Course specification for SPE3009

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SPE3009 Learning Intervention - Reading and Writing

Semester 1, 2020 On-campus Springfield
Short Description: Learning Interven Read/Write
Units : 1
Faculty or Section : Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts
School or Department : School of Education
Student contribution band : National Priority - Teaching
ASCED code : 070113 - Teacher Education: Special Edu
Grading basis : Graded

Staffing

Examiner:

Requisites

Pre-requisite: BEDU (Primary + Special Education) and BEDU (Special Education) and BPED students to complete EDC2400 prior to enrolment.

Other requisites

Students enrolling in courses which do not follow the recommended enrolment pattern cannot be assured of a developmental learning experience or program completion within their preferred timeframe.

Rationale

Reading and writing are essential skills to manage and thrive in today’s society. With estimates of between 5-20% of learners in regular Australian classrooms requiring additional support to access the curriculum – particularly in reading and writing – it is vital, as teachers, to be able to effectively address these difficulties. This course will aim to develop the knowledge and skills that teachers in special education require to address reading and writing difficulties, and language development as it impacts the development of reading skills, for individual learners as well as within a regular classroom. A knowledge of evidence-based practices and differentiation, including appropriate assessment, and how they can be applied is essential for special education teachers in order to address reading and writing difficulties.

Synopsis

This course is concerned with addressing reading and writing difficulties, and language development. An overview of this area will be presented including theoretical aspects. Individual reading and writing difficulties will be one focus including characteristics of learners with learning difficulties in terms of impacting on reading and writing development. Appropriate assessment will be discussed, as well as how to set learning goals from the assessment results. Also included is planning for class-wide implementation of evidence-based pedagogical practice using differentiation so that learners with reading and writing difficulties can meet learning goals.

Objectives

The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course in accordance with the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership’s (AITSL) Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST). On successful completion of this course pre-service teachers should be able to:

  1. recall information concerning the area of learning difficulties and learning disabilities, specifically in reading, writing and language development, and characteristics of learners, including theoretical aspects and implications for teaching (APST 1.1, 1.2);
  2. review research in addressing individual reading difficulties and enhancing learning outcomes in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension (APST 2.1, 2.5);
  3. explain and justify appropriate assessment to identify specific reading and writing difficulties and how to set learning goals from assessment results (APST 3.1);
  4. plan for an effective learning and teaching sequence from assessment results and learning goals, using differentiation of teaching and evidence-based pedagogical practices, in order to enhance learning outcomes for learners with learning difficulties in reading and writing (APST 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 4.1).

Topics

Description Weighting(%)
1. Overview to addressing difficulties with learning in reading, writing and language development including learner characteristics, common difficulties, theoretical aspects, and implications for teaching 20.00
2. Addressing individual reading difficulties and enhancing learning outcomes in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension 40.00
3. Addressing individual writing and spelling difficulties 10.00
4. Appropriate assessment to identify specific reading and writing difficulties, and how to set learning goals from assessment results 10.00
5. Strategies for individual learner and classroom-wide implementation 20.00

Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2020&sem=01&subject1=SPE3009)

Please for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)

There is no set text for this course.

Reference materials

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.
All reference materials can be located within the modules for this course.

Student workload expectations

Activity Hours
Directed ¾«¶«´«Ã½app 80.00
Independent ¾«¶«´«Ã½app 85.00

Assessment details

Description Marks out of Wtg (%) Due Date Notes
ASSIGNMENT 1 30 30 17 Mar 2020
ASSIGNMENT 2 20 20 12 May 2020
ASSIGNMENT 3 50 50 02 Jun 2020

Important assessment information

  1. Attendance requirements:
    It is the students' responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.

  2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
    To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks for that item.

  3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
    Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4)

  4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
    To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.

  5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
    The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.

  6. Examination information:
    There is no examination in this course.

  7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
    There is no examination in this course, there will be no deferred or supplementary examinations.

  8. ¾«¶«´«Ã½app Student Policies:
    Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene ¾«¶«´«Ã½app policies and practices. These policies can be found at .

Assessment notes

  1. Referencing in assignments must comply with the APA referencing system. This system should be used by students to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The APA style to be used is defined by the USQ library's referencing guide. This guide can be found at .

  2. Students are required to demonstrate competence in and appropriate use of academic language and literacy, including spelling, grammar, punctuation, and referencing in all assessment responses. Marks allocated to the aforementioned criteria will be specified in the criteria for assessment of all assessment items.

  3. Students are required to submit ALL assignments to evidence meeting or exceeding the mandatory requirements of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APSTs).

Evaluation and benchmarking

In meeting the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app’s aims to establish quality learning and teaching for all programs, this course monitors and ensures quality assurance and improvements in at least two ways. This course:
1. conforms to the USQ Policy on Evaluation of Teaching, Courses and Programs to ensure ongoing monitoring and systematic improvement.
2. forms part of the Bachelor of Education and is benchmarked against the:

  1. internal USQ accreditation/reaccreditation processes which include (i) stringent standards in the independent accreditation of its academic programs, (ii) close integration between business and academic planning, and (iii) regular and rigorous review.
  2. Queensland College of Teachers
  3. Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL).

Other requirements

  1. Participation: Students can expect it will be necessary to participate in and contribute to a range of learning opportunities in this course including online study activities, lectures, tutorials, seminar presentations, group discussions and self-directed study activities in order to apply the coursework that will enable quality assessment tasks to be submitted as evidence of professional development.

Date printed 19 June 2020