Department of Special Education
SPED 751 (Spring 2006)
Methods & Materials for Teaching Students with Behavior Disorders
Office: 914West Office Hours: Tues. 4-7pm, Wed. 3-4
Telephone: (212) 772-4706 e-mail: Thomas.McIntyre@Hunter.CUNY.edu
Class time: Tuesday 7:10-9:40 Room: 707W
COURSE DESCRIPTION
"BD methods" is designed to further advance your knowledge and skills in promoting academic, behavioral, social, and emotional progress in students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders (EBD). Because there are so many contrasting views and varied approaches in our young field, you are encouraged to question the presented techniques and share the ideas/practices that have worked for you.
NO CLASS: February 21 (Classes follow a Monday schedule), March 7th (on-line assignment),
FINAL CLASS MEETING: 12/22/04
Required Web Sites: www.BehaviorAdvisor.com and www.PsychoEd.net
Required Text: McIntyre, T. (2004). The behavior survival guide for kids: How to make good choices and stay out of trouble.
*It is possible to earn 288 points via your assignments and attendance. An "A" grade results from earning 90% or more of the total points. A "B" grade results from earning 80-89.9% of points.
*(Dr. Mac) encourage you to talk with me anytime you feel perplexed or have questions regarding projects, class material, readings, or any aspect of this course. As with all professors in the department of special education, I want to assure that you leave at the end of the semester with new and practical ideas that will make your teaching career more rewarding.
SCHEDULE OF CLASSES
1/31 Introduction to course; The state of our young field of study and practice
2/7 Continuation of week one; Etiology of defiant/disruptive behavior
2/14 Defiant behavior
2/21 No class. Attend your Monday class on this date
2/28 ADD/ADHD/Self Esteem; Discussion of chapter 1
3/7 On-line Class (no class) that involves offering ideas on “How to manage behavior with your teaching style” and discussion of chapters 2 & 3
3/14 Reinvigorating non-motivated kids; Discussion of chapter 4
3/21 Teaching social skills; Discussion of chapter 5
3/28 Self monitoring; Discussion of chapter 6
4/4 Student presentations; Discussion of chapter 7
4/11 Student presentations; Discussion of chapter 8
4/18 Student presentations; Discussion of chapter 9
4/25 Student presentations; Discussion of chapter 10
5/2 Student presentations; Discussion of chapter 11
5/9 Student presentations; Discussion of chapter 12
5/16 Self monitoring & Classroom counseling with kids
5/23 Summation of course content; course closure
COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
Class Participation (48 points: 3 points for each of the 16 class sessions)
The points earned in this area are based on the degree to which you evidence that you are prepared for class and mentally involved in the topics under discussion. Another condition applies: Three or more absences will result in an "F" (a grade of "incomplete" is a possibility under extenuating circumstances). Although family issues and personal illnesses may affect attendance, absences prevent one from attaining the information/skills that are discussed/presented in class. Attendance/participation is important, especially in advanced course work. Dr. Mac will assign the points after each class session. You may inquire about your performance at any time. (You will not be penalized if you miss class due to religious observances or scheduled school-wide parent/teacher conferences. Please send a short w-mail note to Dr. Mac informing him of these events. Your grade in this area will be based on a different number of points...perhaps 45 or 42, and converted to an equivalent score on a 48 point basis. However, the three absence regulation mentioned above still applies to everyone.) Grading Criteria for Class Participation (each class)
Absent 0 points
Partial attendance 1 to 2 points (depending on length of stay & participation)
Full attendance 2 points
Full attendance, attentive, & participation/knowledge of readings 3 points
* Class discussion: Read the assigned chapter previous to that week's class. Immediately upon entering our classroom, submit an 81/2 by 11 inch page to Dr. Mac. That page should contain several short questions or comments that can be used to spur class discussion. Those short comments might consist of criticisms; questions regarding practicality or implementation; ethical or time concerns; or other thoughts about the reading. Papers will be selected at random, and one or more of the comments will be read aloud. Students are then expected to contribute their thoughts and views in response. Please bring your text to each class session.
Bulletin Board Replies (20 points for each of 2 postings = 40 points)
Teachers from around the world will log onto www.BehaviorAdvisor.com to ask for advice on managing student behavior. You MUST submit one bulletin board reply during the first two weeks of the semester, and the second by April 18. You may submit as many replies as you wish during the semester (I'll consider your best 2 scores in the calculation of the final course grade). Please submit your replies to me soon after you post them. Be sure that they are printed from the web site bulletin board, NOT from your word processing software program. I want to see the
Observation Paper (25 Points)
This paper involves writing responses to questions found on www.behavior advisor.com (inside the “treasure for our grad students” page). The rubric for this paper can also be found on that page.
Major Assignment: 4 Options (100 points)
(Class Presentation; Listing of Intervention Strategies; Demonstration DVD; or Quick List of “Important Players” in Behavior Management)
Class Presentation
You (perhaps with a partner) will be conducting a session that presents a curriculum, intervention, or method used with students with behavioral/emotional issues (Select a topic from the following list or approve another topic with Dr. Mac). You will provide an overview of the program (in oral and written form) and demonstrate one or more of it's representative components (For example, if you choose to present a session regarding the decoding of behavior, you will present us with a written information sheet, orally tell us about the program/practice, and have us decode behavior that you display). Your session will last no longer than 30 minutes.
Possible Presentation Topics
Using active listening/non-directive counseling (See page on www. BehaviorAdvisor.com)
Teaching anger management to our kids (Dr. Mac has materials)
Using bibliotherapy to help youngsters understand and cope with emotional issues (See page on
www.BehaviorAdvisor.com)
Bullies and how to deal with them (See page on www.BehaviorAdvisor.com)
Implementing character education/character building
Cognitive behavioral techniques: Changing inner thinking and perceptions (Dr. Mac has journal)
Implementing cooperative learning practices in the classroom (See page on www.BehaviorAdvisor.com)
Teaching conflict resolution
How to decode the meaning behind the behavior of our students (N. Long article in Perceptions, Fall 1998)
Depression in children (See page on www.BehaviorAdvisor.com))
Developing self control in kids (Describe strategies other than the ones presented on our web site)
ELIZA counseling software program (Conduct web search on "ELIZA", purchase software, and demonstrate in class)
Empathy training for kids who have little/no concern for others (Obtain Goldstein's PREPARE curriculum from Dr. Mac)
Using Life space crisis interviewing (See page on www.behavioradvisor.com)
Working well with parents: Tips for contact with home, meetings, etc.
Setting up a peer mediation system (See page on www.behavioradvisor.com)
Using problem solving with our students (Goldstein's PREPARE curriculum and link on behavioradvisor.com)
Using Rational Emotive Therapy in the classroom (Zionts article in Beyond Behavior - see Dr. Mac)
Values clarification (helping our students develop a more pro-social value system)
Demonstrate several related techniques from Dr. Mac's "Behavior survival guide for kids"
Another topic that have been approved with Dr. Mac
Grading Criteria For The Class Presentation (100 points)
Organization ( introduction, description, demonstration, review, Q&A, closure, and all presenters play an integral role in
the presentation) 0-20 points
Informative and filled with useful strategies 0-40 points
Entertaining presentation style 0-30 points
Written description provided to class (Quick overview of topic, listing of important
points/strategies, listing of resources in APA format as shown on our web site) 0-10 points
The grading rubric for the presentation options can be found on www.BehaviorAdvisor.com inside the link titled “Treasure for our grad students”
TIPS: DO NOT READ to us (Use your notes to remind you of important points, and feel free to refer to them as needed, but look up from your notes before speaking again); make use of media (edit video clips to be less than 3 minutes in length); role play the strategy for us; and involve us actively in some manner (group discussion or role play, moving about the room to place thoughts on large pieces of paper attached to the walls, choral responding, holding up answers to your questions on dry erase boards, etc.)
Listing of Intervention Strategies
If you select this option, you will browse through the www.BehaviorAdvisor.com bulletin board looking for postings pertaining to a selected topic. Look through the replies and make a list of possible interventions for that concern. Describe each idea in one paragraph (but feel free to write a longer description if it is necessary in order for the reader to be able to understand how to implement the practice). Some possible behavioral concerns are: selective mutism, talkative, lying, bullying, some early childhood issue, biting, etc. The project will be evaluated on the following points: adequate search of the postings and replies; the precision of the description of each intervention; wording of the strategy in a how-to-do it format. The rubric for this assignment can be found on www.BehaviorAdvisor.com inside the page titled “Treasure for our grad students”
Demonstration DVD
This option provides the opportunity to become famous worldwide. Dr. Mac would like to upload visual demonstrations of various recommended strategies to the www.BehvaiorAdvisor.com web site. If you select this option, you will use you DVD video recorder to capture you demonstrating a technique (or two) with a youngster (or two). This demo need not be lengthy...just long enough to give viewers a good idea of how this strategy is implemented. You will need to sign a form granting permission to use the material on the site. Another form must be signed by the child’s parent/guardian. That parent/guardian will receive a phone call to verify that the permission given on the form is valid. Obtain the permission form from Dr. Mac. If the material is placed on the web site, Dr. Mac agrees to remove it promptly is any party (including the child) requests its removal. The completed recording will be evaluated for it’s quality of lighting, sound and camera angle; quality of acting (seems relaxed and involves no reading); and adequacy in conveying the correct implementation of the strategy. The rubric for this assignment can be found on www.BehaviorAdvisor.com inside the page titled “Treasure for our grad students”
Quick Listing of “Important Players” in Behavior Management
If you select this assignment, you will describe the contributions of an influencial person in our field. Following that 1-3 paragraph description, reference information (in APA format) for their books and web sites should be included. You should select at least 10 individuals. Dr. Mac can provide you with names, information, writings, biographies, etc. The paper will be scored on the adequacy of the description, readability, etc. The rubric for this assignment can be found on www.BehaviorAdvisor.com inside the page titled “Treasure for our grad students”
Ohh...One more option: Write a page for www.BehaviorAdvisor.com on the topic of teaching “Anger Management”to our aggressive kids.
Social Skills Assessment and Instructional Unit Paper (100 points)
Using the guidance provided in the page titled "Social skills" on www.BehaviorAdvisor.com, conduct an assessment of one of your students. Then develop an instructional unit for teaching one missing/deficient social skill. The rubric for this assignment can be found on
www.BehaviorAdvisor.com inside the page titled “Treasure for our grad students”
Involvement in our Profession (Evidence must be given to Dr. Mac in order to receive a passing grade in the course)
You are to provide evidence of involvement in our chosen profession. You can do so in one (or more) of options mentioned below:
-Sign up for a list serve that updates you about issues in the education of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (free). You can sign up by contacting Jamie@ccbd.net
-Contribute to the message board at www.ccbd.com on regular basis (submit your postings as evidence).
-Join the Council for Children with Behavior Disorders. To do so, go to the site for The Council for Exceptional Children, and follow the directions to join both CEC and CCBD (You must join CEC in addition to CCBD. This requirement is a policy of CEC. Total cost is about $170).
-Join the Association of New York Educators of the Emotionally Disturbed lain (ANYSEED). You can do so by going to their web site at www.anyseed.org and following the directions for being a member (about $35).
-Join a discussion forum group conducted by ANYSEED (free). Go to www.anyseed.org and click on the box to subscribe to the online discussion group.
-Join a continuing discussion on mental illness and inclusion (free) at http://groups.aol.com/_cqr/inclusionisgr8?mmch_=0
-Join another professional group related to teaching students with disabilities
20 Hours of Observation You will observe in an academic setting containing students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders. You will submit:
6a. A report containing a detailed write-up of suggested assignments.
6b. A completed "Evaluation of Observation Setting" form. This form can be found on our web site. Please DO NOT show this form to the teacher you observed. This information is designed to help us determine the quality of our observation sites.
6c. A log detailing the days and hours that you observed. This form (designed by you or obtained from Dr. Mac) should include a heading containing your name, e-mail address, name of site visited, and name of teacher observed. The end of the form should contain the statement: "This student completed 20 hours of observation in the identified classroom(s)." The form should be signed and dated by you AND the teacher you observed.
All observation requirements and grading criteria can be found on our web site.
The HC School of Education aspires to be a premier force focused on transforming urban educational settings. The five spheres of it's Conceptual Framework reflect unifying perspectives for preparing skilled, caring, and knowledgeable educators. In an important sense, it remains dynamic – a work in progress – its purpose, to make explicit “who we are,” to propel us to become our finest selves, and to provide a vision we can share to generate increasingly focused and high quality educating of our students and the children they serve.
The Ten Content Standards of The Council for Exceptional Children
"CEC" is the world’s largest professional organization speaking on behalf of individuals with disabilities and/or giftedness. It's stated standard's are used by NCATE (a national accreditation body that certifies teacher training programs) in their assessment of programs preparing teachers in special education. All seven of Hunter’s special education programs have passed professional review, have been nationally recognized by CEC, and are fully accredited by NCATE.
Graduate students in Hunter’s Department of Special Education must demonstrate knowledge and skills specific to each of the ten Content Standards. During the course of each teacher candidate’s program, specific performance data is gathered for each of the standards.
The Following CEC Content Standards are Assessed in SPED 751:
Standard #4: Instructional Strategies
The "Social Skills Assessment and Instructional Unit Paper"
Standard #7: Instructional Planning
The "Social Skills Assessment and Instructional Unit Paper" addresses this standard
Standard #8: Assessment
The "Social Skills Assessment and Instructional Unit Paper" addresses this standard
Standard #10: Collaboration
Web site postings meet this standard.
Students are expected to follow all academic honesty policies as outlined in the Hunter College Graduate Catalog. In brief, those policies specify that “any deliberate borrowing of ideas, terms, statements, or knowledge without clear and specific acknowledgment of the source is intellectual theft and is called 'plagiarism'.” Professors have access to “Turn-it-in.com, a search engine that looks for phrasing on the internet that matches that written in your submitted papers. Be sure to paraphrase the wording found in your sources. DO NOT use direct borrowing of words unless those words are used in short passages contained by quotation marks and referenced in APA format.
Expectations for Written Proficiency in English
Each students must demonstrate consistently satisfactory written English in course work. If you need practice with ANY aspect of WRITTEN ENGLISH, you can find a massive web site with loads of practice activities for every aspect of written English at http://Owl.English.Purdue.edu/ Students found to be in need of writing assistance will be referred to the
Access and Accommodations for Students with
SPED 751 INFORMATION FORM
Explanation/Directions: Please complete the following form. It will be used by the instructor to contact you in case of cancellation of class, to provide you with information missed when absent, etc. This information may also be given to other students in class who wish to contact you regarding projects and presentations. Provide only the information that is not confidential.
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