(EDS 638) Syllabus of Record: Instructional Practices - Learning Disabilities 2
Course Description: In this course, students will learn instructional practices for teaching
reading, writing, mathematics, and social skills to children and adolescents with high incidence
disabilities.
Unit Mission, Philosophy, Values:
Our Mission:
“Teaching, Leading and Learning in a Democratic Society”
The College of Education prepares candidates who enhance the individual growth of their
students while working to establish policies and practices that promote the principles of
democratic education. The College articulates this mission as Teaching, Leading, and Learning
in a Democratic Society.
Philosophy:
Student Potential, Ethical Implications
Believing that schools function as social and political entities as well as for the growth of
individuals, the College of Education prepares teachers and leaders
a) to enhance the academic and personal potential of their students
b) to evaluate the social and ethical implications of educational policies and practices.
Values:
“Expertise, Equity, Liberal Education, Social Responsibility”
The College of Education values expertise to guide our practice, equity to guide our interactions,
liberal education to guide our perspectives, and social responsibility to guide our commitment to
democratic education. We value these ideals in our preparation of candidates, our development
of faculty, and our relationships with the larger community we serve.
Standards and Assessments
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Unit Standards: Michigan Department of Education (MDE), National Council for the
Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
Standards for Advanced Programs Preparing Teachers: National Board for Professional
Teaching Standards (NBPTS); Council for the Social Foundations of Education (CSFE);
College of Education Research Standards.
Specialty Program Standards: Council for Exceptional Children
4. Instructional Strategies
6. Language
7. Instructional Planning
9. Professional and Ethical Practice
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Course Standards: National Board for Professional Teaching
1. Teachers are Committed to Students and Their Learning
A. Teachers Recognize Individual Differences in Their Students and Adjust Their Practice
3. Teachers are Responsible for Managing Student Learning
A. Teachers Call on Multiple Methods to Meet Their Goals
D. Teachers Regularly Assess Student Progress
E. Teachers Are Mindful of Their Principal Objectives
4. Teachers Think Systematically About Their Practice and Learn from Experience
A. Teachers Are Continually Making Difficult Choices That Test Their Judgment
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Common Course Assessment: LD/EI Instruction Report
Major Topics
Learning Disabilities
Direct, Systematic, and Explicit Instruction
Advanced Read Language:
- Phonological Awareness Development, Assessment, and Instruction
- Advanced Word Recognition Development, Assessment, and Instruction
- Reading Fluency Development, Assessment, and Instruction
- Reading Comprehension Development, Assessment, and Instruction
Advanced Written Language
- Paragraph Writing Development, Assessment, and Instruction
- Theme Writing Development, Assessment, and Instruction
Mathematics
- Basic Concepts Development, Assessment, and Instruction
- Place Value, Rounding, Computation, and Estimating Development, Assessment, and
Instruction
- Problem Solving Development, Assessment, and Instruction
Time Concepts Development, Assessment, and Instruction
Social Skills
- Social Sensitivity Development, Assessment, and Instruction
- Social Insight Development, Assessment, and Instruction
- Social Communication Development, Assessment, and Instruction
Course Knowledge Base
Anderson, V. & Hidi, S. (1989). Teaching students to summarize. Educational Leadership, 26-28.
Carlisle, J. F. (1988). Knowledge of derivational morphology and spelling ability in 4th, 6th, and 8th graders.
Applied Psycholinguistics, 9, 247-266.
Cawley, J. F. & Miller, J. H. (1987). A brief inquiry of arithmetic word-problem-solving among learning
disabled secondary students. Learning Disabilities Focus, 2(2), 87-93.
Cunningham, P. M. & Cunningham, J.W. (1992). Making words: Enhancing the invented spellingdecoding connection. The Reading Teacher, 46(2), 106-115.
Fischer, P. (1999). Getting up to speed. Perspectives, 25, 12-13.
Grossen, B. (2001). A synthesis of research on reading from the National Institute of Child health and
Human Development. New England Branch of the InternationalDyslexia Association, 1-11.
Mastropieri, M. A., Scruggs, T.E., & Mushinski-Fulk, B. J. (1990). Teaching abstract vocabulary with the
keyword method: Effects on recall and comprehension. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 23(2),
92-107.
Meyer, M. S. & Felton, R. H. (2003). Repeated reading to enhance fluency: Old approaches and new
directions. Annals of Dyslexia, 53, 283-306.
Minskoff, E. H. (1980). Teaching approach for developing nonverbal communication skills in students with
social perception deficits. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 13(3), 9-13.
Niedelman, M. (1991). Problem solving and transfer. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 24(6), 322-329.
Silver, L.B. (2001). Controversial therapies. Perspectives, 27(3), 3-24.
Stahl, S. A. (1992). Saying the “p” word: Nine guidelines for exemplary phonics instruction. The Reading
Teacher, 45(8), 618-625.
Staton, J. & Tyler, D. (1987). Dialogue journal use with learning disabled students. The Pointer, 32(1), 4-8.
Vail, P. L. (1989). Watch out for the whole Language: Keep the wonder, the work, and the welcome. The
New York Branch of The Orton Dyslexia Society Newsletter, 13(1), 5-6.
Wong, B. (1994). Instructional parameters promoting transfer of learned strategies in students with learning
disabilities. Leaning Disability Quarterly, 17, 110-120.