S.05-39
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
Senate Committee on University Priorities?
Memorandum
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TO: Senate
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FROM: Bill Krane
Acting Chair, SCUP
Acting Vice-President, Academic
RE: Post Baccalaureate Diploma in
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DATE: February 16, 2005
Special Education for Educators and
Healthcare Professionals - SCUP 05-015
At its February 9, 2005 meeting the Senate Committee on University Priorities (SCUP)
recommended the following motion:
Motion
That Senate approve and recommend to the Board of Governors the proposal for a Post
Baccalaureate Diploma in Special Education for Educators and Healthcare Professionals.
end.
C:
P. Shaker
L. LeMare
G. Nicholls
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SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
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MEMORANDUM
To:
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Senate Committee on University Priorities
From: ?
R.
Blackman, Chair
Senate Committee on Undergraduate Studies
Subject: ?
Faculty of Education
Post Baccalaureate Diploma in Special Education for Educators and Healthcare
Professionals
and
Post Baccalaureate Diploma in Environmental Education
(SCUS Reference: SCUS 04-25)
Date: ?
December 15, 2004
At the SCUS meeting held on December 14, 2004, SCUS approved in principle and
recommended approval by SCUP of
?
new Post Baccalaureate Diplomat
a) Post Baccalaureate Diploma in Special Education for Educators and Healthcare
Professionals ?
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O\S
The relevant documentation is attached for review by SCUP.
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SCUP O5-015
Proposal for a
Post Baccalaureate Diploma in Special Education
for Educators and Healthcare Professionals
Rationale:
Children and adults who struggle emotionally when presented with the
demands of government mandated academic curriculums and/or with the
complexities of interacting with peers and adults in a school and community
culture are the concern not solely of educators, but of parents, school district
administrators, policy makers, service providers and health professionals in the
community. Along with each group there comes a specialized set of beliefs and a
unique discourse to communicate about the nature and outcomes of learning
strengths and weaknesses. For children to benefit from solutions offered by these
diverse groups, educators and healthcare professionals must value and be willing
to consider the views of parents, professionals and researchers who adhere to
theoretical orientations that may be at odds with the ones they currently hold.
Educators and healthcare professionals in the field of special education are faced
with the challenge of integrating ideas from academic disciplines that have their
origins in diverse schools of thought.
What courses available to students at SFU prepare future educators and/or
healthcare consultants for this complex, collaborative role? What courses at the
undergraduate level effectively prepare educators and healthcare professionals to
communicate effectively across disciplines? A Post Baccalaureate Diploma in
Special Education offers educators and healthcare professionals who work with
children and adults with disabilities the opportunity to consolidate coursework in
the area of lifespan development and special education in a way that facilitates a
common ground for discussion. Conceptually, the coursework considered
important for educators and healthcare professionals is divided into three
categories: first, core knowledge and skills about lifespan development, second,
reflective sensitivity to individual differences and third, context-related skills and
abilities related to assessment and support. An emphasis is placed on
understanding how the challenges presented to families of children with
disabilities change over time as children mature and as they make transitions
across home, school and community contexts. This understanding helps to ensure
recognition of diversity and rights of children/adults with disabilities within
school, local and national communities.
Admission to the PBD in Special Education:
Students admitted to this program will have an undergraduate degree at a
recognized university, with a minimum GPA of 2.5 and will have completed
either EDUC 220: Introduction to Educational Psychology or PSYC 250:
Introduction to Developmental Psychology.
Requirements of the FBD in Special Education:
Completion of an approved program comprised of a minimum of 30 credit
hours of upper division or graduate course work plus lower division pre-requisite,
(3.
I
• ?
where required. Students must maintain a grade point average of
2.5
for all
courses used for the diploma. Courses taken during the Education 404 semester
may not be used toward the PBD in Special Education.
PBD in Special Education Coursework:
Lifes p
an development (minimum of 7 credits)
Current policy makers and program specialists in the field of special
education have traditionally relied on a 'critical period' argument to justify the
emergence of early intervention programs. However, current research in lifespan
development suggests that windows that define periods for optimal intervention
for children with learning difficulties open much earlier than expected and only
partially close as children mature and develop as adults. To fully understand and
reflect upon the complexities of constructs such as critical developmental periods,
students in the PBD-LDSE will be required to take coursework that facilitates an
understanding of child cognitive, language and social development. For students
who are interested specifically in adolescent or adult development, additional
elective courses may be taken as part of the PBD-LDSE.
Required:
EDUC 315-3: Individual and Developmental Differences in Children's Language
Acquisition
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EDUC 464-4: Early Childhood Education
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Optional:
PSYC 354-3: Development of Children's Thinking
PSYC 355-3: Adolescent Development
GERO 300-3: Introduction to Gerontology
EDUC 315 is a course that provides students with an understanding of children's
language development, from different theoretical perspectives: linguistic,
cognitive, connectionist and social interactionist. Concurrent with the study of
typical language development, students study how children may vary from what is
considered a typical developmental trajectory.
EDUC 464 prepares students to understand the current trends, issues and research
relating to the education of young children. It is a required course because much
of the intervention provided to children with special needs occurs at an early age
and it is important for students to understand how this intervention impacts later
development and educational growth.
PSYC 354,
355
and GERO 300 are all courses that further develop students'
understanding of development over the lifespan.
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jq.
Individual Differences (minimum of 7 credits)
A primary assumption of researchers and practitioners in the field of
special education is that individual differences intrinsic to the child affect the way
that a child is positioned in a familial, school or community context. Inclusion of
children with special needs into a school or community environment cannot occur
without full understanding of children's strengths and needs and how a social
environment operates to either facilitate or constrain inclusion of children with
diverse abilities and needs. The following required coursework is aimed at
providing students in the PBD in Special Education with an opportunity to reflect
upon the interaction among individual differences of children with special needs
and inclusive practices in home, school and community environments. Optional
elective courses allow the student to focus on more specific areas of interest that
relate to both individual differences and inclusive practice.
Required:
EDUC 322-3: Social Lives of School Children
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or PSYC 361-3: Social Cognition
or GERO 302-3: Health Promotion and Aging
EDUC 422-4: Learning Disabilities
Optional:
EDUC 428-4: Nature and Nurture of Gifted Students
EDUC 468-4: Cognition and Language in ESL Instruction
EDUC 382-4: Diversity in Education: Theories, Policies, Practices
PSYC
356-3:
Developmental Psychopathology
EDUC 322, PSYC 361 and GERO 302 are related courses in that they explore
social emotional development of individuals over the lifespan. Students are
expected to select the course that most accurately reflects the population that
corresponds to their scholarly or professional interests (i.e., whether working
with children, young or elderly adults).
EDUC 422 is directly related to the topic.
EDUC 428, 468, 382 and PSYC
356
are included as optional courses because
they focus on issues that are critical to understanding diversity among students
with special needs: gifted students, students with English as a second language
background, multicultural education and children with psychopathology.
Assessment and Support (minimum of 8 credits)
A second assumption of researchers and practitioners within the field of special
education is that children and adults with special needs require instruction that is
differentiated, based on children's individual abilities and needs. The following
coursework provides the students with opportunities to reflect upon alternate
approaches to intervention and support for children or adults with disabilities and
S.
their families in school, home and community contexts.
Required:
EDUC 424-4: Learning Disabilities: Laboratory
or EDUC 427-4: Seminar in Teaching Children with High-Incidence
Disabilities
EDUC 426-4: Teaching Children and Youth with Special Needs
Optional:
EDUC 351-3: Teaching the Older Adult
EDUC 323-3: Introduction to Counselling Theories
EDUC 423-4: Helping Relationships
GERO 401-3: Aging and the Built Environment
EDUC 433-4: Philosophical Issues in Education
EDUC 424 is a laboratory course that gives undergraduate students the
opportunity to teach children with learning difficulties under supervision. EDUC
427 is a seminar course that has been developed for students who are practicing
teachers and who have previous experience teaching children with learning
disabilities or special needs.
EDUC 426 is a course that focuses on language and behavioral intervention for
children with special needs. This course prepares teachers and healthcare
I ?
professionals to collaborate in problem solving contexts: in the home and at
school.
EDUC 351, 323, 423, 433 and GERO 401 are courses that enhance the student's
understanding of ways to promote a healthy lifestyle for children or adults with
special needs.
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i1.
Calendar Entry
Post Baccalaureate Diploma in Special Education
The PBD in Special Education offers educators and healthcare professionals who
work with children and adults with disabilities the opportunity to consolidate
coursework in the area of lifespan development and special education in a way
that facilitates a common ground for discussion. Conceptually, the coursework
emphasizes: core knowledge and skills about lifespan development, individual
differences, and assessment and support. An emphasis is placed on understanding
how challenges presented to families of children with disabilities change over
time as children mature and as they make transitions across home, school and
community contexts.
Required Coursework (22 credit hours):
EDUC 315-3: Individual and Developmental Differences in Children's Language
Acquisition
EDUC 322-3: Social Lives of School Children
or PSYC 361-3: Social Cognition
or GERO 302-3: Health Promotion and Aging
EDUC 422-4: Learning Disabilities
EDUC 424-4: Learning Disabilities Laboratory
or EDUC 427-4: Seminar in Teaching Children with High-Incidence
Disabilities
EDUC 426-4: Teaching Children and Youth with Special Needs
EDUC 464-4: Early Childhood Education
Optional (8 credit hours)
EDUC 323-3: Introduction to Counselling Theories
EDUC 351-3: Teaching the Older Adult
EDUC 423-4: Helping Relationships
EDUC 428-4: Nature and Nurture of Gifted Students
EDUC 433-4: Philosophical Issues in Education
EDUC 382-4: Diversity in Education: Theories, Policies, Practices
EDUC 468-4: Cognition and Language in ESL Instruction
GERO 300-3: Introduction to Gerontology
GERO 401-3: Aging and the Built Environment
PSYC 354-3: Development of Children's Thinking
PSYC 355-3: Adolescent Development
PSYC 356-3: Developmental Psychopathology
Ic'.