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Maawanji´idiwag "They Come Together"

Eni–gikendaasoyang "Moving Towards Knowledge Together"

Center for Indigenous Knowledge and Language Revitalization

Department of Education – Collge of Education and Human Service Professions

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Special Education 4435 Parent and Professional Communication and Collaboration 4 credits

Course Description

Group process, problem solving, decision–making, collaboration, and teamwork applied to the special education process. Techniques for working with parents, professionals, paraprofessionals, and community agencies when planning and implementing Individualized Education Plans.

Required Texts / Readings

• Lambie, R. (2000). Family Systems within Educational Contexts. Denver, CO: Love Publishing Co.

Teacher candidates enrolled in teacher licensure programs in the Department of Education at the University of Minnesota Duluth need to present professional dispositions in their chosen field of education. Instructors are aware of the selected dispositions from the Department and will be observing your professional demeanor in regards to the conduct and qualities listed below.

Instructional Strategies

This course uses lecture, multimedia, small and large group activities, teacher candidate presentations, reciprocal teaching, co–teaching strategies, and guest speakers. Standards and dispositions can be found here.

Diversity

Our candidates are prepared to be culturally and linguistically sensitive, and guided to address all aspects of diversity including ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and disability. We do this by incorporating research, projects, and practical experiences with exposure to children, families, cultures and settings of diverse populations in our program.

Disability Statement

If you have a disability, either permanent or temporary, that may impact your ability to perform in this course; you are encouraged to inform me. I will work with you confidentially and make every effort to appropriately adapt methods, materials, and evaluations as needed to provide for equitable participation. If you have a disability and have not registered with the UMD ACCESS Center – I recommend that you do so.

Course Requirements/Expectations

• Teacher candidates are to attend all scheduled classes and are responsible for all material covered in class and in the required texts & readings.
• Teacher candidates are to be prepared for each class.
• Assignments are due at assigned dates and times.
• Unless otherwise specified, all assignments must be submitted in typed hard copy or electronically. All assignments turned in on the designated due dates. If in hard copy the papers must be stapled together – not in plastic binders. Please number each page and remember to include your name, date and assignment or project title.
• ALL written assignments will be on a collegiate level with the expectations of correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and proofreading. You will use APA style on designated written assignments.
• Assignments that are turned in for this class are to be developed for this class or with collaborative assignments with SPED 3105 & SPED 3106.

Professional Conduct and Academic Dishonesty

It is expected that teacher candidates seeking special education certification will demonstrate specific skills in professional conduct for operating in educational settings. Therefore, your dispositions and conduct in class will be observed and evaluated (see disposition statement above).

Professional conduct is defined as skills required for successful future teaching and/or appropriate interpersonal interactions in education al settings. In addition to fulfilling class assignments, you are expected to participate fully in class activities and to demonstrate a positive, cooperative attitude toward other course participants and course activities. Up to one full letter grade (10%) can be added or deducted to your final score based on the instructor´s evaluation and documentation. Extreme or sustained acts demonstrating lack of professional conduct, including academic dishonesty, will warrant a grade of "F" for the course.

Academic Dishonest in any form (such as plagiarism or cheating on tests and assignments) will not be tolerated. Teacher candidates who misrepresent their work or commit other acts of dishonesty will receive a failing grade for the course and will be recommended for removal from teacher education.

• Assessment: project requirements are attached.
• Homework/ In–class assignments. Marked completed or not.
• Mid–term. Essay/Short Answer 50 points
• Interview of a parent of a child with a special need. 15 points
• Annotated bibliography on a special population of families. 50 points
• Parent Resource Guide Develop a resource guide for parents (may include different agencies, rights, due process, etc.) 25 points
• Attendance and participation in WebX discussion and activities. ~50 points
• Final 10 points or 100 points

Grading

Semester grades will be based on overall performance including course assignments, class participation, attendance, and professional conduct. The following levels of competence are defined:

A =

work considered ´distinguished´, that is work exemplifying honors level effort in writing, presentation, assignments, exams, and meeting class expectations. In addition to full credit on assignments, the candidate must attend regularly and make significant professional contributions to the class. Standards based mastery of content and skill.

B =

superior work in meeting criteria of assignments and class expectations. Demonstration of high quality writing and presentation which merits certification–level mastery of standards–based content and skills.

C =

work considered acceptable in meeting specific criteria for university credit, but lacks appropriate certification levels of pre–service mastery of standards–based content and skill. Course will need to be retaken* or assignments redone to be recommended for special education licensure (*for LD/EBD licensure students) .

D =

work that is minimally acceptable requiring major additional work to achieve certification level of mastery of standards–based content and skill.

F =

unsatisfactory work considered unacceptable.

• A = 93 % and above
• A– = 90–92%
• B+ = 87–89%
• B = 83–86%
• B– = 80–82%
• C+ = 77–79%
• C = 73–76%
• C– = 70–72%
• D = 60–69%
• F = 59% and below

Bibliography / Expanded Readings:

• Minnesota Special Education Rules and Regulations
• Federal Special Education Rules and Regulations
• American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.) Wahington, DC: American Psychological Association.
• Friend, M. & Cook, L. (2000). Interactions: Collaboration Skills for School Professionals. Longman: New York.
• Gonzalez–Mena, J. (2007). Early Childhood Strategies for Working and Communicating with Diverse Families. Pearson: Columbus, OH.
• McWilliam, P.J. (1999). Lives in Progress. Brookes Pub. Co.: Baltimore, MD.
• Wrght, K., Stegelin, D.A., & Hartle, L. (2007). Building Family, School, and Community Partnerships. Pearson: Columbus, OH.

Class Schedule:

Class Schedule and Assignments

Week/Date	Topic	Reading	Assignments
Week 1 Sept 5–Sept 9 Sept 9 – face to face meeting	Introduction Syllabus /Projects Overview Family Life Cycle Family Interaction Patterns	Chapter 1 & Appendix A	Read chapters 1 Read and STUDY appendix A Webx – Family Life Cycles & Family Interaction Patterns
Week 2 Sept 10–16	Fundamentals of Collaboration Pragmatic Issues of Collaboration Teams	Chapter 1,2,& 3 Appendix A	UNIT ONE : Web X – Family Systems Models
Week 3 Sept 17–23	Historical Factors Environmental Factors Consultation
Week 4 Sept 24–30	Dysfunctional Families Non–traditional families	Chapters 5–9	Unit Two WebX – Family Diversity
Week 5 Oct 1–7	Diversity & Families Co–Teaching Staff development	Assigned readings on WebX	Unit Three Collaboration & Co–Teaching Face to Face – co–teaching assignment
Week 6 Oct 8–14 Sept 14 – face to face meeting	Team functioning with families Rights and responsibilities of parents, families, students, teachers & schools. IIIP/IEP/ITP Interpersonal communication Family conferences	Chapters 10–14 Assigned readings on WebX
Week 7 Oct 15–21	Mid–term		Unit Four: Communication and Planning
Week 8 Oct 22–28	Communication		Parent Interview
Week 9 Oct 29–Nov 4	Resiliency Interpersonal problem solving Family involvement and planning	Readings on WebX	Unit Five: WebX – Case Study
Week 10 Nov 5–11 Nov 11 – face to face meeting	Using statements and asking questions Difficult interactions	Readings on WebX	Resource Guide
Week 11 Nov 12–18	Data Practices in preparation for planning– what families need to know	Chapters 10–12	Unit Six : Staff Development
Week 12 Nov 19–25	Small Group Facilitation	Readings on WebX
Week 13 Nov 26–Dec 2	Classroom and group extension Paraprofessionals & U	Chapters 13–14	Unit Seven WebX – Paraprofessionals Competencies of Educators in dealing with families and other professionals
Week 14 Dec 3–16 Dec 9 – face to face meeting	Critical thinking Ethics in Practice Mandatory Reporting	Readings on WebX	Discussion: Web Quest – Code of Ethics Annotated Bibliogrpahy
Week 15 Final

Assignment Descriptions

Interview of a parent of a child with a disability:

see below

Annotated Bibliography:

see below

Resource Guide:

You will compile information that you feel will be useful to parents and /or other professionals in your field of study or in your present professional position. The resource guide will be in an organized format that will enable you to access information easily. The resource guides will be put in Resource Guide Showcase on Oct 14, 2006 during class for others to ´look over´. There is not a number attached to this project or a specified format – the number is in your professional judgment of whether you have enough information to earn the 100 points. The resource guide should contain information from local, regional, state and federal agencies or groups. (e.g., due process, support groups or rights).

In–class and online assignments:

Many of these are collaborative projects where there will be a group grade for that specific assignment. Therefore, there are no make up options on these assignments. You will be expected to participate in online discussions at least two times each week throughout the semester (see webx discussion rubric) for discussion guidelines. A reflective, summative analysis of your contributions, based on the discussion rubric, will be due at the end of the semester.

Readings:

It is expected you will read the assigned readings throughout the semester. It will be obvious to the instructor and other members of this class if you have not read the materials for your responses in discussions and activities.

Mid–term /Final:

The mid–term will be an essay test over chapters 1–8. This is a collaborative mid–term between SPED 4435, SPED 3105 & 3106. Individuals enrolled in SPED 4435 Section 001 will have a mid–term on SPED 4435 materials ONLY. The final examination for section 001 will be different than for Section 450. This will be explained in more detail on Sept 9, 2006.

Attendance and Participation:

It would be very difficult to conduct a Parent and Professional Communication and Collaboration course without the expectation of regular attendance at Saturday sessions and discourse on WebX discussions and activities. There are attendance and participation points assigned for this course.

Guidelines for the Interview of a Family Member of an Individual with a Disability

The purpose of this assignment is to acquaint you with the experiences of a parent or primary caregiver in "parenting" a child with a disability and their experiences with ´systems´. This interview should not be conducted with a relative or personal friend. The interview should focus on the scope and effectiveness of support and resources that have been available to the caregiver. Ask them about their first experience with public schools or agencies in their community. What services do they believe need to maintained or improved for better outcomes of children.

I have suggested questions that will get you started, but remember an interview can take any number of turns – so you may not ask these questions. I am not looking for any specific direction but a clear and in–depth interview of personal experiences of one family.

Arrange an interview at the convenience of the caregiver and explain why you are conducting this interview. When you meet and start the interview, please have the setting so the caregiver feels comfortable. Introduce yourself and explain again why you want to interview this caregiver about their experiences with schools and/or agencies. You should inform the caregiver the information they provide are for class assignment purposed ONLY and their name/identity will not be shared with anyone including the instructor.

Examples of questions

• At what point in your child´s development did you realize your child might have some delays or disabilities?
• Can you describe the process you went through to get a diagnosis?
• What are your recollections of your first experience with either a private, public agency or school system?
• Have your expectations changed in terms of resources and support you expect from this entity?
• Where do you see your child living and working as an adult? Has this changed with in the past 5 years based on your experiences? Was this change due to agency or school support or lack of support?
• How have other family members reacted to having a brother, sister, son, etc in the family that has delays or disabilities?
• What do you think of the individual education planning process? Have you been encouraged to be actively involved in the IEP/IFSP/IIIP process?
• Do you believe your child is receiving an appropriate educational experience?
• Is there anything else you would like to share?

You will need to write up your experience from this interview. Relate what you have learned from the interview and how this relates to best practice. IT IS CRITICAL YOU HANDLE YOURSELF IN A PROFESSIONAL MANNER IN DRESS, ATTITUDE AND DEMEANOR!

Please remember – do not comment, agree, or condemn any practices or situations the parent or caregiver may relate. The caregiver may specifically as you for your opinion or direction in resolving a situation. This is not the time or place for you to comment. You are only hearing one side of a story and do not have enough information to make an informed opinion or comment. Do be empathetic and kind.

Annotated Bibliography

1. Select a topic. A shortened version will be used a running head.
2. Conduct a literature review of referred journal articles on your topic.
3. For each selected resource, cite the source using APA 2001 format.
4. You will need 12 individual resources; only 2 of the 12 references can be internet or other types of articles. Ten of the 12 MUST be research articles and relate directly to your selected topic.
5. Your running head will appear at the top of the right hand corner of each page with your running head title, comma, your last name, and page number.
6. Next will be the citation of your source using APA (2001) style format.
7. The third item of the annotated bibliography is the abstract from the research article. This can be cut and pasted into your work document. It should be labeled and single spaced.
8. The fourth section will include the article analysis and consist of your targeting similarities and differences to other articles of your annotated bibliography.
9. The fifth and final component will be your reflection on how it relates to class, it’s relationship to collaboration, communication and low incident disabilities plus how this impacts you as a special education or other related professional.
10. This is a cumulative project over the course of the semester. For example, you should be collecting your journal articles over the course of the next 10-12 weeks. As you go through each one you begin to write the 4th section. I will explain this in detail during our first meeting. In the final weeks of the semester, you will complete the 5th section which includes reflection all of your resources as outlined in #9.

Example Annotated Bibliography

Reflection

The reflection section is ONLY added at the end after all of article analysis and comparisons. You will have only one reflection section for the entire paper.

Possible Topics for Annotated Bibliography

• Issues surrounding children and families with medical needs
• Families who have a child with hearing impairments
• Families who have a child with visual impairments
• Families who have a child with deaf blindness
• Families who have a child with rare disorder
• Families who have a child with Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Families who have a child with FAS (see instructor for permission)

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