SAMPLE SYLLABUS
SOCIAL-VOCATIONAL TRANSITIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
EDN 502
Kim Killu, Ph.D.
126 School of Education
(313) 593-5240
e-mail: kimkillu@umd.umich.edu
OFFICE HOURS:
Monday, 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (by appointment)
Tuesday, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (by appointment)
To make appointments, please contact Monique Davis at (313) 436-9135
at 126 SOE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course includes strategies that teach age-appropriate skills to students with disabilities in a variety of social settings found in the school, home, & community. This course will also focus on issues relevant to vocational & community transitions for students with disabilities. As opposed to rote learning of material, the course intends to provide students with a conceptual understanding of issues related to social & vocational transitions.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
After the completion of this course, students will be able to do the following through oral and written means:
ON-LINE LECTURES
On-line lectures were developed for each topic to help you focus on many of the important points that are addressed in the reading assignments. So, before you read the assignments, print and study the on-line lectures.
READING ASSIGNMENTS
Reading assignments and web sites that correspond with each topic are listed on the Assignments web page. Read the chapter in the textbook, visit the web sites, and participate in the discussion BEFORE you complete and submit the competencies.
DISCUSSIONS
Ten on-line discussions are posted for the topics and students must participate within the deadlines posted on the Assignments link. Topics will be combined for some of the discussions so that we can discuss related factors in the same forum. The discussions will replace the in-class participation that occurs in "real time" classes. In the discussions, students should post their thoughts and questions, share interesting information or links, discuss the competencies and participate in an exchange of ideas. You do not have to be on-line at any particular time to participate in the discussions. You may post messages and read messages at any time. To benefit the most from the discussions you must read all of the messages. Your message can be based on an original idea OR can be a reply to some else's posting. Postings are worth 10 points per topic. It is expected that students will actively participate in the discussions. Points will be awarded on the basis of the quality of your messages and your interactions with the other students in the course at the instructor's discretion. Also, you must post questions about the topics in the relevant discussion to receive a reply from the instructor. Then, EVERYONE can see the question and the reply and all students will have fair access to the same information... just like asking a question in a "real time" class. However to earn the points in the discussions questions and personal experiences cannot be your only contributions. To earn the most points in the discussions:
- read the chapter(s) and visit web sites before participating
- read my welcoming message to help you focus your contributions on important topics
- respond to other people's postings in a substantive manner. A simple, "I agree/disagree" type message is not substantial enough without an explanation.
- visit the discussions several times and read and respond to your classmates' messages. If I see five messages posted under your name on just one day, then I assume that you have only visited one time and will score your contributions accordingly.
- discuss the readings, web sites, and competencies. In most cases there can be many ways of looking at the problems posed in the competencies and many answers, so it is all right for you to talk about your ideas.
LIFE SKILLS/SOCIAL SKILLS LESSONS PLAN & MATERIALS:
Students will receive a pre-made lesson plan and based upon information presented through the lecture and assigned readings, and will adapt these lesson plans to accommodate students with disabilities. Students will be required to make adaptations to these plans through instructional modifications with the use of materials or other means. Lesson plans will be completed within small groups and will be worth 40 points each.
TRANSITIONING NEEDS
Based upon a profile of a student with a disability, students will determine the transitioning needs for this particular student. This assignment will be the basis for the Individual Transition Plan that students write. (10 points)
ECOLOGICAL INVENTORY
Students will be required to conduct an ecological inventory on one goal presented in their transition plan. The ecological inventory is a small group assignment and is worth 40 points.
TRANSITION PLAN: ROUGH DRAFT/FINAL DRAFT
Students will be required to complete an Individualized Transition Plan on a case study received during the semester. The ITP will be graded on how appropriately it addresses the needs of the student, the quality of goals proposed, the clarity of written expression, & the practicality of the plan in relation to the student's needs. Students will work in small groups and will be presented with a student profile. Based upon the needs of this student, group members will develop a rough draft of an ITP. Group members will receive extensive feedback from the instructor, and will be required to revise the ITP based upon this feedback. Students will then submit a final draft of the ITP along with the rough draft and the instructor's feedback. Points will be deducted for final drafts turned in without a rough draft and the feedback. The rough draft of the ITP is worth 20 points, and the final draft is worth 50 points.
\CHECKPOINTS
Each week, several questions pertaining to the transition related web sites and the assigned articles on ERes will be listed on the course's web page. These questions are intended to assess your understanding of the material, and it's integration with the lecture and class activities. You should respond to the questions with no more than 3-4 full sentences. Each check point will be due no later than the week after it is assigned. Each check point is worth 10 points.
PLEASE NOTE: Deadlines do not apply to the competencies. You may submit your responses to the checkpoints at any time AFTER you have participated in the discussions.
FINAL
The comprehensive final exam will require you to apply what you have learned in ALL of the class assignments to answer specific questions based on two case studies. Each case study is worth 50 points. The case studies will be based on lecture, reading, web site and discussion assignments and will assume that you have studied the lectures, read all pages assigned, visited all web sites, and read all messages in each discussion. Although some of you may be ahead of everyone else in the course, it is strongly suggested that you do not rush through the assignments just to get done. You will also want to check back with each discussion to help you with the final. Information from the messages posted in the discussions will be incorporated into the questions, therefore, the final will not be available until April 2, 2000. The final will be emailed to students after all competencies and messages for each topic have been graded by the instructor. Students will have one week to complete and email the completed final to the instructor.
Completion of all assignments: All assignments must be completed by noon on April 10, 2000. Incomplete assignments will earn zero points. Students must receive the final by noon on April 10, 2000. All finals must be completed and submitted to me by noon on April 17, 2000.
Incompletes will be considered only in accordance with UM-D policy which states that a compelling, personal reason must be documented, 70% of the coursework must be completed, and a contract for completion must be secured and filed by the student. The course instructor sets the requirements for completion of the contract
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
The University will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities. Students should register with Disability Resource Services located in Counseling & Support Services, 1060 University Mall
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
To be successful in this course, a student must invest a large amount of work and study throughout the semester. Unfortunately, a small number of students do not allow themselves the time necessary to prepare adequately to meet the course requirements. Please be assured and forewarned that cheating will not be tolerated in this course. All cases of confirmed or suspected academic dishonesty will be referred through the appropriate University channels.
Additional Readings
Bolles, R.N. (1991). Job-hunting tips for the so-called handicapped or people who have disabilities. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press.
Cartledge, G. & Milburn, J.F. (1995), Teaching social skills to children and youth: Innovative approaches. (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Cronin, M.E., & Patton, J.R. (1993). Life skills instruction for all students with special needs: A practical guide for integrating real-life content into the curriculum. Austin, TX: PRO-ED.
Gartin, B.C., Rumrill, P., & Serebreni, R. (1996). The higher education transition model: Guidelines for facilitating college transition among college-bound students with disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 29, 30-33.
Goldstein, A.P. (1999). The prepare curriculum: Teaching prosocial competencies (2nd edition). Champaign, IL: Research Press.
Lindstrom, L.E., Benz, M.R., & Johnson, M.D. (1996). Developing job clubs for students in transition. Teaching Exceptional Children, 29, 18-21.
Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education, & Michigan Jobs Commission, Michigan Rehabilitation Services. (1995). Fundamentals of transition. Lansing, MI: Author.
Morganett, R.S. (1990). Skills for living: Group counseling activities for young adolescents. Austin, TX: PRO-ED.
Patton, J.R., & Blalock, G. (Eds.). (1996). Transition and students with learning disabilities: Facilitating the movement from school to adult life. Austin, TX: PRO-ED.
Rusch, F.R., Destefano, L., Chadsey-Rusch, J., Phelps, L.A., & Szymanski, E. (Eds.). (1992). Transition from school to adult life: Models, linkages, & policy. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Wehman, P. (1995). Individual transition plans: The teacher’s curriculum guide for helping youth with special needs. Austin, TX: PRO-ED.
Wehman, P. (1999). The transition handbook: Strategies high school teachers use that work! Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
West, L.L., Corbey, S., Boyer-Stephens, A., Jones, B., Miller, R.J., & Sarkees-Wircenski, M. (1992). Integrating transition planning into the IEP process. Reston, VA: Council for Exceptional Children.
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