SPE3001 Establishing Inclusive Learning Environments

Contents

• Staffing
• Rationale
• Synopsis
• Objectives
• Topics
• Texts
• Reference materials
• Student workload
• Assessment details
• Important assessment information
• Other requirements
• Production date
• PDF version

STAFFING

RATIONALE

Contemporary classrooms are complex and dynamic contexts where diversity is inherent in the student population. Establishing inclusive settings enables the educator to respond to the diversity of contemporary educational communities, ensuring that all students have access to and can participate in the curriculum. The professional practitioner will develop knowledge and understandings to identify student learning support needs, design and deliver inclusive curriculum and monitor student progress. This requires an understanding of legislation, provider policies, community expectations and the role of the educator as a global citizen.

SYNOPSIS

This course introduces pre-service teachers to planning for teaching and learning in contemporary communities catering for a diverse range of student learning from an holistic perspective. Students will explore contemporary communities and the features of an inclusive setting that best support access to and participation in the curriculum. Students will identify the contextual and human factors that impact on contemporary approaches to inclusive education, and will critically examine their own values and personal situatedness. The process of collaboration and consultation is a feature of the course and students will be given opportunities to explore these processes through structured workshops. Through collaborative inquiry students will critically evaluate legislation, provider policies and community expectations to inform their professional practice. NOTE: Minimum enrolment numbers apply to this offering. Should enrolments not reach the minimum number required for on-campus study, students may be transferred to the EXT or WEB offering and advised of this change before semester commences.

OBJECTIVES

The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course. The assessment item(s) that may be used to assess student achievement of an objective are shown in parenthesis. On completion of this course students will be able to:

1.

critically discuss inclusive education issues (Assignments1)

2.

demonstrate an understanding of the contextual factors that impact on contemporary educational contexts (Assignments1)

3.

demonstrate an awareness of the whole of school and classroom/teaching unit processes that promote the establishment of an inclusive setting (Assignment 2)

4.

critically analyse their personal position in relation to inclusive education (Assignments 1 and 2)

5.

identify and describe the human and other resources that are available to support the establishment of an inclusive setting for students with educational support needs (Assignment

6.

identify and describe the processes used by schools to support students with particular emphasis on collaboration (Assignment 2)

7.

analyse a classroom context and design a plan to address issues of class culture, policies and practices from an inclusive viewpoint (Assignment 2)

8.

demonstrate knowledge, understanding and application of course content using appropriate personal, professional and academic literacies, including effective use of ICT to support learning (Assignment 1 and 2)

9.

demonstrate knowledge, understanding and application in information literacy skills including critical and reflective thinking (Assignment 1 and 2)

10.

demonstrate knowledge, understanding and application in and appropriate use of language and literacy skills, including spelling, grammar, punctuation and bibliographic referencing. (Assignment 1 and 2)

TOPICS

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

Foreman, P (ed) 2005, Inclusion in action, Thomson, Southbank, Vic.

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

Whether you are on, or off campus, the USQ Library is an excellent source of information http://www.usq.edu.au/library. The gateway to education resources is here ... http://www.usq.edu.au/library/faculties/education/default.htm

Ashman, A & Elkins, J 2005, Educating children with diverse abilities, 2nd edn, Pearson Education Inc, Frenchs Forest, NSW.

Booth, T & Ainscow, M 2002, Index for inclusion, CSIE, Bristol.

Dettmer, P, Thurston, LP & Dyck, NJ 2005, Consultation, collaboration and teamwork for students with special needs, 5th edn, Pearson, Sydney.

Foreman, P (ed) 2007, Inclusion in action, 2nd edn, Thomson, Sth Bank, Vic.

Friend, M 2005, Special education: contemporary perspectives for school professionals, IDEA, Sydney.

Friend, M & Cook, L 2003, Interactions: collaboration skills for school professionals, Allyn & Bacon, Sydney.

Mastropieri, MA & Scruggs, TE 2007, The inclusive classroom: strategies for effective instruction, 3rd edn, Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Rosenberg, MS, O'Shea, L & O'Shea, DJ 2002, Student teacher to master teacher: a practical guide for educating students with special needs, 3rd edn, Merrill/Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River.

Thomas, CC, Correa, VI & Morsink, CV 2005, Interactive teaming: enhancing programs for students with special needs, 4th edn, Merrill, Upper Saddle River.

Thousand, JS, Villa, RA & Nevin, AI (eds) 2002, Creativity & collaborative learning: the practical guide to empowering students, teachers, and families, 2nd edn, Paul Brooks Publishing Co, Baltimore, MD.

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

NOTES

1.

The Examiner will advise the due date for all assessment items.

2.

The Examiner will advise the due date for all assessment items. Full assessment title: Response to scenario task plus personal reflection on critical learning incidents.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

1. Attendance requirements:
   It is the students' responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
   To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks.
3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
   If students submit assignments after the due date without (prior) approval of the examiner then a penalty of 5% of the total marks gained by the student for the assignment may apply for each working day late up to ten working days at which time a mark of zero may be recorded. No assignments will be accepted after model answers have been posted.
4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
   To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
6. Examination information:
   There is no examination in this course.
7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
   As there are no examinations in this course, there will be no deferred or supplementary examinations.
8. University Regulations:
   Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6. Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

1. Students will require access to e-mail and have Internet access to USQConnect for this course.

This version produced 11 Dec 2009.