54 - Special Education

A case study and discussion format is utilized to examine current theory and practice in the field of special education. Candidates examine a wide variety of delivery models, learning and instruction styles, curriculum development, and application of legal mandates. An emphasis is placed on current research and corresponding classroom implications.

This course focuses on specific frameworks of learning with expansion and application to those students who may have learning challenges in various developmental phases. Historical perspectives of learning and behavior challenges will be discussed in light of current theories of exceptionalities. Emphasis will be placed on how students with exceptional needs learn in both academic and social settings. Special emphasis will be placed on identification and exploration of students with associated language disorders.

An introductory study of assessment techniques used to evaluate students with academic and behavior problems, this class will focus on specific evaluative devices, their administration, and interpretation of the results as related to remediation methods. Portfolio assessment is stressed, including curriculum-based and precision assessment models.

This course presents developmental theories of behavior, language, and learning. Candidates explore current research to develop their personal learning styles and discuss how they affect their interactions with children and adolescents in the school setting. The psychology of unique learners, identification of unique learners, and strategies for teaching unique learners is a focus of this course. Candidates use a case study approach to explore the characteristics and learning needs of unique learners via the integration of developmental theory. Candidates are expected to develop a personal philosophy of education based on literature reviews and introspective essay. This course also covers the role of the middle school teacher in assessment, coordination, and referral of students to health and social services.

This course allows the pre-service teacher to begin to apply a wide range of strategies that will best address the academic and behavioral needs of learners with disabilities. Candidates will develop skills that will allow them to integrate curriculum across subject areas, create learner-centered materials, and develop skills that will enable them to effectively interact with other professionals providing academic and behavioral support to students with individual learning needs.

This course examines the historical, social, and cultural context of disability. Participants will investigate both theoretical and practical aspects of this new field of study from various perspectives -- global, national, local community, and personal. Participants will examine issues such as changing conceptions of disability, the promise and progress of the disability rights movement, disability law and policy, personal and family narratives, and the portrayal and inclusion of individuals with diverse abilities in the modern media. Course content will include digital and other cultural media. The course is designed for individuals who are currently working - or intend to work - in fields such as health professions, social services, education, research and public policy, or law enforcement.

Candidates complete 50 hours of field experience practice in a special education setting. Guidelines for the clinical experience are found in the College of Education Initial Certification for Field Experiences Handbook. Candidates meet on campus with their University supervisor to discuss their work in the schools. The cooperating teacher and University supervisor will conduct performance assessments of the pre-service teacher during this experience.

This course is designed to introduce candidates to the concepts and activities necessary to effectively create systems of support for unique learners through collaborative processes with other professionals, parents and community members. Candidates engage in case studies that allow them to problem-solve issues relative to those types of interactions.

This course will introduce the set of principles associated with Universal Design for Learning (UDL), curriculum design with an emphasis on issues of social justice. Content will include instructional goals, methods, learner-centered materials, and assessment that are flexible enough to accommodate learner differences and provide access to the general curriculum and classroom for a wide variety of learners. Central to this investigation are lesson and unit development based on Understanding by Design or backward curriculum design. Also included as a component of this coursework is the inclusion of instructional strategies to address the needs of students with academic and behavioral challenges.

Candidates complete 50 hours of field experience practice in a special education setting. Guidelines for the field experience are found in the College of Education Initial Certification for Field Experiences Handbook. Candidates meet on campus with their University supervisor to discuss their work in the schools. The cooperating teacher and University supervisor will conduct performance assessments of the pre-service teacher during this experience.

This course allows the pre-service teacher to begin to apply a wide range of strategies that will best address the academic and behavioral needs of learners in the sciences. Candidates will develop skills that will enable them to integrate curriculum across subject areas, create learner centered materials, and develop skills that will enable them to effectively interact with other professionals providing academic and behavioral support to students with individual learning needs.

This course is intended for those candidates who need extended field experiences with the ongoing supervision by University personnel. Length of field experiences will be determined by the Department and is subject to Department Chair approval. Completion of this experience does not guarantee eligibility for student teaching.

This course allows the pre-service teacher to begin to apply a wide range of strategies that will best address the academic and behavioral needs of learners in mathematics. Candidates will develop skills that will enable them to integrate curriculum across subject areas, create learner centered materials, and develop skills that will enable them to effectively interact with other professionals providing academic and behavioral support to students with individual learning needs.

This course allows the pre-service teacher to begin to apply a wide range of strategies that will best address the academic and behavioral needs of learners in social studies. Candidates will develop skills that will enable them to integrate curriculum across subject areas, create learner centered materials, and develop skills that will enable them to effectively interact with other professionals providing academic and behavioral support to students with individual learning needs.

This course explores and develops strategies used to promote both the academic and social success of all students including those with high or low incidence disabilities, ELL, gifted and talented, and at-risk students. Teacher candidates will acquire an understanding and appreciation of diverse learners in today’s classroom. They will also develop a commitment to collaborative practices between special education and general education and how to utilize research based instructional strategies that create learning communities for all students.

This course is designed to explore the goals of multicultural education and aid candidates in developing their own understanding of teaching from a multicultural perspective. Candidates also acquire an understanding of the importance and process of linking home, neighborhood, and community contexts to school and classroom contexts in an effort to promote a bias free learning environment.

This course allows the pre-service teacher to begin to apply a wide range of strategies that will best address the academic and behavioral needs of learners in reading and English/language arts. Candidates will develop skills that will enable them to integrate curriculum across subject areas, create learner centered materials, and develop skills that will enable them to effectively interact with other professionals providing academic and behavioral support to students with individual learning needs.

Candidates create learning experiences designed to integrate technology in classroom content. Candidates will become familiar with both low- and high-end assistive technologies and their use in the classroom with an emphasis on enhancing the success of all learners in the general education classroom. Emphasis is on developing curriculum that is relevant and motivating to learners.

This course is designed to acquaint the pre-service teacher/practitioner, administrator, and/or pupil personnel services staff with federal legislation, Supreme Court decisions, state court decisions, and other pertinent information pertaining to the legal parameters of educating students with disabilities. In addition, this course will allow the participants an opportunity to interact with peers/colleagues regarding the "need" to incorporate this throughout one’s professional career. This course is aligned with state and national special education standards that include Illinois Common Core 1,3 and LBS I 1,3; CEC Common Core 1,8 and CEC Individual General Curriculum 1,8.

(54-567 — 54-570) This is a series of workshops covering topics of interest and importance to persons in the education profession.

This course provides an overview of classroom and behavior management theories and strategies. The course emphasizes the knowledge and skills needed to create effective behavior management and intervention projects for students, especially those with behavior problems. Emphasis will be on use of positive behavior support systems. Candidates will examine behavioral principles, procedures, and assessment methods necessary for effective programming and are expected to apply skills developed in the course by developing both a classroom management and behavior intervention project to avoid or overcome communication roadblocks and improve a student’s problem behavior. Through case analysis, role-playing, cooperative learning, use of technology, and field experience, candidates will learn how to apply principles of classroom management to actual teaching situations.

This course examines the theories and practices appropriate for balanced reading and language arts instruction and assessment in grades 4-12. The emphasis of the course is on functional techniques for improving student reading performance in the upper grades and incorporating reading into subject matter instruction. Effective reading and writing instructional strategies and assessments, including those that address the specific needs of second language learners, are modeled and practiced.

Exceptional Learners in Inclusive Communities.

This course is a sixteen (16) week supervised internship in special education settings, including eight (8) weeks in elementary and eight (8) weeks in secondary settings. This experience includes observation, planning, and supervised student teaching of students with exceptionalities in schools, institutions, or other facilities under the direct guidance of an appropriately certified professional.

This course is a sixteen (16) week supervised internship in special education settings, including eight (8) weeks in elementary and eight (8) weeks in secondary settings. This experience includes observation, planning, and supervised student teaching of students with exceptionalities in schools, institutions, or other facilities under the direct guidance of an appropriately certified professional.

The focus of this course is on developing curriculum using an understanding by design framework. Candidates will understand the three-step process to develop standards-based curriculum for P-12 learners. Emphasis will be on enduring understandings, performance-based assessments, and learning experiences.

This course is a study or project done under the direction of a member of the Department of Special Education, College of Education.