ED4890:03
Education for Special Needs
Townsville, Cairns
20 lectures, 20 tutorials, 39 hours flexible learning mode. First semester and flexible delivery.
Available to all final year teacher education students.
Staff: Dr P Pagliano.
This subject provides preservice teachers with opportunities to develop skills for the recognition and appropriate inlcusion of students with special needs in regular school programs (either early childhood education, primary or secondary). Students with special needs are those with gifts and talents, learning difficulty, disabilities (intellectual, emotional/behavioural, communication, vision, hearing, physical). This subject requires access to Web-based material. Students wishing to study this subject off-campus should ensure that they are able to access this material. Information on requirements is available from the School of Education.
Learning Objectives:
- critically analyse issues related to the education of students with special needs: normalisation, delabelling, integration, inclusion, legislation, policies, appropriate education (both age and level appropriate), quality of life;
- show insight and concern for individuals with special needs;
- recognise eight areas of special needs: learning difficulties, behavioural and emotional problems, gifts and talents, Deaf and hard of hearing, vision impairment, intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, communication disorders; and for each area: conduct educational assessment, understand impact on learning, design appropriate educational strategies;
- have a working knowledge of ascertainment procedures and “individual education programs” (IEPs);
- communicate effectively with the student, parents and specialists.
Assessment by portfolio (50%); examination (50%).
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