EDU8324 Learning Difficulties: Reading
| Semester 2, 2013 Online Toowoomba | |
| Units : | 1 |
| Faculty or Section : | Faculty of Education |
| School or Department : | Education |
| Version produced : | 11 April 2013 |
Staffing
Examiner: Nicole Todd
Moderator: Susan Carter
Rationale
People with low levels of literacy encounter grave difficulties in coping in a 'reading based' society. It is essential that at risk readers be promptly identified and that early intervention programmes be implemented. The expertise of the classroom teacher in the identification and remediation of children with reading difficulties is deemed to be a critical factor in the prevention of serious reading disabilities.
Synopsis
This course focuses on the teaching of children with specific learning difficulties in reading. The emphasis is on assessment and diagnosis of children with reading problems and on the structuring, implementation and analysis of appropriate intervention programmes. Note: Students will require regular access to a classroom for completion of this course.
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. At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to demonstrate:
- an in-depth knowledge of the reading process (Assessment 1 and 2)
- a knowledge of factors which contribute to reading difficulties (Assessment 1)
- the ability to design and implement reading assessments which provide for efficient class screening and for individual diagnosis (Assessment 1 and 2)
- competency in identifying, diagnosing and teaching students with reading difficulties (Assessment 1 and 2)
- the ability to select, evaluate and modify resources for instructing students with reading difficulties (Assessment 2)
- Demonstrate competence in and appropriate use of language and literacy, including spelling, grammar, punctuation and bibliographic referencing. (Assessment 1 and 2)
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | The reading process: theory of reading; reading difficulties; reading programs. | 30.00 |
| 2. | Assessment and diagnosis: norm-referenced and criterion-referenced measures; informal assessment; selecting tests; test administration; analysis of assessment results. | 30.00 |
| 3. | Instructional techniques: linking assessment results to planning for instruction; instructional techniques/strategies; resource; use of ICT's; monitoring. | 40.00 |
Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed
ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from USQ's Online Bookshop (unless otherwise stated). (https://bookshop.usq.edu.au/bookweb/subject.cgi?year=2013&sem=02&subject1=EDU8324)
Please contact us for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://bookshop.usq.edu.au/contact/)
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Walker, B. J 2008, Diagnostic Teaching of Reading. Techniques for Instruction and Assessment, 6th edn, Pearson/Merrill/Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Reference materials
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Gunning, T. G 2006, Assessing and Correcting Reading and Writing Difficulties, 3rd edn, Allyn & Bacon, Boston.
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Konza, D 2006, Teaching children with reading difficulties, Thomson, Melbourne.
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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://usq.edu.au/library/help/facultygiudes/education/default.htm.
Student workload requirements
| Activity | Hours |
|---|---|
| Directed Study | 80.00 |
| Private Study | 80.00 |
Assessment details
| Description | Marks out of | Wtg (%) | Due Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASSIGNMENT 1 | 40 | 40 | 04 Sep 2013 | |
| ASSIGNMENT 2 | 60 | 60 | 23 Oct 2013 |
Important assessment information
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Attendance requirements:
There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students' responsibility 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. -
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 or a grade of at least C-. (Depending upon the requirements in Statement 4 below, students may not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to receive a passing grade in this course.) -
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. -
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 for the course. -
Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the weighted aggregate of the grades obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course. -
Examination information:
There is no examination in this course. -
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
There will be no Deferred or Supplementary examinations in this course. -
University Student Policies:
Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene University policies and practices. These policies can be found at http://policy.usq.edu.au/portal/custom/search/category/usq_document_policy_type/Student.1.html.
Assessment notes
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APA style is the referencing system required in this course. Students should use APA style in their assignments to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The APA style to be used is defined by the USQ Library's referencing guide. http://www.usq.edu.au/library/help/referencing/apa
Other requirements
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Students will require regular access to a classroom for completion of this course. Students are advised not to enrol in this course if this access is not possible.
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Students are to use a recognised referencing system a specified by the course Examiner.
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Students will require access to e-mail and Internet access to UConnect for this course.