Syllabus SPED 4435/5435, Prusak, s07
Special Education 4435/5435
Parent and Professional Communication and Collaboration
University of MinnesotaDuluth
Department of Education
Special Education Program
Spring 2007 - 4 credits
Instructor: Dona Prusak
Class meeting time: / Thursday 5:00-8:15 p.m. Montague 121Office: / 166Kirby Plaza
Office phone: / 218-726-6739
Office hours: / 4:00 – 5:00 Thursday,email, or by appointment
E-mail: /
Instructor homepage /
Class alias: / sped4435-1-s2007
Course Description:
Group process, problem solving, decision-making, collaboration, and teamwork applied to the special education process. Techniques for working with parents, professionals, paraprofessionals, and community agencies when planning and implementing Individualized Education Plans.
Required Texts / Readings:
Lambie, R. (2000). Family Systems within Educational Contexts. Denver, CO:
Love Publishing Co.
Standards of Effective Practice & INTASC Standards /Conceptual Framework
/Council for Exceptional Children Standards
/ISTE/NET Standards for Teachers
Standard 1: Subject MatterStandard 2: Student Learning
Standard 3: Diverse Learners
Standard 4: Instructional Strategies
Standard 5: Learning Environment
Standard 6: Communication
Standard 7: Planning Instruction
Standard 8: Assessment
Standard 9: Reflection and Professional Development
Standard 10: Collaboration, Ethics, and Relationships / Diversity (D)
Reflection (R)
Empowerment (E)
Collaboration (C)
Technology (T) / Standard 1: Philosophical, Historical, and Legal Foundations of Special Education
Standard 2: Characteristics of Learners
Standard 3: Assessment, Diagnosis, and Evaluation
Standard 4: Instructional Content and Practice
Standard 5: Planning and Managing the Teaching and Learning Environment
Standard 6: Managing Student Behavior and Social Interaction Skills
Standard 7: Communication and Collaborative Partnerships
Standard 8: Professional and Ethical Practices / Standard 1: Technology Operations and Concepts
Standard 2: Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences
Standard 3: Teaching, Learning and the Curriculum
Standard 4: Assessment and Evaluation
Standard 5: Productivity and Professional Practice
Standard 6: Social, Ethical, Legal, and Human Issues
Course Outcomes:
Based on the UMD College of Education and Human Service Profession’s “Learner-Sensitive Teacher” model, this course additionally emphasizes the five themes of diversity (d), collaboration (c), reflection (r), empowerment, (e), and technology (t). The focus on collaboration, ethics, and relationships for teachers embraces Minnesota Board of Teaching Standards (INTASC) for developing effective practices for teachers. Through this course you will develop these practices as a teacher (or other professional) by being able to:
Outcome / Standards of Effective Practice / INTASC / Conceptual Framework / CEC / ISTE- Critically examine and interpret complex social or interpersonal situations in programs involving children and families.
7.32
7.21 / 7B-D / R,E,D / CC7:K2
CC7:K5 / Appendix A – Family systems: compare & contrast models. In- class assignment
Chapter 2 – Family Life Cycle
Chapter 3 Family Interaction Patterns
Genogram
- Build relationships with children and their families as a foundation for designing appropriate learning experiences.
10.25
10.32 / 10B
10G
10I / C,R,E / CC7:K2 / Parent Interview
Chapter 1 Description of families
Chapter 4
Historical Factors of families
- Demonstrate skills and strategies for communicating and collaborating with families and agencies, (a) communicate and consult with individuals, parents, and other school and community personnel, (b) demonstrate commitment to developing the highest educational and quality of life potential of individuals with exceptional learning needs.
6.21
6.23
6.31 / 6.A-D
6E-F
6H / E,C,D / CC4:K4
CC4:S16
CC7:K CC7:K2
CC7:S1
CC7:S3-7 / II, B, C
V, A-D
VI, B-C / Video: Collaboration (Friend)
Co-teaching supplemental reading (Villa, Thousand & Nevin,2004)
The ABC’s of co-teaching
Chapter 10: Team functioning and family involvement
Topic: difficult interactions week 12
- Use information generated by families to set short and long range goals for their children’s learning.
CC4:K4
CC4:S6 CC7:K2
- Build on children’s home environments, their strengths and needs in preparing children for participation in society.
- Respect families’ choices and goals for their children and communicate with families about curriculum and individualized education programs.
CC7:K2
CC7:K3
CC7:K4 / Chapter 12: Family involvement and planning for FFI’s & IEP’s
Chapter 3 – Family Interaction Patterns
Chapter 5 – At-risk students and environmental factors
Chapter 6 – At-risk students from nontraditional families
- Discuss theories of family dynamics, roles, and relationships within families and between families and communities (agencies).
7.32
7.21
8710.5000
2.D.1-9 / 7B-D / C,E / CC1:K2 / Chapter 1 – Introduction to family systems
Chapter 4 Historical factors
Chapter 9 Resiliency and the Village
- Research and obtain information for understanding of families and children in a specific education setting.
- Be sensitive to differences in family structures, social and cultural backgrounds.
CC1:K5
CC4:K7
- Collaborate with community professionals to support family and children.
10.25
10.32 / 10B
10G
10I / C,E / CC1:K3 / Week 6 – Pragmatic issues of collaboration lecture
Project: Resource guide
Game: Cup stack
- Use information gained by observation and interview of family culture and relationships to support the child’s learning.
- Demonstrate your ability to integrate, synthesize, and apply the attitudes, knowledge and skills you gain from course readings, lectures, class activities, and pre-practicum experiences, (a) importance of the teacher serving as a model for individuals with exceptional learning needs.
9.22 / 9B
9E / R,E,C,D / CC8:K1-2
CC8:S1-9 / Annotated bibliography assignment
Mid-term essay exam
- Direct the activities of a classroom paraprofessional, aide, volunteer, or peer tutor.
- Increase awareness of the roles, responsibilities, complexities, and reciprocal influences of family, school, and community participants involved in the special education process, (a) roles of individuals with exceptionalities, parents, teachers, and other school and community personnel in planning an individualized program
10.25
10.32 / 10B
10G
10I / D,C,R,E,T / Chapter 10- Team Functioning & Family Involvement
Team Functioning; lecture week 9
Family involvement & Planning Lecture week 10
Co-teaching assignment
- Examine and apply techniques and skills used in group process facilitation, problem solving, decision-making, collaboration, and teamwork in order to effectively with parents, families, professionals, paraprofessionals, and community agency personnel in the special education process.
10.32 / 10G
10I / D,C,R,E,T / Interpersonal communication lecture week 9
Difficult interactions
Lecture and case studies week 10
- Examine and develop professional best practices that are sensitive and empowering to children and their families when developing and implementing individualized education plans.
- Understand standards of professional conduct in the Code of Ethics for Minnesota Teacher in part 8700.7500
Dispositions:
The following definition of disposition has been adopted by the Special Education Program. The dispositions have been selected from the Standards of Effective Practice for Teachers (INTASC) and are aligned with the dispositions encouraged throughout our curriculum.
Disposition: A habitual tendency or inclination. Disposition includes temperament, character, personality, nature, demeanor – these nouns refer to the sum of traits that identify a person which include frame of mind, emotional characteristics, moral and ethical qualities, distinctive traits that give him/her individuality, especially in his/her relationships with others, exhibited behaviors towards others. The American Heritage Dictionary, 2nd College Edition.
The candidate appeared to exhibit the following through their observable demeanor, and behavior:
- Commitment to lifelong learning and appreciation of multiple perspectives.
- Appreciation of individual variation and diverse talents of all learners.
- Sensitivity to community and cultural norms.
- Values educational technology and flexibility in the teaching and learning process.
- Belief in establishing a safe and positive learning environment.
- Understanding of the power of effective and thoughtful communication.
- Values the planning process.
- Belief that ongoing assessment is essential to the learning process.
- Commitment to reflection, feedback and assistance in order to develop professionally.
- Appreciation of collaboration, collegiality, and ethical considerations within the profession.
Instructional Strategies:
This course uses lecture, multimedia, small and large group activities, teacher candidate presentations, reciprocal teaching, co-teaching strategies, and guest speakers.
Diversity:
Our candidates are prepared to be culturally and linguistically sensitive, and guided to address all aspects of diversity including ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and disability. We do this by incorporating research, projects, and practical experiences with exposure to children, families, cultures and settings of diverse populations in our program.
Course Requirements/Expectations:
- Teacher candidates are to attend all scheduled classes and are responsible for all material covered in class and in the required texts & readings.
- Teacher candidates are to be prepared for each class.
- Assignments are due at assigned dates and times.
- Unless otherwise specified, all assignments must be submitted in typed hard copy or electronically. All assignments turned in on the designated due dates, stapled together – not in plastic binders. Please number your pages and remember to include your name, date and assignment or project title.
- Written assignments will be on a collegiate level with the expectations of correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and proofreading. You will use APA style on designated written assignments.
- Assignments will not be accepted until the due date.
- Assignments that are turned in for this class are to be developed for this class.
Professional Conduct and Academic Dishonesty:
It is expected that teacher candidates seeking special education certification will demonstrate specific skills in professional conduct for operating in educational settings. Therefore, your dispositions and conduct in class will be observed and evaluated (see disposition statement above).
Professional conduct is defined as skills required for successful future teaching and/or appropriate interpersonal interactions in education al settings. In addition to fulfilling class assignments, you are expected to participate fully in class activities and to demonstrate a positive, cooperative attitude toward other course participants and course activities. Up to one full letter grade (10%) can be added or deducted to your final score based on the instructor’s evaluation and documentation. Extreme or sustained acts demonstrating lack of professional conduct, including academic dishonesty, will warrant a grade of “F” for the course.
Academic Dishonestin any form (such as plagiarism or cheating on tests and assignments) will not be tolerated. Teacher candidates who misrepresent their work or commit other acts of dishonesty will receive a failing grade for the course and will be recommended for removal from teacher education.
Assessment: project requirements are attached.
1Homework/ In-class assignments. Marked completed or not.
2Mid-term. Essay/Short Answer 100 points
3Interview of a parent of a child with a special need. 50 points
4Annotated bibliography on a special population of families (i.e. single parents, latchkey kids, family with a member with a disability, or on a topic specific to family issues such as alcoholism, abuse, or neglect). 100 points GRADUATE STUDENTS: Research paper on a collaboration topic related to families with children with special needs and communication. (You will be required to turn in the annotated bibliography in a slightly different format than the undergraduates before proceeding on with your research paper). 100 points
5Short presentation on annotated bib – 5-10 minutes 25 points.
6Parent Resource Guide Develop a resource guide for parents (may include different agencies, rights, due process, etc.) 50 points
7Attendance and participation. ~50 points
8Final 10 points or 100 points
Grading:
Semester grades will be based on overall performance including course assignments, class participation, attendance, and professional conduct. The following levels of competence are defined:
- A= work considered ‘distinguished’, that is work exemplifying honors level effort in writing, presentation, assignments, exams, and meeting class expectations. In addition to full credit on assignments, the candidate must attend regularly and make significant professional contributions to the class. Standards based mastery of content and skill.
- B= superior work in meeting criteria of assignments and class expectations. Demonstration of high quality writing and presentation which merits certification-level mastery of standards-based content and skills.
- C= work considered acceptable in meeting specific criteria for university credit, but lacks appropriate certification levels of pre-service mastery of standards-based content and skill. Course will need to be retaken or assignments redone to be recommended for special education licensure.
- D= work that is minimally acceptable requiring major additional work to achieve certification level of mastery of standards-based content and skill.
- F= unsatisfactory work considered unacceptable.
A / 93 % and above
A- / 90-92%
B+ / 87-89%
B / 83-86%
B- / 80-82%
C+ / 77-79%
C / 73-76%
C- / 70-72%
D / 60-69%
F / 59% and below
Disability Statement:
If you have a disability, either permanent or temporary, that may impact your ability to perform in this course; you are encouraged to inform me. I will work with you confidentially and make every effort to appropriately adapt methods, materials, and evaluations as needed to provide for equitable participation. If you have a disability and have not registered with the UMDACCESSCenter – I recommend that you do so.
Bibliography / Expanded Readings:
Minnesota Special Education Rules and Regulations: Minnesota Department of Education website
Federal Special Education Rules and Regulations:
American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association (5th ed.) Wahington, DC: American Psychological
Association.
Friend, M. & Cook, L. (2000). Interactions: Collaboration Skills for School
Professionals. Longman: New York.
Class Schedule:
Week / Topic / Reading / AssignmentsWeek 1 / Jan 18 / Introduction
Syllabus
Family Life Cycle
Week 2 / Jan 25 / Fundamentals of Collaboration
Project overview
Family Interaction Patterns
Teams / Chapter 1,2,& 3
Appendix A / Read chapters 1-3
Read and STUDY appendix A
Week 3 / Feb 1 / Video : Collaboration
(Friend)
Historical Factors
Co-Teaching / Chapter 4 / Group: Compare and contrast family systems models
Week 4 / Feb 8 / Diversity & Families / Small group projects / Co-teaching assignment due 2/15
Diversity Assignment due 2/15
Case Study due 2/15
Week 5 / Feb15 / Environmental Factors
Consultation
Non-traditional families
Staff development / Chapter 5
Chapter 6 / Resource Guide
Week 6 / Feb 22 / Dysfunctional Families
Pragmatic issues of collaboration / Chapter 7
Chapter 8 / Staff development assignment
Week 7 / Mar 1 / NO CLASS / Prep for Mid-term
Week 8 / Mar 8 / Mid-term / Mid-term Ch. 1-8 & lecture materials
Resource Guide Showcase
Week 9 / Mar 22 / Resiliency
Interpersonal problem solving
Team functioning
IIIP/IEP/ITP
Interpersonal communication / Chapter 9
Chapter 10
IEP video / Characteristics and competencies of educators
Week 10 / Mar 29 / Family conferences
Using statements and asking questions / Chapter 11
Week 11 / Apr 5 / Family involvement and planning
Week 12 / Apr 12 / Difficult interactions
Presentations / Chapter 12
Week 13 / Apr 19 / Classroom and group extension
Presentations / Chapter 13 / Parent Interview
Week 14 / Apr 26 / Ethics in practice
Presentations / Chapter 14 / Annotated Bibliography
Graduate: Research paper
Week 15 / May 3 / Final examination
Interview of a parent of a child with a disability: see attached
Annotated Bibliography: see attached.
Resource Guide: You will compile information that you feel will be useful to parents and /or other professionals in your field of study or in your present professional position. The resource guide will be in an organized format that will enable you to access information easily. The resource guides will be put in Resource Guide Showcase on March 8, 2007 during class for others to ‘look over’l. There is not a number attached to this project or a specified format – the number is in your professional judgment of whether you have enough information to earn the 100 points. The resource guide should contain information from local, regional, state and federal agencies or groups. (e.g., due process, support groups or rights).
In-class assignments: There will be a combination of in-class assignments. Many of these are collaborative projects where there will be a group grade for that specific assignment. Most of these will be completed during class time – so there are no make up options on these assignments.
Mid-term /Final: The mid-term will be an essay test over chapters 1-8. The final will be comprehensive examination. This final will primarily be an objective exam but will include a practical application component.
Attendance and Participation: It would be very difficult to conduct a Parent and Professional Communication and Collaboration course without the expectation of regular attendance and discourse on assigned topics. Although this is a small portion of the final grade (average of 3.333333 points per class), these points can make the difference between a higher grade and a lower grade. More than one person in my learning and teaching experiences has missed an A by one point.
Annotated Bibliography: Prusak. s07
Sped 4435/5435 Annotated Bibliography Assignment.
- Select a topic. A shortened version will be used a running head. This topic needs approval from the instructor.
- Conduct a literature review of referred journal articles on your topic. This can include texts, and the internet.
- For each selected resource, cite the source using APA 2001 format.
- You will need 12 individual resources; only 2 of the 12 can be internet or other types of articles. Ten of the 12 MUST be research articles and relate directly to your selected topic.
- Your running head will appear at the top of the right hand corner of each page with your running head title, comma, your last name, and page number.
- Next will be the citation of your source using APA (2001) style format.
- The third item of the annotated bibliography is the abstract from the research article. This can be cut and pasted into your MSWORD document. It should be labeled and single spaced.
- Undergraduate:The article analysis will be labeled and consist of your comparison and contrasts to other articles of your annotated bibliography, at the end of your annotated bibliography you will include a reflection sectionon how the articles you read relate to class, and how this impacts you as a special education or other related professional.There are 12 reference citations, 12 comparisons and 1 (ONE) reflection section for this assignment.
- Graduate:The articles that you read will be presented as a formal research paper. A minimum of 15 pages (not including reference section) in length using APA format. I suggest you develop an outline and run it by the instructor prior to beginning the actual paper. You will be required to provide a short 10-15 presentation on your paper to the class (graduate only requirement). Expectations for graduate students will include more rigorous standards for writing and analysis.
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