Diagnosis and Remediation of Reading Difficulties

Syllabus

Course Description

Reading diagnosis and remediation is designed to produce professionals skilled in the administering and interpreting of diagnostic instruments to evaluate literacy learner's strengths and weaknesses. The principles of assessment, and instruction of struggling readers is introduced in this course. Decision-making process of diagnosis, influences on outcomes of assessment as well as appropriate corrective and remedial instructional techniques will be examined. The skills necessary to ensure comprehension and achievement in the reading task are identified along with visible symptoms teachers should note when working with literacy learners. Teachers are provided with diagnostic tools and opportunities to apply principles in field.

 

Objectives

• State research supporting the reading process
• State recommended principles of effective reading programs
• Conduct an in-depth diagnosis using available diagnostic assessment tools
• Administer, score, and interpret diagnostic data
• Use data to identify appropriate corrective or remedial techniques
• Organize and administer effective remedial or corrective treatment
• Identify classroom strategies, classroom management techniques such as: scheduling, aides, record keeping, wait time, and discipline conducive to effective corrective or remedial literacy instruction.

Curriculum Design

Diagnosis and Remediation of Reading Difficulties is a forty five-hour, 3 graduate credit course taught online. Modules are completed within one or two week periods with practical infield assignments as indicated within the course outline and class website.

 

Time Requirements

This course is offered over a period of 15 weeks. Modules are completed over the 15-week period pending length of assignments per week.

 

Skill and Hardware Requirements

Students may use either a Macintosh computer or a PC with Windows 2000 or higher. Students should possess basic word processing skills and have Internet access as well as an active email account. Students also are expected to have a basic knowledge of how to use a Web browser, such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, etc.

 

Course Materials

The required textbook for this course is: Reutzel, D. R. & Cooter, R. B. (2007) Strategies for reading assessment and instruction: Helping every child succeed. Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. Class Website, Teacher Education University Recommended but not required: Shanker, J. L. & Ekwall, E. E. Locating and correcting reading difficulties (8th ed.); Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

 

Course Outline

 

Introduction: Introduction & Overview

Objective: In this beginning exercise, the instructor will confirm the accuracy of e-mail addresses for all students.  The instructor will then send a welcome message to the class.  The students have this first week to acquaint themselves with the format of the course, the textbook, and the methods of communication.

Module One: Focus on Comprehensive Reading Instruction

Objectives:

• Identify principles that lead to effective reading instruction
• Analyze prior knowledge, personal values, and experiences in regard to reading
• Formulate decisions on current trends in education and their impact on learning to read

Module Two: Understanding Reading Instruction and Growth

Objectives:

• Identify the differences in reading to, with and by children
• Identify strategies for read alouds and other interactive reading activities
• Analyze shared reading techniques
• Analyze principles of guided reading instruction
• Synthesize principles for assessment and reading instruction group placement
• Evaluate structured reading practice for achievement

Module Three: Organizing Effective Comprehensive Reading Instruction and Assessment

Objectives:

• Identify preparatory steps for effective instruction
• Explain how organizing materials, storing, retrieving and using impact effective reading instruction and diagnosis aids in literacy acquisition
• Evaluate the need for scheduling, aides, and choice of activities to achieve greater reading growth
• Determine instructional reading groupings and how they are used to deliver appropriate reading instruction

Module Four: Oral Language Assessment and Development

Objectives:

• Develop knowledge base on language growth
  • Analyze and evaluate oral language development assessment
  • Develop knowledge and performance base for assessing oral language development
  • Identify strategies for oral language instruction and adapting instruction for struggling learners

Module Five: Concepts of Print

Objectives:

• • Identify "print concepts." 
  • Identify the functions of print
  • Develop the concept of "environmental print"
  • Demonstrate methods for continuing and expanding young readers sense of print
  • Demonstrate methods for accommodating readers at varying development levels in language and reading

Module Six: Phonemic Awareness, Alphabetic Principle, Phonics and Other Word Attack Skills

Objective:

• • Illustrate  phonemic awareness and its function in literacy learning
  • Illustrate alphabetic principle and its function in literacy learning
  • Evaluate instruments for measuring word attack skills
  • Assess reader's knowledge and use of phonic principles
  • Demonstrate corrective measures or remedial treatments for word attack skills.

Module Seven: Teaching and Assessing Vocabulary Development

Objective:

• • Evaluate the impact that limited vocabulary has on reading comprehension
  • Examine assessment instruments and techniques for determining vocabulary development
  • Demonstrate research based practices for corrective and or remedial treatments for limited vocabulary

Module Eight: Assessment of Reading Comprehension: Focus on Readers

Objective:

• • Evaluate the latest research findings on reading comprehension and assessment
  • Develop informal and observational techniques for assessing reading comprehension
  • Develop viable and highly effective strategies for corrective and remedial instruction in reading comprehension

Module Nine: Assessment of Reading Comprehension: Focus on the Text

Objective:

• • Evaluate research on reader friendly texts and the impact on comprehension
  • Analyze factors in text or print media that impact reading comprehension
  • Develop methods for corrective and or remedial treatments for reading comprehension

Module Ten: Assessing and Correcting Research And Reference Skills

Objective:

• • Analyze the research on the writing/reading connection
  • Evaluate the techniques of assessing writing skills
  • Analyze engaging activities for literature response

Module Eleven: Reading Writing and Literature Connections

Objective:

• • Create a final project synthesizing topics covered in the course
  s
  

  Grading Scale:
  100-93            A
  92-85              B
  84-77              C

  Student Academic Integrity

  Participants guarantee that all academic class work is original. Any academic dishonesty or plagiarism (to take ideas, writings, etc. from another and offer them as one's own), is a violation of student academic behavior standards as outlined by the Teacher Education University catalog and is subject to academic disciplinary action.

  Bibliography

  Allington, R. C. (2001) What really matters for struggling readers: Designing research-based programs. New York: Addison-Wesley, Longman.

  Anderson, R. C., Hiebert, E. F., Scott, J. A. & Wilkerson, I. (1985) Becoming a nation of readers: The report of the Commission on Reading. Washington, D.C., The National Institute of Education.

  Bracey, G. W. (2003) What you should know about the war against America's public schools. Boston, MA. Allyn & Bacon.

  Clay, M. (2000) Concepts about print: What have children learned about the way we print language. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Educational Books. Lipson, M. J., Mosenthal, J. H., Mekkelsen, J., & Russ, B. (2004) "Building knowledge and fashioning success one school at a time." The Reading Teacher, Vol. 49, No. 4, pp. 300-306.

  Cooter, K. S. (2006) "When mama can't read:Counteracting intergenerational illiteracy. The Reading Teacher, Vol. 59, No. 7,  (pp 698-703.

  Misunderstood Minds: Reading help for struggling readers. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/misunderstoodminds/reading.html.

  No Child Left Behind Act Reauthorization Proposal. http://www.ed.gov/nclb/overview/intro/reauth/index.html Retrieved August 10, 2007.

  Opposition to NCLB and report of the revisions to the law to be passed in 2008. http://nochildleft.com/

  Watson, S. (2007) Important steps to teaching reading for students with reading difficulties. http://specialed.about.com/od/literacy/ss/reluctantreader.htm Retrieved August 10, 2007.

  Teacher Education University reserves the right to adjust and adapt this syllabus as necessary.