B.A. in Special EducationSpecialize in Your Passion

Students will understand and define the various differences found in learners, including physical disabilities. This course will give an overview of educational service delivery, community programs available to families and the transition from an academic setting to the development of life skills. Students will view special education as a holistic approach in understanding human development through the life span. Students will complete field experience in a local educational environment which will provide them with the opportunity to tutor and work with special education students.

This course will look at various philosophies in the field of learning disabilities. It will review research and interpret its contribution to the field from a Christian worldview. Students will learn teaching strategies and their relationship to cultural and linguistic differences. Students will understand the characteristics of learners with learning differences in relationship to their impact on the learning process. This course includes a 16-hour practicum to be completed at various grade levels with students who have moderate/severe learning disabilities.

Field Experience

Prospective teachers spend a minimum 10 hours in inclusive elementary, middle or secondary classrooms. Emphasis is placed on observation and participation related to the application and content in EDU-335, including examing curricula content, effective teaching strategies, collaboration, accommodations and modifications.

This course will take the student from the beginning stages of the special education referral process through placement qualification. Students will be introduced to a variety of assessment tools, basic interpretation of data and a framework for reporting information. Students will develop an understanding of the team approach to diagnosis and learn the components of collaborative planning. Students will gain knowledge of assessment as it relates to an individual education program.

Designed for prospective elementary and middle school teachers, this course focuses on principles and practices of effective integrated literacy instruction in the content areas. The course addresses linking students’ reading and writing proficiencies with subject matter study as reading and writing are tools for learning, literacy requirements continually increase in school and society and content area teachers can teach content area reading and writing best. Students will develop an understanding of integrated literacy instruction, learn how to create a classroom environment that promotes it, methods and strategies for
developing it and the role of technology in enhancing it.

This course deals with the reality of diversity in the classroom and provides instructional theories and strategies to help the teacher respond to the challenges that accompany this diversity. Issues relating to diverse populations to be addressed include socioeconomic considerations, at-risk and ethnic and racial groups. Issues related to differentiated instruction include multiple intelligences, brain research and learning styles. These issues will be studied in the context of our Christian world and life view, with special attention given to issues of equity and individual worth.

This course is a study of psychology applied to the teaching and learning process. Theories of teaching, learning, thinking, motivation, development, social systems and classroom management will be included in the context of a Christian worldview.

This course will be an exploration of issues impacting the field of special education, including an understanding of collaboration; inclusion and the role para-educators play in supporting special needs students.

Emphasis on learning practical methods while participating in the special education classroom under the supervision of a practicing professional.

This class will address intense reading disabilities that require specific methods of instruction to correct. Students will learn how to identify, assess and diagnose reading problems; determine causes of reading problems, such as, environment, physiological or ineffective instruction; learn to develop organized sequential lesson plans that directly teach each of the following phonetic/language concepts: phonological awareness, basic sound/symbol relationships, six syllable patterns, spelling rules, prefixes and suffixes, non-phonetic words and syllable division rules; implement lesson plans using reading, spelling and concept decks simultaneous oral spelling, blending and segmenting; and multisensory activities.