PSY 382 –Topics in Psychology - Exceptional Children

Fall 2007

---

Instructor:  Dr. Nikki Yonts

Office:  105 Derby

Phone:  698-4285 (office) 612-8840 (home)

Email address: nyonts@lyon.edu

Office Hours: Posted outside office door

Required Texts:  Hunt, N., & Marshall, K. (2006). Exceptional Children and Youth (4^th Ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Textbook Website: http://education.college.hmco.com/   Click on Students homepage and select the text.

---

Course Description: This course is a basic overview/survey of the legal, historical, and practice-based foundations of exceptionality. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to basic concepts and practices in special education and to help future teachers develop competence in providing appropriate instruction to exceptional children.

---

Course Goals:

Through written assignments, discussion, and small-group work students will develop and demonstrate knowledge about:

1. The field of special education, including: terms used in special education, the needs of students with disabilities and giftedness, the roles of general and special education teachers in serving these pupils, provisions of legislation and their impact, and general issues in special education.
2. Risk, families, and early intervention, including: causes of disability and their prevention, effects of biological and environmental risk factors; importance of the family in special education law and practice; the role of culture in family attitudes toward schools and disability; the individualized family service plan (IFSP).
3. Major categories of disabilities and students identified as gifted/talented, including: Definitions, characteristics, and learning needs of students with learning disabilities, mild-severe mental retardation and developmental delay; behavioral and emotional disorders, autism, communication disorders, etc.

   ---

Expectations:

I expect you to be present, punctual, prepared, and attentive during class. You can also expect me to be present, punctual, and prepared to teach. I expect you to participate positively and constructively in class and be respectful to others thoughts, opinions, and questions. You can expect me to provide a positive learning environment that encourages active student learning and I will be open to all thoughts, opinions, and questions. Finally, I expect you to understand and abide by the information and procedures described in the syllabus.

---

Accommodations:

Lyon College complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Students with disabilities who need assistance should make their requests for accommodations to the Office of Academic Services.

---

Course attendance:

Students are expected to attend all classes. It is also college policy that students can be dismissed from classes in which they have excessive absences. Therefore, I will be taking attendance daily. If a student misses a class, regardless of the reason, that student is responsible for all material presented in class, any assignments, and any changes to the class schedule. Also, please be respectful to your classmates and your instructor by coming to class on time. It is very distracting when students are late to class.

---

Assigned Readings:

Assigned readings must be read prior to the class lecture. We will not cover everything from the readings in class; however, you will be responsible for all material from assigned readings. Many of the test questions will cover material directly from the text and any supplemental readings. The chapters from the books have been assigned to facilitate discussion and debate. Therefore, it is especially important that you read the material before class.

---

Course Requirements: This course will be taught as a seminar course. The instructor will assign readings for and direct the discussion of the first several class sessions. After that, each student (working in partnership with me) will be responsible for 1 unit (2 class sessions) in which he/she will present ideas and lead discussion of readings he/she has assigned. Below is a description of course assignments. Each requirement is worth 100 points, or 25% of your total grade. I will provide additional handouts for the discussions, essays, and final paper:

1. Class Participation – It is expected that everyone will participate in each and every class session. Participation does not mean attendance. For each unit, readings will be assigned at least 1 week in advance by the person in charge of the unit. You must come prepared to discuss the readings and willing to share your knowledge and insights.
2. Discussion Leadership – Each student will be responsible for facilitating the discussion on a unit of their choice. During the first weeks of classes you will choose a topic. You will meet with me to develop (a) topic, (b) reading list, and (c) essay question. Students are responsible for distributing the reading list and essay question no later than 1 week prior to your 1^st presentation day. You will lead the discussion for 2 class sessions. If you wish, part of this may be a presentation of data, theory, or other ideas. Leading a discussion works well when the leader comes with a number of questions that the group can address. You will be graded on how well you are prepared and how you facilitate the discussion.
3. Essays - Students will write a 1 page single-spaced essay in response to a study question pertaining to the readings. These essays will form the basis of the discussion at each session. There will be 14 daily essay questions. Each student must submit 10 of these 14. You will not write the essay for the unit you present. Each essay will be worth 10 points. They will be due at the beginning of class on the day for which they are scheduled. No late essays will be accepted. Even if you do not write an essay for a particular day, you are expected to do the reading and come prepared to discuss.
4. Final Paper - Each student will submit a paper that will review the literature in the area he/she is presenting (APA style, approx. 15 pages not including references or other non-text pages). This paper will constitute the final exam. The qualities of your paper I will assess are: organization, thoroughness, logical flow of ideas, prose, spelling & grammar, and creativity. Prior to submitting the final draft of the seminar paper for the semester, each student will have another student in the class read and comment on her/his manuscript. Everyone is encouraged to seriously consider their reviewer’s comments and criticisms and incorporate them when deemed appropriate.

---

Honor Code Information:

You should be familiar with and uphold the Lyon College Honor Code (please see Student Handbook if you have any questions). Remember: For all written assignments, please avoid directly or indirectly (i.e., paraphrasing) using author’s words. This is plagiarism. You will always have the opportunity to show me rough drafts of any written assignments and I will help you with any problems or questions you have.

---

Collaboration: There will be no collaboration on exams and all exams are closed-book. Students are encouraged to study together and are free to discuss the articles they are reading for class assignments. However, all written assignments must be written without collaboration, unless otherwise indicated.

---

Summary of points:                                                                            

Class attendance                                           100      

Discussion leadership                                     100

Essays (10 * 10 points)                                100      

Review paper                                                100 

TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE                               400

 

If you get 90-100% of the points you will get an A; 80-89% = B; 70-79% = C; 60-69% = D; 59 or less = F. Note for final grades, I will follow the rules of rounding and will only round up if your decimal is .5 or above, so 89.5 would be an A but 89.4 would be a B. There are no exceptions because you will have opportunity to get extra credit points to push yourself into the .5 range.
 

---

Tentative Schedule