Accessing Inquiry for Students with Disabilities through Primary Sources

Description

Social Studies and Humanities pose distinct challenges for struggling learners, including extensive discipline-specific vocabulary, difficult informational texts–including complex primary sources, and a need for background knowledge. Yet the authentic sources, important ideas and connections to issues of these subjects also offer vital tools for differentiation and potent means to motivate students.

Grounded in a decade of practice by history educators, historians, and experts in Special Education, and based on current research and innovative classroom practices, this exciting graduate-level course supports content instruction for Students with Disabilities in History-Social Studies & Humanities (including literature, art, music, & language); and for Special Education teachers.

 Featuring models of best practices and employing primary sources and analysis tools, participants will:

• Gain and apply practical classroom strategies

• Integrate History of Disability through issues of citizenship, private and government responsibility to provide services, and struggles for empowerment

• Create/adapt lessons: Universal Design for Learning and brain-based language learning

Audience

Teachers in Social Studies or Humanities, including literature, art, music, and language; Grades 4 - 12 

Invite a partner! We encourage - but do not require - participation of teams, such as a Special Education teacher and a History/American Literature teacher, members of a department, or interdisciplinary teams.

Credits

22.5 PDPs or 1 graduate credit in partnership with Westfield State University. This workshop meets the Massachusetts state ESE relicense requirement in strategies for effective teaching for students with disabilities and instruction of students with diverse learning styles (Special Education PDPs).

To earn PDPs or Graduate Credit, participants must complete all assignments by the last class, details of which will be provided in the class syllabus. Graduate Credit from Westfield State University costs $125. Registration for Graduate Credit takes place in the first class, with payment accepted by credit card or check.