LANGUAGE BASED LEARNING DISABILITIES
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STEVENS POINT
EDUCATION; Summer 2000

Instructors: Gary D. Cumley, Ph.D., CCC-SLP and Dayle A. Upham, Ph.D.
Office: Comm Dis and Room 460, College of Professional Studies
Phone: (715) 346-4699 and (715) 346-4802
E-mail: Gcumley@uwsp.edu and dupham@uwsp.edu
Office Hours:By phone and by appointment

Purpose and Description of Course:

This course is designed to provide teacher and other professionals with a background in the emotional issues and language based issues of students with learning disabilities. Strategies associated with both student-specific as well as classroom-level issues will be covered. Throughout the semester, students will be required to examine their own teaching skills and attitudes and the potential impact of these beliefs upon their students. Finally, students will become knowledgeable about current and ethical issues associated with responding to the challenging academic issues exhibited by some students.

Course Objectives:

Students will be able to articulate their personal philosophy of students with language based learning disabilities and how to provide them with accommodations and modifications.

Students will be knowledgeable about current trends and ethical issues that affect teachers who work with students who experience challenging academic issues.

Students will be able to analyze motivational challenges in order to develop effective and educational intervention strategies.

Students will become knowledgeable about intervention strategies that may be part of a comprehensive intervention plan, and approaches designed to select the most appropriate strategy for a given academic situation.

Students will become knowledgeable about strategies that shift the ownership of academics from an adult to the student allowing students greater independence.


Suggested Readings: (these will be discussed in class)

Project

Group Rubric
Final Project - Written
Presentation - Oral
Attendance is mandatory

LECTURE TOPICS

Context for Reflective Leadership and Decision Making

Management Tools: Philosophies, Principles, and Practices

Management and Motivation

Management & Legal Aspects of the Teacher-Student Relationship

Specific Requirements for Projects:

1. Students may work alone or in small groups (3 to 5 students)

2. Students may select from the following four (4) topics or make a proposal in outline form of alternative topics. Topics and/or outlines must be in the instructor's hands on or before date. (may use e-mail)
The outline must include:
(a.) Topic and reason for the proposal
(b.) Rubric for grading

3. Topics for Projects: fix and get these from the desk top
(a.) Ethical issues and standards that govern the management of children with challenging behaviors.
(b.) Analyze challenging behaviors and motivational issues that could affect the development of intervention strategies.
(c.) Develop a descriptive list of intervention strategies that may be part of a comprehensive intervention plan.
(d.) Discuss (write and oral) management plans and ways of shifting the management of behavior from an adult to the student.

4. All project must include:
(a.) introduction providing a context of your personal/professional situation and your interest in the topic.
(b.) an overview of your process in locating and creating new thoughts and ideas related to the needs of students with language-based learning disabilities.
(c.) an annotated bibliography that includes:
Journals, books, web sites, and other useful resources
(d.) a reflection explaining your initial knowledge and what you have learned from the project.
(e.) All written work must use people-first language.

5. These projects should be useful to you in the future. Please do not do a project just for meeting the requirements of the class. If the topics are not of interest to you then make an outline and provide a rationale as to how it will be beneficial to your future. If there are several of you from one school, and you would like to team together on collaborative projects these will be acceptable. However, please keep the groups' size no less than three and no more than five. If there are more than five of you from the same school you could divide the topic in some way. I am sure we can all work together to make this a meaningful experience.

6. The projects for this course may require you to meet with your group outside of class. Please make arrangements before leaving your first class meeting. Exchange names, (first and last), phone numbers, addresses, e-mail addresses, and dates, times, and places of meetings.