Overview
Educational Psychology (EDPY) 403: Assessment and Instruction for Students with Diverse Needs provides a practical approach to teaching and managing children with learning differences. It emphasizes evidenced-based practices, specific teaching and management strategies, the development of materials, and various classroom and curriculum modifications to meet the needs of students with learning difficulties. This course examines many aspects of teaching and suggests a variety of practical approaches reflecting a number of theories.
Outline
EDPY 403 consists of eleven units divided into two main parts. The third part of the course consists of students doing the research for, and writing, the final assignment, a literature review paper, and completing two other assignments.
Part I: Understanding and Planning Instruction for Students with Learning and Behaviour Problems
- Unit 1: Monitoring and Teaching for Understanding
- Unit 2: Approaches to Learning and Teaching
- Unit 3: Response to Intervention and Multi-Tier Systems of Supports
- Unit 4: Managing Behaviour
- Unit 5: Coteaching and Collaboration: Working with Professionals and Families
Part II: Instructing Students with Learning and Behaviour Problems
- Unit 6: Assessing and Teaching Oral Language
- Unit 7: Assessing and Teaching Reading: Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Word Recognition
- Unit 8: Assessing and Teaching Reading: Fluency and Comprehension
- Unit 9: Assessing and Teaching Writing and Spelling
- Unit 10: Assessing and Teaching Content Area Learning and Vocabulary
- Unit 11: Assessing and Teaching Mathematics
Part III: Research
Learning outcomes
When you have completed EDPY 403, you should be able to do the following:
- Discuss a range of approaches to learning and teaching.
- Explain the response to interventions and multitier systems of support for students with learning and behaviour challenges.
- Outline assessment and instructional strategies for the assessment of behaviour, oral language, reading, writing, math, and content learning.
- Discuss the issues in and strategies for coteaching and collaborating with professionals and families.
- Critically assess research literature related to learning and behaviour challenges.
- Develop a complete individualized program plan that is appropriate for students with learning and behaviour challenges.
Evaluation
To receive credit for EDPY 403, students are required to complete a Planning Activity, a two-part Skills Survey, five Reflection assignments, four iterative versions of an Individual Program Plan (IPP), and a Literature Review Paper. Students must achieve a grade of D (50 percent) or more on each assignment, and an overall course composite grade of D (50 percent).
| Activity | Weight |
| Planning Activity | 5% |
| Skills Survey (Parts 1 and 2) | 5% |
| Reflections (5) | 25% |
| Individual Program Plan | 40% |
| Literature Review Paper | 25% |
| Total | 100% |
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
eTexts
Registration in this course includes electronic textbooks. For more information on electronic textbooks, please refer to our eText Initiative site.
Other Materials
All other course materials are online