ES 220 Exceptional Learners: Differentiation and Positive Behavior Course Outline

COURSE PREFIX AND NO:  ES 220       UNITS:  3 

COURSE SUMMARY: 

This course will introduce candidates to various disabilities, etiologies and educational implications.  Candidates will understand ways to adapt curriculum, materials, teaching and management strategies.  The course will explore ways to differentiate.  

Positive behavior support (PBS) is a behavior management system used to understand what maintains an individual's challenging behavior.  Inappropriate behaviors are difficult to change because they are functional; they serve a purpose. These behaviors are supported by reinforcement in the environment.  In the case of students and children, often adults in a child’s environment will reinforce his or her undesired behaviors because the child will receive objects and/or attention because of his behavior.  Functional behavior assessments (FBAs) clearly describe behaviors, identify the contexts (events, times, and situation) that predict when behavior will and will not occur, and identify consequences that maintain the behavior.  They also summarize and create a hypothesis about the behavior, directly observe the behavior and take data to get a baseline.  The positive behavior support process involves goal identification, information gathering, hypothesis development, support plan design, implementation and monitoring.

Positive behavior support is a strategy that meets these criteria. By changing stimulus and reinforcement in the environment and teaching, the child to strengthen deficit skill areas the student's behavior changes in ways that allow him/her to be included in the general education setting.  Positive behavior support is successful in the school setting because it is primarily a teaching method.

RATIONALE:

Candidates will acquire knowledge of the etiologies of disabilities and the skills needed to work with exceptional learners.  They will understand and implement positive behavior management, collaboration, consultation, and intervention to design and implement comprehensive plans including any needed accommodations and modifications.  These essential skills will support the needs of all students, particularly EL and students with disabilities.

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CORE LEARNING OUTCOMES (CLO):

1. Graduates have expertise in developing relevant and rigorous curriculum. Graduates design systems for effective leadership in the classroom, campus, and educational community to ensure the success of all students.

2. Graduates have expertise in the implementation of relevant and rigorous curriculum. Graduates implement systems for effective leadership in the classroom, campus, and educational community to ensure the success of all students. 

3. Graduates sustain a practice of innovation and reform. 

4. Graduates understand the power of research. They critically analyze and synthesize findings to support the development and implementation of rigorous and relevant curriculum and plans. Graduates develop and implement research to contribute to the wider body of knowledge as well as to reflect on and inform personal practice. 

5. Graduates are collaborative, reflective practitioners who are committed to providing rigorous, relevant, and innovative educational experiences for all students. 

6. Graduates have an understanding of the full range of service delivery options that their students might experience.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (SLO): Upon Completion of this course, the student will:

1. Understand and demonstrate basic knowledge of disabilities along with information related to positive behavior management

2. Understand a variety of terms related to positive behavioral management and interventions 

3. Have the ability to collaborate and consult with parents and school personnel

4. Have the ability to research information and effective strategies to support students with disabilities and specific behavioral concerns using technology

5. Have the ability to develop appropriate interventions and behavioral plans for students with varying needs and disabilities.

6. Plan and use instructional strategies, activities, and materials that appeal to and challenge all learning styles

7. Understand the importance of and explore the principles behind effective collaboration between general education and special education staff

8. Examine current research regarding positive behavioral management strategies for students with complex behavioral needs

9. Collaborate and consult with other professionals regarding educational approaches and positive behavioral management interventions and the implementation of these interventions

10. Create accommodations and modifications to meet the needs of all students, particularly EL and students with disabilities

11. Utilize and integrate technology as an accommodation and/or modification to meet the needs of all students, particularly EL and students with disabilities

EXPECTATIONS AND STANDARDS:

Program Design Standards

PS 1: Program Design, Rationale and Coordination

PS 2: Professional, Legal and Ethical Practices

PS 3: Education Diverse Learners

PS 4: Effective Communication and Collaborative Partnerships

PS 5: Assessment of Students

PS 6: Using Educational and Assistive Technology

PS 7: Transition and Transitional Planning

PS 8: Participating in ISFP/IEPs and Post-Secondary Transition Planning

Preliminary Teaching Standards:

PS9 - Program Standard 9: Preparation to Teach Reading/Language Arts

PS10 – Program Standard 10: Preparation to Teach English Language Learners

PS11 – Program Standard 11: Typical and Atypical Development

PS12 – Program Standard 12: Behavioral, Social, and Environmental Supports for Learning

PS13 – Program Standard 13: Curriculum and Instruction of Students with Disabilities

PS14 – Program Standard 14: Creating Healthy Learning Environments

PS15 – Program Standard 15: Field Experience in a Broad Range of Service Delivery Options

PS16 – Program Standard 16: Assessment of Candidate Performance

Specialty Standards – Mild/Moderate:

MM1 – M/M Standard 1: Characteristics of Students with Mild/Moderate Disabilities

MM2 – M/M Standard 2: Assessment and Evaluation of Students with Mild/Moderate Disabilities

MM3 – M/M Standard 3: Planning and Implementing Mild/Moderate Curriculum Instruction

MM4 – M/M Standard 4: Positive Behavior Support  

MM5 – M/M Standard 5: Specific Instructional Strategies for Students with Mild/Moderate Disabilities

Mm6 – M/M Standard 6: Case Management

Specialty Standards – Moderate/Severe:

MS1 – M/S Standard 1: Learning Characteristics of Individuals with Moderate/Severe Disabilities

MS2 – M/S Standard 2: Communication Skills

MS3 – M/S Standard 3: Developing Social Interaction Skills and Facilitating Social Context

MS4 – M/S Standard 4: Assessment, Program Planning and Instruction

MS5 – M/S Standard 5: Movement, Mobility, Sensory and Specialized Health Care

MS6 – M/S Standard 6: Positive Behavioral Support

MS7 – M/S Standard 7: Transition and Transitional Planning

MS8 – M/S Standard 8: Augmentative and Alternative Communication

ISTE Standards for Educators

1. Learner

Educators continually improve their practice by learning from and with others and exploring proven and promising practices that leverage technology to improve student learning. Educators:

1. Set professional learning goals to explore and apply pedagogical approaches made possible by technology and reflect on their effectiveness.

2. Pursue professional interests by creating and actively participating in local and global learning networks.

3. Stay current with research that supports improved student learning outcomes, including findings from the learning sciences.

2. Leader

Educators seek out opportunities for leadership to support student empowerment and success and to improve teaching and learning. Educators:

1. Shape, advance and accelerate a shared vision for empowered learning with technology by engaging with education stakeholders.

2. Advocate for equitable access to educational technology, digital content and learning opportunities to meet the diverse needs of all students.

3. Model for colleagues the identification, exploration, evaluation, curation and adoption of new digital resources and tools for learning.

3. Citizen

Educators inspire students to positively contribute to and responsibly participate in the digital world. Educators:

1. Create experiences for learners to make positive, socially responsible contributions and exhibit empathetic behavior online that build relationships and community.

2. Establish a learning culture that promotes curiosity and critical examination of online resources and fosters digital literacy and media fluency.

3. Mentor students in the safe, legal and ethical practices with digital tools and the protection of intellectual rights and property.

4. Model and promote management of personal data and digital identity and protect student data privacy.

4. Collaborator

Educators dedicate time to collaborate with both colleagues and students to improve practice, discover and share resources and ideas, and solve problems. Educators:

1. Dedicate planning time to collaborate with colleagues to create authentic learning experiences that leverage technology.

2. Collaborate and co-learn with students to discover and use new digital resources and diagnose and troubleshoot technology issues.

3. Use collaborative tools to expand students’ authentic, real- world learning experiences by engaging virtually with experts, teams and students, locally and globally.

4. Demonstrate cultural competency when communicating with students, parents and colleagues and interact with them as co-collaborators in student learning.

5. Designer

Educators design authentic, learner-driven activities and environments that recognize and accommodate learner variability. Educators:

1. Use technology to create, adapt and personalize learning experiences that foster independent learning and accommodate learner differences and needs.

2. Design authentic learning activities that align with content area standards and use digital tools and resources to maximize active, deep learning.

3. Explore and apply instructional design principles to create innovative digital learning environments that engage and support learning.

6. Facilitator

Educators facilitate learning with technology to support student achievement of the 2016 ISTE Standards for Students. Educators:

1. Foster a culture where students take ownership of their learning goals and outcomes in both independent and group settings.

2. Manage the use of technology and student learning strategies in digital platforms, virtual environments, hands-on makerspaces or in the field.

3. Create learning opportunities that challenge students to use a design process and computational thinking to innovate and solve problems.

4. Model and nurture creativity and creative expression to communicate ideas, knowledge or connections.

7. Analyst

Educators understand and use data to drive their instruction and support students in achieving their learning goals. Educators:

1. Provide alternative ways for students to demonstrate competency and reflect on their learning using technology.

2. Use technology to design and implement a variety of formative and summative assessments that accommodate learner needs, provide timely feedback to students and inform instruction.

3. Use assessment data to guide progress and communicate with students, parents and education stakeholders to build student self-direction.