low” in the front
when you bend over, or “ride high” when you sit on the floor.
GENERAL TIMELINE OF FALL AND SPRING SEMESTERS:
September:
Observe as well as jump-in! You will be learning through participation, conversations with
the teachers and students, observation, and osmosis! Learn what diagnostic-prescriptive
teaching is and how to establish positive, but appropriate relationships with your students.
Observe the behavior management techniques employed by your Master Teacher. Begin
to look for what may be unique about these students as opposed to those you may have
worked with in the mainstream setting. Participate in administering informal classroom
diagnostics.
October/November/December:
Begin to take over the classroom some Friday mornings (minimum of 5 Fridays before your
take over week in the spring). This will typically be the regular instruction for Fridays, but
may sometimes be a group instruction activity. I would also like you to begin planning for
some of the students in your splits. This can be worked out with your Master Teacher when
he/she determines that you are ready.
March/April/May
Within the second semester of the seminar, interns will responsible for creating and
implementing weekly lesson plans, documenting student learning through data driven
methods, and reflecting upon their growth and methodology as teachers of students with
learning disabilities.
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Schedule your take-over week with your teacher and University Supervisor. You need to
begin to plan this week in advance so that you will have plenty of time to meet with your
teacher and consider her suggestions for changes that may be necessary. You need to
complete these meetings and finalize your week’s plans AT LEAST ONE WEEK PRIOR to your
take-over week.
Take over the classroom for one week. During this time, the classroom teacher will be out
of the room and the University Supervisor will be in and out to observe. You will meet with
the University Supervisor after the week is complete to review the week.
Sept. 8
Sept. 15
Sept. 22
Sept. 29
October 6
October 13
October 20
October 27
Nov. 3
Nov. 10
Nov. 17
Nov. 24
Dec. 1
Seminar Topics
Syllabus and review of the first 2 weeks: What work needs to be done
in classrooms for AU courses? Wordle, What is the Lab School?
Responsive Classroom; understanding the components
Logical consequences (reading to be posted on BB)
Teacher language
(reading to be posted on BB)
No Seminar
File Review on Whipple Hill
Holiday
Classroom Management (Sonberg)
(reading to be posted on BB)
Tutoring Notes (Crowley)
No Seminar
SMART goals for planning small groups (Palmer)
The Academic Club Methodology: what and why
(reading to be posted on BB)
No Seminar
2014 in Review!
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Philosophy of the School of Education, Teaching & Health
The mission of the School (SETH) is the professional development of dedicated and
proficient teachers, educational leaders, health professionals, and researchers. Graduates
should be equipped to accommodate learner needs, to nurture the strengths and talents
of those they serve, and to provide leadership in large and small organizations, classrooms,
educational institutions, and public policy arenas. In partial fulfillment of that mission, SETH
offers programs that prepare teachers, educational leaders and managers, education
specialists, health promotion specialists, and researchers for careers in schools, colleges
and universities, federal, state and local government agencies, business, and community
and professional organizations. These programs provide candidates with opportunities to
collaborate with professionals in public schools, educational organizations, and federal
agencies through internships, practice, and research. Graduates are equipped to meet
individual needs, to nurture the strengths and talents of those individuals, and to initiate
and provide leadership in classrooms, educational institutions, and in the public policy
arena. The mission of the SETH is derived from the faculty's shared conviction that the
fundamental task preparing effective professionals who understand and model a
commitment to excellence, equity, community and diversity.
The School of Education, Teaching & Health faculty and staff are committed to
celebrating diversity and building a community of learners. As we work in collaboration in
and out of the classroom:
• We believe that respecting each other's differences and opinions leads to a
positive and open environment,
• We believe that open discourse promotes reflective and thoughtful educators,
• We believe that equitable treatment of each other is necessary for a positive,
sustained, and working community, and
• We believe that each and every member of the community can make a valuable
contribution to the community.
These beliefs in action provide for all students, staff, and faculty a safe, productive, and
positive educational community.
General Information for School of Education Courses
Information about the University
There are three University publications you will need to refer to for various academic issues:
The University Catalog
http://www.american.edu/provost/registrar/universitycatalog.cfm
The Academic Regulations
Undergraduate:
http://www.american.edu/provost/undergrad/undergrad-rules-and-regulations-toc.cfm
Graduate:
http://www.american.edu/provost/grad/grad-rules-and-regulations-toc.cfm
The Student Handbook
http://www.american.edu/ocl/studentguide/
Registration
Faculty members are expected to deny a place in the class to any person who has
not been formally registered, unless that student is attending a portion of a course
for valid academic reasons with the permission of the instructor and the dean or
teaching unit head. Discontinuation of attendance at class or notification to the
instructor does not constitute an official withdrawal. This means only formally
10
registered students can attend classes. Children and other family members of
students are not permitted in class. Formal registration can be verified through the
"Academics" section on the student's <myAU.american.edu> portal account. Class
participation on Blackboard (without formal enrollment in the course) does NOT
equal formal registration.
Incomplete Grades - Undergraduate
http://www.american.edu/provost/undergrad/undergrad-rules-and-regulations.cfm#3.5
Incomplete Grades - Graduate
http://www.american.edu/provost/grad/grad-rules-and-regulations-toc.cfm
Academic Integrity Code
http://www.american.edu/academics/integrity/
Students are expected to conform to the regulations of the University in regard to
academic integrity, especially in regard to plagiarism, inappropriate collaboration,
dishonesty in examinations, dishonesty in papers, work for one course and submitted
to another, deliberate falsification of data, interference with other students' work,
and copyright violation.
Services for Students with Disabilities
http://www.american.edu/ocl/sccrs/Services-for-Students-504.cfm
Appropriate modifications to academic requirements may be necessary on a caseby-case basis to ensure educational opportunity for students with disabilities, and
individual faculty members may need to modify specific course requirements to
permit equal participation by students with disabilities.
Protection of Human Subjects
http://www.american.edu/irb
Any research involving interviewing, surveying, or observing human beings is subject
to review and approval by the University Institutional Review Board (IRB) and
information about he university’s IRB process is outlined at http://american.edu/irb
The university IRB liaison is Matthew Zembrzuski and his email is irb@american.edu
Using Appropriate Documentation Formats
The School of Education, Teaching & Health permits the use of two formats for
research citations, footnotes, list of references, and layout, and all written work must
adhere to those guidelines:
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition,
Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 2009. Online guide at
http://www.apastyle.org/manual/index.aspx
OR
The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th edition) Modern Language
Association of America (2009). Online guide at
http://www.mlahandbook.org/fragment/public_index
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Failure to use the format selected appropriately and accurately will result in a grade
penalty.
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