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Language-Based Learning Disabilities: Strategies for Success, Archdiocese – 4 weeks – Summer Online 2021

This course is exclusively for the Archdiocese of Boston educators. If you have been given this link by an administrator in your district, please stay on this webpage to complete the registration process to ensure you are placed in the correct section. Please do not visit the Outreach Courses section of our website to register.

Course Credit 10 Hours/PDPs

This strategy-based course addresses the challenges faced by students with language-based learning disabilities (LBLD), primarily those identified with specific learning disabilities (SLD) such as dyslexia. As a result of the learning experiences in the course, participants will become more competent in their ability to:

• identify the signs of language-based learning disabilities in students, including deficits in the language domains of reading, writing, listening, speaking
• identify the language skills that are specific to both the production and processing of oral and written language so that these skills may be taught in isolation
• informally assess students’ strengths and weaknesses with language skills
• employ effective instructional strategies to help students with LBLD demonstrate academic progress
• implement strategies to help students more effectively manage time, materials, and language in order to build executive functioning

Due to the impact of the pandemic, we understand that it’s important to address how to implement instructional strategies in a variety of formats to meet students’ needs. Opportunities to adapt instructional practices for in-person and remote learning will be available in all of our online courses.

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

• Overview of LBLD presents an introduction to language-based learning disabilities, including information and best practices for assisting students with LBLD to develop their language skills.
• Reading Comprehension provides an overview of reading development, including strategies to support students’ decoding, fluency, and comprehension skills.
• Expository Writing explains the hidden demands of writing and outlines a useful 5-step process to help students express their thoughts on a topic.
• Listening & Speaking describes the expressive and receptive oral language challenges that students with LBLD face, describing additional disabilities that may be present and providing strategies to best support student engagement in class.
• Executive Function outlines the complexity of demonstrating goal-oriented behavior for students with LBLD, focusing on tangible methods to help them reach their goals.

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 the course content. These tasks will be assessed using specific rubrics.
  

This course was possible thanks to the support of the Oak Foundation.

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