ECE-160 - Understanding & Education of Children with Special Needs - Michelle Wintermute

Introduction

Hello! I am happy you are here to learn more about this amazing course.  This course will challenge your knowledge and expand your view of working with exceptional children and their families.  Most students experience a range of emotions (happiness, laughing, crying, cheering, and heart-break to name a few) throughout this course as you are exposed to a raw view of the world of exceptional children (and people). Students walk away with a heightened awareness and perspective of what it takes to work in the field of special education. 

Course Description

This course is designed to introduce the field of special education, emphasizing the developmental theories as they apply to the understanding and education of children with special needs through age eight. Overview of special needs categories as defined by IDEA, inclusion, and preparation of Individual Education Program (IEP) and Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP).

What to Expect in this Course

This course contains a lot of material to be covered in a 16-week format. To do well in this class, be prepared to spend a minimum of 12 to 15 hours per week. This will consist of a combination of reading, videos, completing class assignments, activities, and projects, and taking quizzes.  

Reading:  Each week you will read a chapter from the textbook and then engage in corresponding weekly assignments:

• Class Discussion Board: You will post an initial response and at least 2 responses within a threaded discussion with classmates, based on videos, research, simulation exercises, or readings.
• Class Activities: A variety of activities will be presented to further engage you into deeper explorations of the various components within each chapter. 
• Quiz: Low stakes quizzes are based on the weekly chapter reading.  You are allowed 3 attempts and there are no time limits.  Should you need additional attempts, please reach out and I will be happy to provide you more attempts. 

• Born Different Series: This part of our course will involve watching a variety of short videos on various individuals who have a wide variety of exceptional needs.  The purpose of these videos is to give you exposure to a new world of people with different abilities and to enhance your perspectives about how you see individuals with differences.  Knowledge is power and the more you broaden your horizons regarding people with different abilities, the more capable you will become in working with students with exceptional needs.
• Case Scenario: During weeks 3-13, you will have a weekly case scenario that will describe a child, their family information, and various personal developmental milestones.  For you to understand typical and atypical development, additional pages regarding where these children are compared to other children the same age will be provided.  After reading the scenario and milestones, you will have a brief activity to complete.  These activities may range from reflective thinking, searching the internet for resources, modification of activity to meet the child’s needs, etc.  These are designed to help you that the course content and apply the information to actual situations.

Types of Assessments

There are 4 additional projects which assess the students ability to understand, analyze and apply the course material to real-life situations and experiences.

1. Movie Observation

2. Children's Book Review

3. Child & Family Analysis Paper

4. Final Video Presentation

Textbook Information

Required Text: Teaching Exceptional Children: Foundations and Best Practices in Inclusive Early Childhood Education Classrooms: 3rd Edition by Mojdeh Bayat

Other Relevant Course Information

Resubmissions are allowed and encouraged for weekly assignments, the movie and book reviews.  

LATE WORK POLICY

There will be no make ups or late work accepted for discussion boards. This class is founded on class discussions and your ability to effectively communicate your thoughts, ideas, and understanding of course material with your peers.  Working with children and children with exceptional needs means that you are working with their families, hence effective communication skills are required.  The purpose of discussion boards is for you to practice communicating with others effectively and respectfully. 

All other weekly assignments and projects will have suggested due dates, but will remain open until week 15. Life happens outside of school, and sometimes it can get in the way of completing assignments on time. So if you need more time for these assignments you have it. There are NO point deductions for turning weekly assignments later than the suggested due date.  Learning time management skills is a core life skill.  With that being said, I recommend to stay as close to the schedule as you can so assignments and projects don’t pile up at the end of the semester.

Additional Resources

Canvas

This course can be accessed on the first day of class via Canvas at https://coc.instructure.com. Log into Canvas using your CanyonsID single sign-on:

• CanyonsID Username is your COC student email address (Ex: username@my.canyons.edu)
• CanyonsID Password is your COC student email password

Please visit the Get to Know Your Online Classroom page for help logging into Canvas and for tips on using Canvas and Zoom. Canvas Chat Support is also available 24/7 for any Canvas related issues.

Online Education

Check out the Online Education website for more information on a variety of topics that can help you be a successful online student such as: exam proctoring, learning styles, computer skills, and tips for student success. If this is your first online course, feel free to take our online learning readiness assessment to assess your skills.

The Learning Center (TLC)

The TLC provides FREE online tutoring resources to COC students!

Academic Accommodation Center (AAC)

College of the Canyons AAC provides educational services and access for eligible students with documented disabilities who intend to pursue coursework at COC. A variety of programs and services are available which afford eligible students with disabilities the opportunity to participate fully in all aspects of the college programs and activities through appropriate and reasonable accommodations. For more information on their services visit the Academic Accomodation Center website.

Online Counseling

The Counseling Department offers appointments online. You can schedule an appointment by visiting the Online Counseling website. Counselors can help you map out a plan to reach your educational goals as well as advise you on course selection and registration.

Management of Stress and Mental Health

Often the pressure on our students is very strong, involving academic commitments, relationships, outside jobs and family pressure to name a few. The staff and faculty of College of the Canyons are here to see you succeed academically and care about your emotional and physical health. You can learn more about the broad range of confidential student services, including counseling and mental health services available on campus by visiting the Student Health & Wellness Center in the Student Services Building (across from the bookstore). The phone number is 661-362-3259 that you can call 24/7. You can also e mail for an appointment at StudentHealthCenter@canyons.edu. At the Canyon Country Campus the Health Center will be in the new Student Services Building.

Also, the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline number is now 988. All students at COC are encouraged to enter that phone number in their cells. You can call it when you, or someone you know, is having thoughts of suicide or is in severe distress.

You can also now use the Crisis Text Line: Just text "Courage" to 741741. Someone will get back to you immediately. Its free, 24/7, and confidential.

Veterans Resource Center

The College of the Canyons Veterans Resource Center is a department within the Student Services Division at the college, created to help veterans and veteran dependents with applying to College of the Canyons, enrolling in classes, and requesting VA Education or Vocational Benefits. For more information please visit the Veterans Resource Center website, email veterans@canyons.edu or phone (661) 362-3469.

Library

The Library provides live online and in-person research help, access to a full range of e-resources and physical materials that support the curriculum, individual and group study areas, and much more!

Last updated: 08/19/2024 Sub#: 1794