James Cook University Subject Handbook - 2020

ED4306 - Students with Reading Difficulties

Available to level 4 BEd (Professional Development)third and final year BEd pre-service students.

Subject Description

This subject focuses on teaching students who have difficultles with reading. Students struggle with reading for a variety of reasons, although a significant proportion of students have key issues in common. It is inapproporate to attempt the same approach for all students who have difficulty, and therefore the educators' task is to devise the most appropriate intervention for individual students. In order to approach this task the educator requires two fundamental resources. The first is an awareness of the omplexities of reading so that the task is not under-estimated and individual students are better understood. The second is knowledge of a range of assessment and core instruction techniques to inform and assist the educator in developing programs for students who are experiencing difficulties with reading. The aim of this subject is to enhance students' knowledge of the reading process, difficulties that students may experience with reading, strategies for teaching reading, and assessment of reading related skills.

Learning Outcomes

• demonstrate a broad and coherent understanding of research into reading difficulties encountered by students from diverse backgrounds and abilities
• examine and demonstrate knowledge of a range of strategies used when teaching students who are struggling with reading
• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of assessment strategies used with students who experience difficulties in learning to read

Subject Assessment

• Assessment Task 3: Examination - (30%)
• Assessment Task 1: Publishing regular blog posts related to designated reading tasks - (30%)
• Assessment Task 2: Essay - (40%)

Note that minor variations might occur due to the continuous subject quality improvement process, and in case of minor variation(s) in assessment details, the Subject Outline represents the latest official information.

Assumed Knowledge:  It is assumed that participants have a strong knowledge about teaching and, in particular, the teaching of reading. This subject builds on observations about children who experience difficulty with reading and should represent a way of helping you to cope more effectively with this challenge. While ED4496 or the earlier ED4403 are not prerequisites for this subject, it is preferable for students to undertake ED4306 after doing one of those because of the need to come to this subject with an understanding of the reading process.

Availabilities