NOTE: This is a model syllabus. It is intended to provide students and other interested individuals with the specific topics covered and the kinds of activities and assignments generally required for this course. The instructor has the discretion to adjust this syllabus each semester to fit instructional needs and concerns.

I.          Professor:       Tina J. Herring, Ph.D.

                                    RM 106B Gary Hall (see office hours posted on door)

                                    Phone:  405.574.1241

                                    Email office: therring@usao.edu

                                    Email home: tinajherring@yahoo.com

                                    (email is the best way to contact me)

Course:           Education of the Exceptional Child

Credit:            2 credit hours

II. Course Description:

Survey course concerning all types of exceptional children and instruction on identifying children with learning disabilities, mental retardation, and sensory impairment.  Emphasis on methods and techniques of identification, teaching, and resource assistance available to teachers.

III. Course Rationale:

       Anyone entering the field of education today should expect to work with children having a wide

        range of abilities and disabilities.  Administrators and regular classroom teachers, as well as special

       education teachers, will be actively involved in the education of exceptional children and must be

       prepared to do so effectively.

IV. Course Outcomes:

       Upon completing the course requirements, the student will be knowledgeable in the areas of the characteristics and educational needs of exceptional children.  The student will further be competent in identifying techniques, educational alternatives, classroom modification, and supportive services for students eligible for special education services.

V.  Required Textbook:

        Heward, W. L. (2006). Exceptional children: An introduction to special education  (8th Ed.).         Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall/Merrill.

VI.  Optional Materials:

Alber, S. R. & Bicard, D. F. Student study guide to accompany Exceptional Children: An

introduction to special education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall/Merrill.

        Blanco, Jodee. (2003) Please Stop Laughing at Me. Boston, MA: Adams Media Corporation

VII.  Procedure:

This course is designed to meet two hours per week.  These class meetings will be used for lecture, class discussion, videos, paper presentations, individual and group work on course requirements.

VII.  Course Objective:

 1.      Define terminology related to special education and explain the functional approach to providing special education services.

2.      Describe the effects of historical forces and the impact of legislation on special education.

3.      Acquire competence in special education issues:  IDEA definition of the various disability categories, diverse cultural backgrounds, and  at risk students

4.      Describe the most appropriate methods and accommodations used with various students with exceptional needs.

VIII.  Course Requirements:

v     Class attendance and participation for all sessions

v     Having a passing average on quizzes and assignments and tests

v     1  article summary on a current issue or topic in special education

v     “Adapting a Lesson” Group Project

v     Optional: bonus points assignments (described below)

IX.  Evaluation:

Your final grade in the course will be determined by the total number of points earned. A total of

240 points are distributed over the course requirements as follows:

               Quizzes (10 @ 15 points) one quiz will be dropped           150

               Special Education and the Law Test                                    30

               Paper                                                                                 30

               “Adapting a Lesson” project                                               25/50 =75

                                                              Total                                285

* Note: Five (5) points will be deducted from the total earned on your papers and project each day that they are late.

Final Grade Table

A            =            (95-100%)                                                      C+     =       (76-79%)

A-          =            (90-94%)                                                        C       =        (73-75%)

B+          =            (86-89%)                                                        C-      =       (70-72%)

B            =            (83-85%)                                                        D       =       (60-69%)

B-           =            (80-82%)                                                        F        =         59% and below

THERE WILL BE NO FINAL IN THIS CLASS.

Course Policies:

Attendance: Attending class is your responsibility.  If an assignment is due on the day you miss class 5 points will be automatically deducted from your grade even if the assignment is turned in later that day, regardless of the excuse.  Additionally, any quiz missed, cannot be made up.  Attendance will be taken randomly.  Any student absent that when attendance is taken will have 5 points deducted from their final grade for each absence.  Exceptions are made for students who are involved in school sponsored sports, have documentation proving they were ill, or attending a funeral.

Quizzes There will be 11 quizzes worth 15 points each with an extra bonus question. Your lowest score quiz will be dropped. Quizzes will be multiple choice and/or short answer.  

Special Education and the Law Test will be short answer and essay.  The test will cover IDEA, ADA and IEPs.

Current Issues Paper will be required of all students. Students will be responsible for finding a research article concerning a topic or current issue in special education. Details are included in this syllabus.  Regardless, of how well written the paper, those students who do not follow the directions mentioned in this syllabus will receive a 0 on the assignment with no chance to redo.

Optional Bonus Points Assignments: Guided reviews for each chapter appear in the Student Study Guide and on the companion website for this course (www.prenhall.com/heward). A total of 10 bonus points for the course can be earned with the completion of these reviews. Reviews will be collected each week. Two class sessions will be randomly selected for grading the study guide assignments. If the student submits guided reviews for these sessions, they will be graded for bonus points. Each session’s review (whether it covers one or two chapters) will be worth 5 points. This provides the opportunity for 10 bonus points total. Guided reviews must be turned in on the date they are due (see course schedule) to be considered eligible for the bonus points.

Read and summarize Please Stop Laughing at Me by Jodee Blanco (15 pts).  Include examples of dealing with bullies and/or bullying your own life, how you handled the situation(s) or encounters and what you plan to do as a teacher to prevent bullying from happening in you classroom. Your summary must clearly show that you read the book or else no points will be given.

Only those students who have completed the article summary and the Special Education and the Law test will be eligible to receive the bonus points for the guided review and the book summary.

Make-up Test Policy: There will be NO make up for quizzes under any circumstance, unless the student is involved in school sponsored sports.  Documentation of why the student is absent must be provided by the coach. 

Academic Dishonesty: Be assured and forewarned that cheating will not be tolerated in this course. All cases of suspected cheating will be referred to the University's Committee on Academic Misconduct. This action is required by all instructors as outlined in the Faculty Handbook. Regarding the consequences of being found guilty of dishonest academic practice.  If you find yourself having problems with the course, please come in and talk to me.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities – Accommodations will be made to meet the individual need of students with disabilities enrolled in this course.  It is the student’s responsibility to make his/her accommodation needs known to the instructor.  If you need accommodations, speak to me privately no later than the second week of the semester.

Satisfactory completion of EDUC 2022:  Education of the Exceptional Child will contribute to the following General Competencies for Licensure and Certification:

3.         The teacher understands that students vary in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adaptable to individual differences of learners.

4.         The teacher understands curriculum integration processes and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage student’s development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills and effective use of technology.

5.         The teacher uses best practices related to motivation and behavior to create learning environments that encourage positive social interaction, self-motivation and active engagement in learning, thus, providing opportunities for success.

6.         The teacher develops a knowledge of and uses a variety of effective communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom.

7.         The teacher plans instruction based upon curriculum goals, knowledge of the teaching/learning process, subject matter, students’ abilities and differences, and the community; and adapts instruction based upon assessment and reflection.

8.         The teacher understands and uses a variety of assessment strategies to evaluate and modify the teaching/learning process ensuring the continuous intellectual, social and physical development of the learner.

13.       The teacher understands the legal aspects of teaching including the rights of students and parents/families, as well as the legal rights and responsibilities of the teacher.

Article Summary

For this paper, you will be responsible for finding a research article (2004 to present) related to a current issue or topic in special education. The article should be from a well-known journal in education or special education.  If you are uncertain as to whether your article meets criteria, please see me.  Your paper should be 2 complete pages, double spaced (margins no greater than 1” on each side and font no larger than 12 pt.), It should synthesize the information found in your journal article, as well as your position on the issue.

The article must be turned in with the summary or else the assignment will not be graded.

TOPICS:

You may choose a topic from the following list, or meet with me to discuss an alternate, but related topic. These are ideas to help you find an article concerning a topic of interest.

·        Should children without disabilities be educated about the disabilities experienced by their disabled peers? Why or why not?

·        Educational strategies that have been shown effective with students with MR, LD, and/or SED.

·        Should a teacher of students with SED focus primarily on teaching social skills or academic skills?

·        Present components of a comprehensive SED program and why each component is important.

·        Young African-American males are overrepresented in the category of SED. Why might this be the case and what does the literature say on this topic?

·        Transitioning from high school to adulthood is a “hot” issue in special education.  What does the literature say about helping students make this transition and review a program that has been created to help student through this difficult time.

·        Social issues related to persons with disabilities.

·        What does the literature say about the overrepresentation of children from diverse backgrounds in classes for children with disabilities

·        What does the literature say about the underrepresentation of children from diverse background in classes for children who are gifted?

·        Field of early intervention. What types of services are available, what are the goals of early childhood special education, what is an IFSP, what role can early intervention play in eliminating the need for special education as children grow, what are some strategies for promoting social competence for preschoolers with disabilities? 

·        How do members of the Deaf culture view hearing loss?

·        Can being gifted and talented be a handicap for some children, how are gifted and talented students served in schools, what kinds of social problems do these students face, why do students who are very bright need specialized education?

·        Describe the literature on a “promising” or “effective” educational practice for including students who are deaf or hearing impaired, blind or vision impaired, or severely mentally and/or physically disabled into general education classrooms.

·        Discuss the topic of inclusion

·        Parenting children with exceptionalities. What are the issues parents face, what are effective practices for working with parents, how much and what kinds of parent involvement in a child’s educational program is enough?

·        What can a teacher learn from the parents and families of students with disabilities? Include literature material on this topic.

·        In what ways does a child with disabilities impact the family role of parenting? Feel free to include information from an interview with a parent of a child with a disability.

·        Discuss the many roles of parents with exceptional children.

Note: You may choose to summarize an article on any given disability (e.g., LD, SED, MR, autism, severe disabilities, physical disabilities, hearing impairments, visual impairments, gifted and talented) or topic related to special education (e.g., early childhood education, inclusion, transition, functional curriculums).