Teaching Students With Learning Disabilities

About This Course

Learn how to successfully meet the diverse needs of students with disabilities in your classroom from an experienced special educator. We'll dissect the whole special education process, from working with individualized education programs (IEPs) to helping students struggling with reading comprehension, math skills, and writing.

We'll also talk about fun games you can incorporate, tips for modifying your classroom, and lots of tested methods for bringing out the best behavior in your students. Whether you're already in the classroom, studying for the Praxis Special Education exam, or getting ready to work with students in a variety of settings, this course will prepare you to understand and empower your kids with learning disabilities. In this course, you'll discover easy, practical, and creative strategies that will help your struggling students find their light bulb moments!

About The Instructor

This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Sara Hardin.

Working with special needs students became a passion for Sara Hardin in seventh grade, when she volunteered at a summer camp for physically disabled children. Their willingness to keep trying new things despite serious obstacles impressed her and inspired her to become a special educator. She has taught special education for nine years, mostly at the elementary level. She completed her master’s degree in special education in 2000.

Syllabus

A new section of each course starts monthly. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

Week 1

Wednesday - Lesson 01

One in seven Americans has a learning disability. That means that in your class of 28 students, four could have significant trouble keeping up with the basics. In our first lesson, we'll investigate what learning disabilities (LDs) are and define some common types of LDs that you'll see again and again in the classroom. After that, we'll take a few minutes to switch roles with our learners and see what it's like to try to work past an LD.

Friday - Lesson 02

Is Tamara having trouble with reading because it's not her favorite subject, or is something else going on? The process of identifying students with LDs is a long and sometimes tedious one. But with the proper expectations and the right dose of compassion, teachers can have success in the investigatory prereferral process. We'll discuss it in today's lesson.

Week 2

Wednesday - Lesson 03

In this lesson, we'll discuss IEPs, which are road maps that guide the learning curve of every child with LDs. Written specifically to address individual needs, these legal documents are both confusing and complicated. But once you know how to decode the language and the sections, it's easy to start using IEPs as the helpful tools they're meant to be.

Friday - Lesson 04

Students with LDs receive IEP-mandated services in a number of ways. Whether they mostly stay in their classroom or spend some time in the special education room, they're going to learn a bit differently than other students. Today, we'll take a look at the common service locations that help students with LDs meet educational goals.

Week 3

Wednesday - Lesson 05

We all remember that one teacher who really made a difference in our lives. The right teaching strategies spell out the difference between a creative, engaging classroom and one that stagnates without reaching most of its students. In this lesson, we'll talk about the teaching strategies that make learning memorable for students with LDs.

Friday - Lesson 06

Word identification problems can make "cat" look like "can" or "pan." Imagine how hard it would be to read all the wrong words in all the right places. In this lesson, you'll discover smart strategies to help student find their words.

Week 4

Wednesday - Lesson 07

For students who have trouble reading, it's hard enough to just get the words right. But to pair those words with their meaning is a seemingly insurmountable task. In today's lesson, we'll go over how to chunk information so students can understand what they're reading and fall in love with texts.

Friday - Lesson 08

Writing poses quite a few challenges for students with LDs. Some of them have trouble holding their pencils, and others find it difficult to communicate what it is they're trying to say. Today, we'll take a tour of strategies that bring writing to life for students who often don't even realize all the neat things they have to say.

Week 5

Wednesday - Lesson 09

A lot of students with LDs dread math because it requires a lot of skills to come together seamlessly and at the same time: Reasoning, logic, number sense, writing, and computation are all key. But math doesn't have to be so scary. In this lesson, we'll discuss how to make all those numbers a little easier for students with LDs to manipulate.

Friday - Lesson 10

Even though the IEP gives you a general idea of how to help your students with LDs , you'll still need to explore new, innovative ideas to modify your classroom, assignments, and tests, and that's what we'll discuss in today's lesson. These modifications often spell success for students with LDs who need just a little push in the right direction.

Week 6

Wednesday - Lesson 11

We've all had days when going to school was a drag. Students with LDs are no different. Because school forces them to tackle big challenges head on, it's often their least favorite thing to do. This can lead to big behavior problems that you'll have to defuse creatively. We'll take a look at some great strategies in this lesson.

Friday - Lesson 12

The connection between home and school is a powerful predictor of classroom success for students with LDs. So in our final lesson, we'll discuss the best ways to conduct meaningful parent-teacher conferences that help everyone unite behind a child with LDs in need.

Requirements

Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader). A few computer-specific examples are included, which are based on Windows. Mac students are welcome, but may not be able to duplicate all examples.