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Understanding Students with Dyslexia + Supporting Students’ Reading: Phonemic Awareness to Comprehension – 6-weeks – Fall 2020/Winter 2021 Bundle 1

Understanding Students with Dyslexia
October 6 – November 17, 2020

Supporting Students’ Reading: Phonemic Awareness to Comprehension
January 12 – February 23, 2021

$450 for both courses (savings of $140)

Each Course – 15 Hours/PDPs, with an option to add 1 graduate credit from Colorado State University – Pueblo


Understanding Students with Dyslexia

**Previously titled Understanding Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and Dysgraphia**

This professional development course provides educators with an overview of dyslexia, which falls under the diagnostic umbrella of a specific learning disability (SLD). The first half of the course will define the learning disability, debunk associated myths, and explore the benefits of early identification and intervention. The neurological origins and common manifestations of dyslexia, as well as the comorbidity of dyslexia and other learning challenges (such as dyscalculia and dysgraphia), will also be explored. The second half of the course will introduce general best practices for supporting students with dyslexia, cover special education laws related to the SLD, and offer alternative perspectives for consideration.

 This course will help you:

  • Define the term dyslexia and debunk myths associated with the learning disability
  • Understand the neurological origins of learning challenges for individuals with dyslexia
  • Gain awareness of common co-occurring learning challenges among students with dyslexia, such as dyscalculia and dysgraphia
  • Explore general best-practice instructional strategies to support students
  • Build an understanding of the state and federal statutes that are in place to support students with dyslexia
  • Consider alternative perspectives of learning disabilities

Given this unprecedented time and due to COVID-19, the instructor will encourage participants to consider how to best adapt instructional strategies for remote teaching when completing discussions, assignments, and written reflections.

The course is divided into six, self-paced modules:

  • Module 1: Definition of dyslexia and other related learning disabilities
  • Module 2: Neurological origins and manifestations
  • Module 3: Comorbidity of dyslexia and other challenges
  • Module 4: Overview of general best classroom practices
  • Module 5: Special education laws
  • Module 6: Alternative social perspectives

 Each module will follow the same basic outline:

  • Reading of course content followed by a group discussion
  • A reading of additional course content followed by a brief quiz
  • A viewing of additional resources followed by a related application assignment
  • An opportunity to submit concluding thoughts/reflection responses about the relevance of the course content

Specific Assignments:

  • Pre and Post-Assessments: These ungraded questionnaires will be completed at the beginning and end of the course in order for participants to self-assess knowledge and application of course content.
  • Quizzes: The quizzes will assess comprehension of the content from the required reading.  The quizzes will be automatically graded within the course platform. Although participants must earn 80% or higher to move on to the next section of the course, there are unlimited attempts allowed.
  • Discussion Posts: The discussions will require participants to post an initial response and reply to at least one other post.  These tasks will be assessed using specific rubrics.
  • Application Assignments: The assignments in each module will require participants to apply their understanding of course content to follow the assignment directions and use examples provided as a guideline for format length, and quality of writing. These tasks will be assessed using specific rubrics.
  • Concluding Thoughts/Reflection Responses: These tasks require participants to briefly synthesize takeaways and/or make connections between course content and will be assessed using specific rubrics.

MATERIALS

The following is required only for those seeking graduate credit:
Redford, J. (Director). (2012). The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia [Documentary]. KPJR Films.


Supporting Students’ Reading: Phonemic Awareness to Comprehension

This professional development course provides educators with an understanding of the components of reading development, which include phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The course explores the importance of building competency in all of the components of reading in order to ultimately read for understanding. Additionally, the course explores how reading development is impacted for students with a language-based learning disability (LBLD), such as dyslexia, which falls under the diagnostic umbrella of a specific learning disability (SLD). As a result of the learning experiences in this course, participants will be more competent in their ability to:

  • Identify the components of reading development
  • Understand how LBLD impacts reading development
  • Implement and adapt targeted strategies to support all components of students’ reading development
  • Design activities and lessons to promote students’ reading skills and, ultimately, ability to read for understanding

The course is divided into six, self-paced modules:

  • Overview of Reading Development: This module presents an overview of reading development and explores how reading development is impacted for students with language-based learning disabilities.
  • Phonemic Awareness: This module describes phonemic awareness, or the ability to differentiate and manipulate speech sounds.
  • Phonics: This module addresses phonics, the connection of speech sounds to letters.
  • Decoding:  This module explores decoding, the association of letters with speech sounds in order to accurately read a word.
  • Fluency: This module outlines the components of fluency: accuracy, rate, expression, and phrasing.
  • Vocabulary and Comprehension: This module explores how vocabulary and the other components of reading addressed in the course support comprehension, the ultimate goal of reading.

Each module will follow the same basic outline:

  • A reading of course content followed by a short quiz
  • A reading of additional course content followed by a discussion post
  • A viewing of strategy demonstration videos featuring Landmark School teachers employing practical instructional strategies followed by a related assignment
  • An opportunity to submit concluding thoughts about the relevance of the course content

Specific Assignments:

  • Pre and Post-Assessments: These ungraded questionnaires will be completed at the beginning and end of the course in order for participants to self-assess knowledge and application of course content.
  • Quizzes: The quizzes will assess comprehension of the content from the required reading.  The quizzes will be automatically graded within the course platform. Although participants must earn an 80% or higher to move on to the next section of the course, there are unlimited attempts allowed.  
  • Discussion Posts: The discussions will require participants to post an initial response and reply to at least one other post.  These tasks will be assessed using specific rubrics.
  • Assignments: The assignments in each module will require participants to apply their understanding of course content. These tasks will be assessed using specific rubrics.
  • Concluding Thoughts: These tasks require participants to synthesize three key takeaways from the module and will be assessed using specific rubrics.

There is not a required text for the Reading course.


We are excited to offer an optional (1) graduate credit for each course through Colorado State University – Pueblo. Graduate credit may be added by selecting the check box labeled “Grad Credit Fee” before clicking “Register.” The cost of 1 graduate credit is $125 per course ($250 total) and may not be added after the start date of the course.

See our FAQ page for specific information about our online courses.

Course Information

Credits
15 PDPs/Hours per course
1 Graduate Credit
(optional for an additional fee of $125 per course)
Dates/Time Price
Oct. 6 - Nov. 17, 2020 (Dyslexia)
Jan. 12 - Feb. 23, 2022 (Reading)
$450

Registration is unavailable at this time.

Teachers Say...

"I really appreciate the practical approach. The videos, written descriptions, shared templates, and discussion threads are all invaluable."

Tara Montgomery
Instructional Coach

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