SSLS 511: Overview of Children with Disabilities (Birth-6th Grade)
DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL SERVICES
AND LEADERSHIP STUDIES
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
PITTSBURG STATE UNIVERSITY
Spring 2009
Overview of Education for Exceptional Students
Birth through Grade 6
Course Number:
Instructor:
Office:
Office Hours:
E-mail:
FAX:
I.
SSLS 5l1
Martha A. York
Hughes Hall 210
M-Th 1:00-3:30
myork@pittstate.edu
(620) 235-4520
Credit Hours:
3
Time Schedule:
10:00 MWF
Office Phone:
(620) 235-4965
Also by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION
SSLS 510 Overview of Education for Exceptional Students is a general introduction to the characteristics
of exceptional students and their education. This involves a survey of local, state, national, and
international programs for exceptional individuals.
II.
PURPOSE OF THE COURSE
This is a course required for all prospective elementary and secondary education majors. The purpose of
this course is to create a positive attitude toward all exceptional students.
III.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Indicators from the PSU College of Education Professional Knowledge Base that are addressed in this
course include:
I. Professional Characteristics
3. Believes that all students can learn and that, as a teacher, he/she can make a significant
contribution to their learning.
6. Complies with written laws and policies regarding confidentiality in handling personal
information about students, parents, and personnel.
9. Is willing to ask for help and advice from and build collaborative relationships with colleagues to
share teaching insights and coordinate learning activities for students.
III. Instructional Planning
23. Develops clear short and long-term instruction plans (e.g. lesson plans, units, and/or modules)
which include objectives, materials activities, and evaluation techniques based on the curriculum
objectives.
25. Selects materials and activities consistent with the objectives of the lesson and the students’
prerequisite skills, attention span, and learning styles.
26. Has knowledge of and implements assorted instructional techniques and technology to provide for
instructional variation and integration with other disciplines.
28. Structures lesson planning to allow for individualization, reteaching, and alternative assessment so
all students could meet the objectives.
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SSLS 511: Overview of Children with Disabilities (Birth-6th Grade)
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IV. Instruction
36. Uses suitable teaching strategies to accommodate learning styles.
37. Incorporates individualized strategies for students with special needs (e.g., English as a second
language, learning disables, behavioral disordered).
38. Uses available education technologies and teaching aids to enhance instruction (e.g., computer,
multimedia, the internet).
42. Facilititates instructional strategies which provide opportunities to work individually and
collaboratively in groups.
43. Conducts lessons at an appropriate pace so all students have the opportunity to learn the intended
objectives.
47. Individualizes assignments that all students can complete on their own with a high success rate.
52. Teaches tolerance by example and by design, striving to develop a classroom atmosphere which
recognizes the value of all people regardless of their uniqueness.
V. Classroom Management
54. Organizes and maintains the physical environment of the classroom in a functional, pleasant, and
orderly manner conducive to student learning and safety.
57. Displays consistency in dealing with behavior in the least disruptive manner utilizing appropriate
positive and negative consequences.
59. Understands how to handle unexpected classroom incidents and emergencies appropriately.
60. Analyzes classroom problems and resourcefully seeks strategies to help develop a learning
environment which encourages self-management, social interaction, high time-on-task, and active
engagement.
VI. Evaluation
63. Consults a variety of sources (e.g., student records, counselors, resource specialists, parent
conferences, test results, and other diagnostic tools) to determine the learning needs and
capabilities of individual students.
65. Makes changes in instruction based on feedback from multiple classroom assessment sources.
68. Has knowledge of the referral process and can use specialized services as student needs arise.
In addition, this course will focus on the following KSDE Early Childhood Unified Standards:
Standard #1
Standard #2
Standard #3
Standard #4
Standard #5
Standard #6
Standard #7
The birth through third grade teacher understands and respects families as the primary decisionmaker for general education and exceptional students and assures that services are familyfocused and culturally sensitive.
The birth through third grade teacher meets the unique needs of general education and exceptional
students and families within communities.
The birth through third grade teacher possesses a high level of professional skills and knowledge
about how general education and exceptional students develop and learn.
The birth through third grade teacher uses a variety of informal and formal assessment strategies
in collaboration wit other professionals and family members to plan and individualize
curriculum, instruction, interventions, and transitions for general education and exceptional
students.
The birth through third grade teacher establishes, maintains, and promotes physically,
psychologically safe and health learning for general education and exceptional students in their
natural environments (home, community, and/or school).
The birth through third grade teacher collaborates with the family and other professionals to
design a developmentally appropriate and research-based curriculum that meets the unique
needs, capabilities, and interests of general education and exceptional students.
The birth through third grade teacher has experiences in varied settings.
Bold type is used to emphasize the parts of the standards that will be addressed in this course.
SSLS 511: Overview of Children with Disabilities (Birth-6th Grade)
IV.
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INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES
Smith, T.E.; Polloway, E.; Patton, J.; Dowdy, C. (2008). Teaching students with special needs in inclusive
settings. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. ISBN 0-205-53057-5, ISBN 978-0-205-55057-1
Teacher Education Computer Lab, B22 Hughes Hall; Axe Library; the Instructional Resource Center
(IRC), B6 Hughes Hall.
V.
TEACHING STRATEGIES
Lecture, demonstration, open-ended discussion, handouts, videotapes, lecture visuals, case studies, and
reading from professional journals. There will be a ANGEL website which will support the material
presented in class.
VI.
COURSE CONTENT
The course will be organized into three major units. Each unit will be subdivided into topics. There will be
an examination at the end of each unit. Topics include the following:
Unit 1
A.
B.
C.
D.
Special Education Background, Procedures, and Partnerships
Terms and Concepts
Historical Origins
Issues Related to Inclusion
Identifying Students with Special Needs—Student Intervention Teams, Comprehensive
Evaluation, Placement and Services.
E. Individualized Education Plans
F. Services and Placements
G. Collaboration
H. Planning Instruction by Analyzing Classroom and Student Needs
I. Diversity and Special Education
J. The Role of Parents in Special Education
Unit 2
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Characteristics of Students with High Incidence Exceptionalities
Students with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Students with Learning Disabilities
Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
Students with Mental Retardation
Students who are Gifted
Unit 3
Characteristics of Students with Low Incidence Disabilities
A. Students with Sensory Impairments
B. Students with Autism, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Other Low-Incidence Disabilities
C. Students with Communication Disorders
D. Students Who are At Risk
VII.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
A. Reading Requirements
1. Each student will be held responsible for the material in the text through tests, case studies and
class activities. All PowerPoint presentations will be posted on ANGEL. Students will be
responsible for printing these to use for taking notes in class.
2. Each handout posted on ANGEL or given to students during class is to be read prior to the next
scheduled class session.
3. No study guides will be provided for tests.
SSLS 511: Overview of Children with Disabilities (Birth-6th Grade)
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B. Presentation (100 points) Due April 3
Each student will give a presentation on a topic chosen from a list given by the instructor. Further
information will be made available on ANGEL and discussed in class.
C. Disability/Diversity Project (100 points) Due May 1
The 510/511 Diversity/Tutoring project is a prerequisite for the Professional Semester.
For this assignment, all students will engage in a ten hour service project involving a student (age birth
through 6th grade) who has been identified as having a disability AND who can be considered as a
student with a diverse background based on his or her membership in an underserved group such as:
low socio-economic class, racial or ethnic minority membership, English Language Learner, etc.
Materials for this project will be distributed the first week of class and are also posted on ANGEL.
D. Film Review (25 points) Due March 6
.Each person will choose one of the following films to review and present on. Please make sure that
no one in your class will be presenting on the same film. You will make your 10-15 minute
presentation to your group (including a written handout) on November 4. You will prepare a 1-2 page
handout for your group members and me. This handout should be attractively arranged using the
suggestions found at the end of the syllabus.
E. Examinations (Dates to be announced).
Three general exams will be given. The textbook, class notes and handouts will be covered on the
exams. Each exam will be discussed and evaluated when it is returned to the student. The final will
not be comprehensive. Each exam is worth 100 points.
F.
General Class Assignments
G. Attendance
In this class, we will be doing a number of group activities and class attendance will be crucial in
completing much of the work required. An attendance list will be circulated every day in class and
you will be held responsible for your own attendance. If are unable to attend class for any reason,
please call Dr. York at 235-4965 or by email--myork@pittstate.edu. If you are unable to come to class
on the day of a test, please make arrangements ahead of time with Dr. York. If you don’t you may be
allowed to make it up during finals week if overall attendance has been good. The instructor may drop
students from the class who have six unexcused absences and reserves the right to do so even if
absences have been excused. On some days internet assignments may be used to substitute for class
time. It is expected that you will spend as much time on the assignment as you would have spent in
class. If weather is threatening, please check your email—a lesson on ANGEL may be substituted for
class.
VIII. COURSE EVALUATION
The final grade for the course will be assessed in the following manner:
Assignment
Points
Exams (3)
Diversity Project
Presentation
Film Review
General Class/ANGEL Assignments
300
100
100
100
100
Total Points Possible
700
630-700 points = A
560-629 points = B
490-559 points = C
420-489 points = D
<420
points = F
SSLS 511: Overview of Children with Disabilities (Birth-6th Grade)
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Book/Film Review
Each person in the class will choose one of the following films to review and present on.
Please make sure that no one in your class will be presenting on the same film. You will
make your 10-15 minute presentation to your group (including a written handout) on
November 4. You will prepare a 1-2 page handout for your group members and me that
contains the following components. This handout should be attractively arranged using the
suggestions below.
Your review should contain:
1. Summary of the film’s content
2. Identification of the exceptionality (or perceived exceptionality) and a description of
characteristics (cite your text or other resources.
3. Summary of what you learned from the film
4. Description of how this film either reinforced or challenged commonly held stereotypes
about people with disabilities
5. Evaluation of the importance and/or usefulness of the film for you and others.
6. Effectiveness of handout design
Suggested Films:
A Beautiful Mind
The Boys Next Door
Elephant Man
Girl, Interrupted
Lorenzo's Oil
Mercury Rising
Of Mice and Men
Rain Man
Sling Blade
As Good As It Gets
Butterflies are Free
Fifty First Dates
Good Will Hunting
Mask (not The Mask)
Miracle Worker
Philadelphia
Regarding Henry
The House of D
Born on the Fourth of July
Children of a Lesser God
First Do No Harm
I Am Sam
Memento
Nell
Radio
Shine
The Other Sister
SSLS 511: Overview of Children with Disabilities (Birth-6th Grade)
Effective Handout Design
Good Handouts:
 Present information in bullets that are easy to understand.
 Are neatly arranged and attractive.
 Use graphics to enhance the subject matter, show organization, and
to call attention to key points
 Emphasize and organize ideas by using spacing, font size, font
types, shading, and different styles, but stay consistent throughout
the document.
 Consider the audience for the information and present ideas with
appropriate reading difficulty. Slang and catch phrases may help to
attract the attention of the reader.
Bad Handouts:
Present information in long paragraphs that go on and on and on and where you have to hunt and hunt to find any information
that you might be looking for because it’s hiding in this long expanse of text….Are messy, confusing, or use poor page design.
They are really boring, dull, and don’t emphasize any specific information. They use the same font and size throughout without
emphasizing key points. They’re the same throughout, and don’t match the audience for which they are intended.
Name: _____________________________________
Date: _________
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SSLS 511: Overview of Children with Disabilities (Birth-6th Grade)
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Diversity/Tutoring Project Requirements
To successfully complete the SSLS 510 Diversity/Tutoring Project, you will need to complete ALL of the
starred requirements and at least 5 of the remaining suggestions. The project is due on December 1, 2006.
This project is to be submitted for class purposes in a standard typed-paper format including the cooperating
teacher evaluation.
Complete ALL:
 Keep a log page of the dates and times you were present to work with your student(s).
 Have your log signed by the cooperating teacher at the end of your project.
 Keep a journal of your activities for each day you were in attendance/worked with your student(s).
 Begin your journal by stating the names of the teacher, school and community where your project was
executed. Also note the age, ethnicity, background, etc. of the child(ren). NOTE: You must NOT use the
real names of any students with whom you work.
 End your journal with a one page reflection regarding this experience.
Choice items: Include at least 5 of the following pieces of information within your daily accounts:
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
specific skills that are being practiced/learned
skill levels of the student(s) and/or specific problems experienced
students’ strengths and/or interests (both school related and out of school)
motivation levels of the student(s) and activities you carried out to boost student motivation
ways you introduced variety to your lessons
experiences you had with your student(s) other than tutoring type activities (examples: eating in cafeteria,
picture taking day, testing, etc.)
materials you collected, adapted, made or were given by the teacher to use in working with your student(s)
and the results gained
Forms will be available online and copies will be distributed in class.