Learn how to successfully meet the diverse needs of the disabled students in your classroom from an experienced special educator. We'll dissect the whole special education process, from working with individualized education programs (IEPs) to helping students struggling with reading comprehension, math skills, and writing.

We'll also talk about fun games you can incorporate, tips for modifying your classroom, and lots of tested methods for bringing out the best behavior in your students. Every teacher can have success teaching learning disabled kids. In this course, you'll discover easy, practical, and creative strategies that will help your struggling students find their light bulb moments!

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Syllabus:

All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.

A new section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

Week One

Wednesday - Lesson 01

One in seven Americans has a learning disability. That means that in your class of 28 students, four could have significant trouble keeping up with the basics. In our first lesson, we'll investigate what learning disabilities (LDs) are and define some common types of LDs that you'll see again and again in the classroom. After that, we'll take a few minutes to switch roles with our learners and see what it's like to try to work past an LD.

Friday - Lesson 02

Is Tamara having trouble with reading because it's not her favorite subject, or is something else going on? The process of identifying LD students is a long and sometimes tedious one. But with the proper expectations and the right dose of compassion, teachers can have success in the investigatory prereferral process. We'll discuss it in today's lesson.

Week Two

Wednesday - Lesson 03

In this lesson, we'll discuss IEPs, which are road maps that guide the learning curve of every LD child. Written specifically to address individual needs, these legal documents are both confusing and complicated. But once you know how to decode the language and the sections, it's easy to start using IEPs as the helpful tools they're meant to be.

Friday - Lesson 04

LD students receive IEP-mandated services in a number of ways. Whether they mostly stay in their classroom or spend some time in the special education room, they're going to learn a bit differently than other students. Today, we'll take a look at the common service locations that help LD students meet educational goals.

Week Three

Wednesday - Lesson 05

We all remember that one teacher who really made a difference in our lives. The right teaching strategies spell out the difference between a creative, engaging classroom and one that stagnates without reaching most of its students. In this lesson, we'll talk about the teaching strategies that make learning memorable for LD students.

Friday - Lesson 06

Word identification problems can make "cat" look like "can" or "pan." Imagine how hard it would be to read all the wrong words in all the right places. In this lesson, you'll discover smart strategies to help student find their words.

Week Four

Wednesday - Lesson 07

For students who have trouble reading, it's hard enough to just get the words right. But to pair those words with their meaning is a seemingly insurmountable task. In today's lesson, we'll go over how to chunk information so students can understand what they're reading and fall in love with texts.

Friday - Lesson 08

Writing poses quite a few challenges for LD students. Some of them have trouble holding their pencils, and others find it difficult to communicate what it is they're trying to say. Today, we'll take a tour of strategies that bring writing to life for students who often don't even realize all the neat things they have to say.

Week Five

Wednesday - Lesson 09

A lot of LD students dread math because it requires a lot of skills to come together seamlessly and at the same time: Reasoning, logic, number sense, writing, and computation are all key. But math doesn't have to be so scary. In this lesson, we'll discuss how to make all those numbers a little easier for LD students to manipulate.

Friday - Lesson 10

Even though the IEP gives you a general idea of how to help your LD students, you'll still need to explore new, innovative ideas to modify your classroom, assignments, and tests, and that's what we'll discuss in today's lesson. These modifications often spell success for the LD students who need just a little push in the right direction.

Week Six

Wednesday - Lesson 11

We've all had days when going to school was a drag. LD students are no different. Because school forces them to tackle big challenges head on, it's often their least favorite thing to do. This can lead to big behavior problems that you'll have to defuse creatively. We'll take a look at some great strategies in this lesson.

Friday - Lesson 12

The connection between home and school is a powerful predictor of the LD student's classroom success. So in our final lesson, we'll discuss the best ways to conduct meaningful parent-teacher conferences that help everyone unite behind an LD child in need.

This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Sara Hardin.

Working with special needs students became a passion for Sara Hardin in seventh grade, when she volunteered at a summer camp for physically disabled children. Their willingness to keep trying new things, despite serious obstacles, impressed her and inspired her to become a special educator. She holds a master's degree in special education and has taught special education classes, mostly at the elementary level, for nine years.

Requirements:

Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader).

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