Lecture: 4 hours/week
In this course, students engage in a variety of learning activities such as lectures, group work, case studies, self-reflection, team-based exercises, and demonstration and use of high- and low-level technologies.
The following global ideas guide the design and delivery of this course:
- Individuals are unique in how they learn. Effective practitioners match teaching methods to meet the needs of the individuals, the activity at hand, and the context in which it is happening. Practitioners enhance the learning environment to minimize learning barriers.
- Monitoring and evaluating progress are integral elements of teaching and learning because they help pinpoint areas for new learning, challenges, and successes.
- Creative problem-solving, flexibility, and developing accommodations are important skills for effective practitioners. These skills facilitate the teaching and learning process, especially for those with complex needs.
- How and when to provide and fade assistance are important elements of effective teaching and learning which promote personal autonomy and independence.
- Collaborative planning which involves the individual, team, and family or support network enhances the teaching and learning process. This process provides a greater opportunity for generalization for newly acquired skills.
- The principle of caring underlies practitioners’ actions and interactions. It is reflected in their language, the methods they employ, and their respect for the individuals they support and with whom they work.
- Communication skills are integral to teaching and learning interactions. They include recognizing and practicing a range of communication methods, both verbal and non-verbal, expressive and receptive.
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Use problem-solving approaches and a variety of tools and methods that align with Universal Design for Learning when meeting individuals' needs:
- Consider the individual’s unique style and traits
- Match tools and techniques to purpose and setting
- Develop appropriate accommodations for specific activities, e.g. environment, process, and materials (including technology) that best support individual learners
- Describe the dynamic nature of implementing and supporting accommodations
- Apply strategies for accommodations using current technologies
2. Use clear communication skills understood by individuals being supported and by colleagues:
- Use active listening skills
- Use “plain language”
- Use effective verbal, non-verbal, and written modes
3. Individualize teaching and learning by using a variety of methods:
- Maximize the use of natural cues and corrections
- Give and accept feedback
- Incorporate feedback in own practice
- Demonstrate providing/fading assistance, including levels of prompting
- Demonstrate general and transfer teaching processes
This course will conform to Douglas College Evaluation Policy regarding the number and weighting of evaluations. Typical means of evaluation would include a combination of:
- Tests / Quizzes
- Individual Assignments
- Case Study Analysis
- Product Development and Toolkit
- Online contributions
Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation as part of the student’s graded performance. Expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the instructor's course outline/syllabus.
A list of required and recommended reading will be provided for students at the beginning of the semester. Instructors are committed to prioritizing OER and publicly accessible resources.
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