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Understanding Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and Dysgraphia – 6 Weeks – WINTER 2020

Please note the graduate credit section of this course is full. Registration is open as long as space is available for those who wish to take the course without graduate credit.

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 screening, evaluation, 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 be explored. The second half of the course will focus on general best practices for supporting students with dyslexia, special education laws related to the SLD, and 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, or comorbid, learning challenges among students with dyslexia
• Learn 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

The course is divided into six, self-paced modules over 6 weeks.

• Module 1: Defining dyslexia and other related learning disabilities
• Module 2: Neurological origins and manifestations
• Module 3: Comorbidity and other challenges
• Module 4: Overview of general best classroom practices
• Module 5: Special education laws 
• Module 6: Reframing 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 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 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.
• 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: These tasks require participants to synthesize three key takeaways from the module and will be assessed using specific rubrics.

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