Fitchburg State University

EDUCATOR Programs

Comprehensive Syllabus

Fall 2017

Course Prefix and Number - TBD

Course title: Career Development & Self-Determination to Achieve Transition Success:

Expanding the Core Curriculum

3 Credit hours

Online Class

Number of Class Meetings – Eight Asynchronous Sessions

Instructor: Dr. Karen Wolffe

Office: 512.707.0525

Telephone: 512.799.2666

E-mail:

Office Hours: M, W, F from 9am to 11am (Central) unless otherwise notified

A. COURSE DESCRIPTION:

In this course, you will learn how to support children and youth with visual impairments, including those with additional disabilities, through the first four phases of the career education model (career awareness, exploration, preparation, and placement). You will also be exposed to the last two phases of the career education model (maintenance and mentoring), which typically occur when adults are established on a career track. The Career Education construct encompasses career development, self-determination, and pre-employment skills.

An overview of transition assessment and planning requirements under federal law; as well as, appropriate implementation activities for instruction with students will be described. Assessment and programming for vision professionals working with families and students; as well as, other instructional and therapeutic staff will be introduced and explained. Applied learning activities include reviews of pertinent articles and book chapters, to be discussed in an online forum, and a final course project involving the design of curricular materials or detailed transition plans and activities for specific students with visual impairments, including those with additional disabilities.

I f you plan on matriculating into a graduate program at Fitchburg State University, please be aware that twelve semester hours of Fitchburg State University credit taken within a year prior to the student’s admission may be applied to the degree program with the approval of the program chairperson. Anything over 12 credits prior to matriculation will NOT be accepted towards the degre e.

B. TEXTS : [

Wolffe, K. E. (2012). The transition tote system facilitator’s guide: Navigating the rapids of life (2nd Ed.). Louisville, KY: American Printing House for the Blind.

Wolffe, K. E. (Ed.). (1999). Skills for success: A career education handbook for children and adolescents with visual impairments. New York: American Foundation for the Blind.

Fitchburg State University Teacher Preparation Programs. (2012). Conceptual framework. Fitchburg, MA: Author. [Online] Available: chburgstate.edu/offices/academic-offices/education-unit/conceptual-framework/

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (1999-2011). Curriculum frameworks. Malden, MA: Author. [Online] Available: .mass.edu/frameworks/current.html

Fitchburg State University Teacher Education Conceptual Framework

C. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES:

This course will address the dispositions of the Conceptual Framework in the following way(s):

Knowledge: As a result of the learning experiences in the course, you will become more cognizant of:

· the need for career education, including instruction in self-advocacy and self-determination, in the lives of children and adolescents with visual impairments, including those with additional disabilities.

Skill: As a result of the learning experiences in the course, you will become better able to:

· Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of career education and self-determination resources (assessment tools, topical books and articles, curricula, and Internet-based information sources and tools) that are appropriate for children and students with visual impairments, including those with additional disabilities and when to use them.

· Apply the information acquired in this course to write IFSP & IEP goals and objectives that support the acquisition of career education competencies (birth through age twenty-two).

· Build lesson plans to support students with visual impairments in their acquisition of career education content, including self-advocacy and self-determination skills.

Caring: As a result of the learning experiences in the course, you will become more competent in your ability to:

· Explain the importance of career education in the lives of children with visual impairments as they prepare for life roles

· Illustrate the importance of incidental learning in career/life planning

· Collaborate with families and related service providers in transition planning.

Ethical: As a result of the learning experiences in the course, you will become more competent in your ability to:

· Explain the importance and need for early intervention in helping children with visual impairments prepare to enter and engage successfully in life activities

· Recognize the importance of preparing students with visual impairments for life beyond school with special emphasis on postsecondary training and movement into employment

D. INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

x Lecture Data Collection and Analysis

x Discussion/Questioning Pre-Practicum

Laboratory Role Playing/Simulation

Problem Finding/Solving x Independent Learning

x Discovery Field Trips

Interviewing Computer Applications

Collaborative Learning Groups Viewing or Listening to Followed by

Reflective Responses Discussing

Creating Visual Illustrations of Concepts x Other_self-directed research_

Technology Initiatives:

Users of the Fitchburg State University technology systems are subject to all applicable federal, state, and international technology laws. Questions regarding regulations may be directed to the Office of Information Technology.

Candidates will utilize technology as: Participants in this course will use Moodle to access the course; as well as, their preferred web browsers to research and access online resources. In addition, participants will use email and software to facilitate synchronous sessions, as scheduled.

E. COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Students enrolled in this course are required to attend and participate in online class activities:

· Access and read course content,

· Respond to threaded discussion questions posed by the instructor, and

· Reply to other participants’ postings in a meaningful way as indicated on the Discussion Board Rubric.

In addition, students desiring full credit must complete the following:

· Two journal article reviews (one at week four and the second at week eight),

· Submit a proposed IEP goal with objectives for review (fictitious students as noted below) by the instructor at weeks two, three, five, six, and seven.

o Week two: A preschool student who is blind due to retinoblastoma.

o Week three: An elementary student with low vision due to albinism.

o Week five: A middle school student with vision impairment (you choose the etiology).

o Week six: A high school student who is blind due to optic nerve hypoplasia.

o Week seven: A high school student with low vision due to Stargardt’s disease.

· Submit a final product (a proposed lesson plan complete with IEP goal and objectives for a fictitious student with vision impairment), choosing from the following:

o A teenager in an ungraded program with vision impairment due to CHARGE syndrome.

o A high school student who is blind due to Usher (type I) syndrome and planning to attend college.

o A high school student with low vision due to Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis, who also experiences moderate learning difficulties.

F. FIELD-BASED REQUIREMENTS:

No field-based requirements are in place for this course.

G. EVALUATION OR GRADING POLICY :

Grades will be assigned based on the following criteria:

1. Discussion Board/synchronous session participation: 120 points (15 points each week)

2. Journal article reviews: 30 points (15 points per article)

3. Proposed IEP goals and objectives: 25 points (5 points each)

4. Lesson plan: 125 points

Spelling accuracy, appropriate grammar and sentence construction, and correct use of APA-style for written submissions will be factored into the grade for all written assignments. Assignments are due on the date indicated. Late assignments, without a negotiated excuse with the instructor, will not be accepted. Students are responsible for ensuring that they have appropriate and timely access to the technology needed to complete the coursework. Grades will be assigned according to an assessment of the quality of work as follows:

A = Exceptional performance: 270‑300 points

B = Good performance: 240-269 points

C = Minimally acceptable performance: 210-239 points

F = Unsatisfactory performance: Less than 209 points

FITCHBURG STATE UNIVERSITY

GRADUATE GRADING SYSTEM

4.0 285 - 300 A

3.7 276 - 284 A-

3.5 267 - 275 A-/B+

3.3 258 - 266 B+

3.0 249 - 257 B

2.7 240 - 248 B-

2.5 231 - 239 B-/C+

2.3 222 - 230 C+

2.0 213 - 221 C

0.0 0 - 212 F

W Withdrawn

IN Incomplete

IP In-Progress

H. RUBRIC S

Rubrics are provided for each type of assignment. Be sure to reference the rubrics to ensure that your work includes the required elements.

I. COURSE CONTENT/TOPICAL OUTLINE

Week One: We will focus on the critical need for career education and self-determination throughout the lives of children and adolescents with visual impairments, including those with multiple disabilities.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this week, participants will be able to:

1. Explain the importance of career education in the lives of children with visual impairments as they prepare for life roles.

2. Identify the essential career education competencies that youngsters need to acquire at each stage of the career education model.

3. Select appropriate career education goals to include in IFSPs and IEPs for children with visual impairments.

4. Illustrate the importance of incidental learning in career/life planning.

Required Readings & Activities

Read:

Skills for Success (Wolffe, 1999): Part One (pp 8-43)

Wolffe, K. (1996). Career education for students with visual impairments. RE:view 28(2), 89-93

Advice on Career Education - AFB ECC site

Handouts: SMART goals & IEP goals

View:

PowerPoint Presentation: Home-to-School-to-Work

Recommended Supplemental Information & Activities

Wolffe, K. E. (2014). Career Education. In C. Allman & S. Lewis (Eds.) ECC essentials: Teaching the expanded core curriculum to students with visual impairments. New York: AFB Press.

Link to a session I did in Canada: SET-BC Vision Teachers’ Conference – Skills for Success with Dr. Karen Wolffe (2010)

Week Two: This week the emphasis is on preschoolers and their families. We will discuss assessing children, setting IFSP & IEP goals, and developing lesson plans to support established goals.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this week, participants will be able to:

1. Explain the importance and need for early intervention in helping children with visual impairments prepare to enter and engage successfully in life activities.

2. Identify how to prepare children to move successfully into preschool from home and then into kindergarten.

3. Develop the skills to support families and ECI personnel as they prepare youngsters to transition from home to school.

4. Recognize how to integrate career education competencies into preschool and kindergarten curricula.

Required Readings & Activities

Read:

Skills for Success - Part Two (pp 97-159)

Download & Read:

From Project Aspiro: KSAs for Preschoolers

From Project Aspiro: Career Education Competencies Checklist

View:

PowerPoint Presentation: Preparing Preschoolers with Vision Impairments for Life beyond Their Homes

Handout: Tips for Parents

Activity: Submit a proposed IEP goal with objectives for review (fictitious student’s characteristics: A preschool student who is blind due to retinoblastoma.)

Recommended Supplemental Readings

Blind Children’s Center (1993). First steps: A handbook for teaching young children who are visually impaired. Los Angeles: author.

Cho, H., & Palmer, S. B. (2008). Fostering self-determination in infants and toddlers with visual impairments or blindness. Young Exceptional Children, 11, 26-34.

Meyers, L., & Lansky, M. A. (1991). Dancing cheek to cheek. LA: Blind Children’s Center.

Week Three: This week the emphasis is on elementary students. We will discuss intervention strategies for teachers and parents; setting IEP goals and developing lesson plans to support established goals.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this week, participants will be able to:

1. Identify activities to teach career education skills needed by elementary students in preparation for middle school.

2. Develop the self-advocacy and self-determination skills students need in preparation for the transition from elementary to middle school.

3. Identify activities to teach career education skills needed by elementary students in preparation for middle school.

Required Readings & Activities

Read:

Skills for Success - Part Three (pp 160-274)

Download & Read:

From Project Aspiro: KSAs for Primary Students

View:

PowerPoint Presentation: Preparing Elementary Students with Vision Impairments for Life beyond the Classroom

Download:

From Project Aspiro: Self-Advocacy Checklist

Activity: Submit a proposed IEP goal with objectives for review (fictitious student’s characteristics: An elementary student with low vision due to albinism.)

Recommended Supplemental Information

FamilyConnect page on advocacy skills for younger students: ilyconnect.org/info/browse-by-age/grade-schoolers/transition-to-independence-grade-schoolers/teaching-your-child-about-self-advocacy/1235

Learning with Luke (a second grader’s instructive video): tube.com/watch?v=oNc4dDkNH_U&feature=youtu.be

Week Four: This week the emphasis is on middle school students. We will discuss intervention strategies for teachers and parents with special emphasis on self-determination tools and resources; setting IEP goals and developing lesson plans to support established goals.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this week, participants will be able to:

1. Develop the skills to support families and students in preparation for the transition from middle school to high school.

2. Assess students’ self-determination skills using the ARC’s Self-Determination Scale.

3. Identify activities to teach career education skills needed by middle school students in preparation for high school.

Required Readings & Activities

Read:

Skills for Success - Part Four (pp 276-379)

Download & Read:

Transition is Never Easy: IEP Advice to a Middle School Teacher

From School to College: A Transition Activity Calendar for Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired

ARC’s Self-Determination Scale

View:

PowerPoint Presentations: Preparing Middle School Students with Vision Impairments for Life beyond the Classroom and Self-Determination & Self-Advocacy

Activity: Review the sample lesson plan for a middle school student.

First journal article review due

Optional Activity: Design and submit your own sample lesson plan for a middle school student who is either blind due to Retinoblastoma or who has low vision due to Albinism, if you’d like feedback.

Recommended Supplemental Information

ARC’s Self-Determination Scale – Procedural Guidelines

Castellano, C. (2013). Developing self advocacy skills: Or, the pursuit of a normal life. Future Reflections, 32, 33-35.

Cleveland, J., Clinkscales, M. R., Hefner, N., Houghtling, D., Kabacak, C., & Sewell, D. (2007). E mpowered: An activity based self-determination curriculum for students with visual impairments. Austin: Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired.

Foster, B. H., & Ehrensberger, W. (2005). Empower students with your words. TEACHING Exceptional Children Plus, 1 (6). Retrieved from .sped.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1062&context=tecplus

Hands & Voices presentation by Mathew (a hearing impaired and vision impaired fifth grader). Retrieved from dsandvoices.org/matthew/index.htm

Krebs, C. S. (2002). Self-advocacy skills: A portfolio approach. RE:view, 33, 160-163.

Orr, A. (n.d.). Self-advocacy and self-determination. Retrieved from nd.msstate.edu/search/?q=self-advocacy

Wolffe, K. E., & Rosenblum, L. P. (2014). Self-Determination. In C. Allman & S. Lewis (Eds.) ECC essentials: Teaching the expanded core curriculum to students with visual impairments. New York: AFB Press.

Week Five: This week the emphasis is on high school students. We will discuss the initial transition planning process, assessment and guidance tools, and techniques for working with students, teachers, and parents.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this week, participants will be able to:

1. Define relevant legislation related to the transition process such as IDEA and WIOA.

2. Assess the transition needs of students with visual impairments, including those with additional disabilities using the Transition Competencies Checklist.