Syllabus

Master of Science in Education

EDU 724 – Collaboration in Inclusion Settings – Spring B 2017

Credits - 3

Description

Students will complete co-teaching experiences in inclusion settings. Activities are tailored to insure field application of concepts, models, practices, and skills as students apply effective co-teaching instructional practices, participate in interdisciplinary planning meetings, and collaborate as team members. These co-teaching experiences reinforce the acquisition of ethics and standards. During the course, participants are expected to spend considerable time in K-12 inclusive classrooms, plan and implement teaching and learning activities, research and reflect on practices, and work collaboratively with educational teams. Some course requirements may be modified during summer sessions for participants without access to students during summer school breaks.

Materials

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

This course is aligned with INTASC Standard Model Core Teaching Standards and CEC Special Educator Advanced Preparation Standards.

Students will:

• Implement current research and best practices related to co-teaching (INTASC 1, 2, 4, 8; CEC 2, 3, 5, 6)
• Apply researched best practices in collaboration and communication to diverse student populations in an  inclusive learning environment (INTASC 2, 3, 7, 9, 10; CEC 2, 3, 5, 6)
• Design instructional strategies for students with disabilities within an inclusive learning environment (INTASC 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7; CEC 2, 3)
• Evaluate instructional strategies for students with disabilities within an inclusive learning environment (INTASC 7, 8, 9; 2.1; CEC 2)
• Collaborate with other professional educators in order to construct solutions to common challenges related to co-teaching (INTASC 2, 3, 9 10; CEC 3, 4, 5)
• Apply IEP accommodations to a lesson plan designed for an inclusive learning environment (INTASC 3, 9. 10; CEC 3, 5, 6, 7)
• Recommend professional individual and schoolwide development for the support of inclusion education (INTASC 1, 9, 10; CEC 2, 3 , 4, 5, 6, 7)

 

Assignments

Class and Group Discussions: Discussions provide you with an opportunity to synthesize course readings and research while learning from professional peers. Post an original response to the prompt, and respond to posts made by at least two classmates.

Co-Teaching Partnership Analysis Assignment: For this assignment, you will utilize a variety of self-reflection tools as you take a closer look at your own strengths and weaknesses in professional collaborative relationships including co-teaching.

Sequential Lesson Plan and Justification: In this assignment, you will create a set of three sequential lesson plans and write a statement of justification to demonstrate your learning about different co-teaching models. Your lesson must utilize at least two of the following co-teaching approaches in your plans: parallel teaching, team teaching, station teaching, alternative teaching.

Interviews, Visual Representation and Summary: For this assignment, you will interview at least three individuals from a range of stakeholders (administrator, teacher, speech/language clinician, occupational therapist, classroom teacher, or special educator) in your building to determine their perceptions of co-teaching. You will synthesize your interview results, and communicate your findings visually. Finally, you will write a 2-3 page essay that summarizes and reflects on your interview findings and makes recommendations for future professional development to support inclusion.

Case Study: Your task for this assignment is to apply a student IEP to an existing  inclusive lesson plan. You will present your accommodations in a 3-5 page essay in which you discuss how you will integrate this new student into your class, providing best-practice research to support your major points.

Needs Assessment & Proposal: For this assignment, you will write a 3-4 page proposal for inclusive education in your school that you can submit to your building principal or for a larger audience, such as a school board or administrative team. Your task for this assignment is to identify the current capacity of your school, your classroom, and yourself to meet the needs of students of students with learning differences, whether they are identified as Special Education, are ELL, or require additional supports in order to be successful. As a part of this process, you must envision the ideal school and classroom situation. What would an optimal program look like to you? Then, using the evidence you have gathered in previous weeks about your school, your collaborative strengths and needs, and your individual strengths and needs, you will make a plan to reach this optimum level.

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Assignments	Points
Weekly Discussions (7 X 4 Points Each)	28
Reflection on Co-Teaching Strengths and Liabilities	12
Sequential Lesson Plans and Statement of Justification	14
Stakeholder Interview Reflection	10
Child Case Study and Reflection	12
Proposal for Collaborative Education	24
Total	100

Grade Scale

Grade	Points Grade	Point Average (GPA)
A	94 – 100%	4.00
A-	90 – 93%	3.75
B+	87 – 89%	3.50
B	84 – 86%	3.00
B-	80 – 83%	2.75
C+	77 – 79%	2.50
C	74 – 76%	2.00
C-	70 – 73%	1.75
D	64 – 69%	1.00
F	00 – 63%	0.00