ESSE 415/515:
Instruction/Service Delivery for Educating Students with Mild Disabilities

Course Description

This course is designed to provide students with skills in planning, developing, and implementing programs for students with learning and behavior problems. This course addresses classroom organization, development and implementation of individualized educational programs (IEPs), group instruction, curriculum strategies and adaptations for teaching content area material to students with mild disabilities and cultural, ethnic, and linguistic diversity.

Course Purpose

The purpose of this course is to develop professional special educators by providing students with a broad introduction to the curricula and methods used in effective instruction with students with special needs. The course stresses classroom management, curricular organization, instructional procedures and adaptation, and best teaching practices.

Course Competencies

Students will demonstrate written and/or performance mastery in the following knowledge competencies:

1. Describe issues, assurances, and due process rights related to assessment, eligibility, and placement within a continuum of services.
2. Describe the impact of learners’ academic and social abilities, attitudes, interests, and values on instruction and career development.
3. Describe the demands of learning environments.
4. Describe basic classroom management theories and strategies for individuals with exceptional learning needs.
5. Describe effective management of teaching and learning.
6. Describe teacher attitudes and behaviors that influence behavior of individuals with exceptional learning needs.
7. Describe social skills needed for educational and other environments.
8. Describe strategies for preparing individuals to live harmonously and productively in a culturally diverse world.
9. Describe the effects of cultural and linguistic differences on growth and development.
10. Describe how the characteristics of one’s own culture and use of language and the ways in which these can differ from other cultures and uses of languages.
11. Describe the effects that exceptional conditions can have on an individual’s life.
12. Describe the impact of learners’ academic and social abilities, attitudes, interests, and values on instruction and career development.
13. Describe the demands of learning environments.
14. Describe basic classroom management theories and strategies for individuals with exceptional learning needs.
15. Describe effective management of teaching and learning.
16. Describe how teacher attitudes and behaviors that influence behavior of individuals with exceptional learning needs.
17. Describe appropriate social skills needed for educational and other environments.
18. Describe the scope and sequence of the general and special education curricula.
19. Describe the importance of the teacher serving as a model for individuals with exceptional learning needs.
20. Describe methods for remaining current regarding research-validated practice.
21. Demonstrate knowledge of curriculum, instructional methods, materials, and special teaching techniques for learners with special needs.
22. Describe the components of lesson plans that integrate objectives, procedures, and evaluation criteria.
23. Demonstrate ability to structure and maintain an environment conducive to learning in small group and full group situations.
24. Describe direct/interactive teaching techniques and demonstrate how to implement them in the classroom.
25. Identify strategies for structuring individualized learning within group instruction.
26. Acquire a beginning philosophy and a theoretical background to permit articulation of individual teaching philosophy.
27. Practice the art and science of professional decision-making, problem-solving, and classroom management in special education.
28. Acquire a set of attitudes that will permit contribution in a community of professional educators.

The following skill competencies will be demonstrated:

29. Use strategies to facilitate integration into various settings.
30. Teach individuals to use self-assessment, problem solving, and other cognitive strategies to meet their needs.
31. Select, adapt, and use instructional strategies and materials according to characteristics of the individual with exceptional learning needs.
32. Use strategies to facilitate maintenance and generalization of skills across learning environments.
33. Use procedures to increase the individual’s awareness, self-management, self-control, self-reliance, and self-esteem.
34. Use strategies that promote successful transitions for individuals exceptional learning needs.
35. Create a safe, equitable, positive, and supportive learning environment in which diversities are valued.
36. Identify and prioritize areas of the general curriculum and accommodations for individuals with exceptional learning needs.
37. Develop and implement comprehensive,longitudinal individualized programs in collaboration with team members.
38. Prepare lesson plans.
39. Use group problem solving skills to develop, implement, and evaluate collaborative activities.