Learning Disabilities:
Practical Information for
the Classroom Teacher
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Instructor Name: |
Dr. Karen Lea |
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Phone: |
509-891-7219 |
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Office Hours: |
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST Monday - Friday |
|
Email: |
|
|
Address: |
Virtual Education Software |
|
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23403 E Mission Avenue, Suite 220F |
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Liberty Lake, WA 99019 |
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Technical Support: |
Introduction
Learning Disabilities: Practical Information for the
Classroom Teacher is an interactive computer-based instruction course that provides an introduction to the field of Learning
Disabilities for special education teachers, general classroom teachers,
integration teachers, and related professionals, especially those working in
the areas of language, psychology, and counseling.
This computer-based instruction course
is a self-supporting program that provides instruction, structured practice,
and evaluation all on your home or school computer. Technical support
information can be found in the Help section of your course.
Course Materials (Online)
|
Title: |
Learning Disabilities:
Practical Information for the Classroom |
|
Publisher: |
Virtual Education Software, inc. 2001,
Revised 2002, Revised 2010, Revised 2013, Revised 2016, Revised 2019, Revised
2022 |
|
Instructor: |
Dr.
Karen Lea |
Academic Integrity Statement
The structure and format of most
distance-learning courses presume a high level of personal and academic
integrity in completion and submission of coursework. Individuals enrolled in a
distance-learning course are expected to adhere to the following standards of
academic conduct.
Academic Work
Academic work submitted by the individual
(such as papers, assignments, reports, tests) shall be the student’s own work
or appropriately attributed, in part or in whole, to its correct source.
Submission of commercially prepared (or group prepared) materials as if they
are one’s own work is unacceptable.
Aiding Honesty in Others
The individual will encourage honesty
in others by refraining from providing materials or information to another
person with knowledge that these materials or information will be used
improperly.
Violations of these
academic standards will result in the assignment of a failing grade and
subsequent loss of credit for the course.
Expected Learning Outcomes
As
a result of this course, participants will demonstrate their ability to:
·
Identify warning signs of learning disabilities
·
Implement modifications and accommodations for individuals
with learning disabilities
·
Collaborate in assessment to determine existence of a
learning disability
·
Collaborate with parents, guardians, and the community to
provide effective teaching
Course Description
This course will provide you with a
foundational knowledge of learning disabilities and with practical ways you can
help students who have disabilities in your classroom.
Chapter 1: Definition & Characteristics
This section focuses on the
foundational knowledge of learning disabilities. At the end of this section,
students will be able to:
- Understand the definition of a
learning disability
- Articulate the characteristics
of a learning disability
Chapter 2: Assessment
Assessment is an integral part of the
identification and education of children with learning disabilities. Its main purpose
is to improve learning. In this section of the course, we will look at both the
discrepancy model and the RTI model used to assess and identify learning
disabilities. At the end of this section, students will be able to:
·
Articulate a foundational knowledge of assessing for
learning disabilities
·
Assess strategies in classroom scenarios
Chapter 3: Adaptions & Modifications
This section focuses on accommodations
and modifications educators can make in the classroom. We will look at general
teaching techniques that will actually raise the
quality of teaching in the classroom and are beneficial when used for the whole
class. Then we will look at accommodations and modifications for specific
learning disabilities. Your objectives for this section are to: (a) analyze
classroom situations to decide the best accommodation and/or modification to be
used, and (b) analyze your own teaching to raise the quality of teaching by
integrating general teaching techniques.
Chapter 4: Parent & Specialist Collaboration
Collaborating, or working well as a
team, is vital to meeting the needs of all students, but especially those of students
with learning disabilities. In this last section of the course, we will look at
general educators collaborating with specialists and parents. Included will be
a discussion of IEP meetings and of ways to handle conflict. Your objectives
for this course are to: (a) understand the principles of collaborating with
others, and (b) understand the importance of handling conflict.
Student Expectations
As
a student you will be expected to:
·
Complete all four information sections showing a
competent understanding of the material presented in each section.
·
Complete all four section examinations, showing a competent
understanding of the material presented. You
must obtain an overall score of 70%
or higher, with no individual exam score below 50%, and successfully
complete ALL writing assignments to pass this course. *Please note: Minimum
exam score requirements may vary by college or university; therefore, you
should refer to your course addendum to determine what your minimum exam score
requirements are.
·
Complete a review of any
section on which your examination score was below 50%.
·
Retake any examination,
after completing an information review, to increase that examination score to a
minimum of 50%, making sure to also be achieving an overall exam score of a
minimum 70% (maximum of three attempts). *Please note: Minimum
exam score requirements may vary by college or university; therefore, you
should refer to your course addendum to determine what your minimum exam score
requirements are.
·
Complete a course
evaluation form at the end of the course.
Examinations
At the end of each chapter, you will be
expected to complete an examination designed to assess your knowledge. You may
take these exams a total of three times. Your last score will save, not the
highest score. After your third attempt, each examination will lock and not allow further access. The average from
your exam scores will be printed on your certificate. However, this is not your
final grade since your required writing assignments have not been reviewed. Exceptionally
written or poorly written required writing assignments, or violation of the
academic integrity policy in the course syllabus, will affect your grade. As this is a self-paced computerized instruction program,
you may review course information as often as necessary. You will not be able
to exit any examinations until you have answered all questions.
If you try to exit the exam section before you complete all questions, your
information will be lost. You are expected to complete the entire exam in one
sitting.
Instructor Description
Karen Lea holds a Ph.D. in education,
has TEFL certification, and is Project Management Professional certified. Dr.
Lea has fifteen years’ experience teaching at the K–12 level and another
seventeen years’ experience teaching education and leadership courses at the
undergraduate and post-graduate levels. Currently she is an assessment developer at Western Governor’s
University. Dr. Lea has been professionally
published more than 15 times and has served on more than a dozen panels and
boards, including serving on the NCATE (CAEP) Board of Examiners.
Contacting the Instructor
You may contact the instructor by
emailing karen_lea@virtualeduc.com or
by calling 509-891-7219 Monday through Friday, 8:00a.m.–5:00p.m. PST. Phone
messages will be returned within 24 hours. Phone conferences will be limited to
ten minutes per student, per day, given that this is a self-paced instructional
program. Please do not contact the instructor about technical problems, course
glitches, or other issues that involve the operation of the course.
Technical Questions
If you have questions or problems
related to the operation of this course, please try everything twice. If the
problem persists please check our support pages for
FAQs and known issues at www.virtualeduc.com and also the Help section of your course.
If you need personal assistance
then email support@virtualeduc.com or call 509-891-7219. When contacting technical support,
please know your course version number (it is located at the bottom left side
of the Welcome Screen) and your operating system, and
be seated in front of the computer at the time of your call.
Minimum Computer Requirements
Please refer to VESi’s
website: www.virtualeduc.com or contact VESi if you have further questions about the
compatibility of your operating system.
Refer to the addendum
regarding Grading Criteria, Course Completion Information, Items to be Submitted,
and how to submit your completed information. The addendum will also note any
additional course assignments that you may be required to complete that are not
listed in this syllabus.
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Course content is updated
every three years. Due to this update timeline, some URL links may no longer be
active or may have changed. Please type the title of the organization into the
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10/18/23 JN