Education Sciences: Special Education for People with Oral and Written Language Difficulties – THEMATIC UNITS

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EAG50: Special Education

Course Module Code: EAG50
Credits ECTS: 20
Course Type: Compulsory
Semester: First (1^st)
Language: Greek

Module Outline

Course Content:

The aim of the module is to understand the basic concepts, principles and models of Special Education, within the framework defined by the relevant legislation and educational practice. Emphasis is placed on contemporary approaches to Special Education.

Specific objectives of the module for students: 1) to understand basic issues related to Special Education, 2) to become familiar with the characteristics of the categories of special needs and 3) to become familiar with the procedures of detection and assessment of special needs and the ways of dealing with them in the school context.

Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the module students will:

have acquired an introductory knowledge of the categories of people with special educational needs and/ or disabilities
have familiarized themselves with educational assessment issues
have familiarized themselves with issues of screening and with relevant screening tests
have familiarized themselves with diagnostic issues and the relevant diagnostic/ standardized tests
be familiar with and able to design instructional interventions
be familiar with curricula and instructional models relevant to special education
be aware of issues related to Responsiveness to Instruction and Intervention as well as Universal Design and Accommodations.

Cognitive Objects of the subject:

Basic concepts of Special Education
Assessment of people with special educational needs
Educational interventions for people with special educational needs

Evaluation: Completion of written assignments during the academic semester which constitute a 30 percent of each student’s grade, if a pass is obtained in the final or repetitive examination. Final exam grades constitute a 70 percent of the students’ final course grade.

Prerequisite courses: None

EAG 51: Linguistic Development

Course Module Code: EAG51
Credits ECTS: 10
Course Type: Compulsory
Semester: First (1^st)
Language: Greek

Module Outline

Course Content:

The aim of this module is to familiarize students with the characteristics and the course of typical language development regarding monolingual, bilingual or multilingual children so as to better understand the characteristics of non-typical language development.

More specific objectives of the module are the following: 1) to become familiar with the main stages of child language development at all levels of language analysis and 2) to understand the central theoretical and methodological issues in relation to the study of language development regarding monolingual, bilingual or multilingual children.

Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the module, learners:

will be able to describe the main theoretical and methodological issues related to first language acquisition
will be able to identify the milestones of language development regarding the different levels of linguistic analysis: phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic level
will understand the importance of cross-linguistic differences in language development
will have familiarized themselves with the main methodological tools used in the study of children’s language
will be familiar with the characteristics of the bilingual and multilingual child and his/her language development, with emphasis on the similarities and differences with that of the monolingual child

will be familiar with the theoretical and methodological issues related to the child’s handling of more than one language and in the light of interlinguistic differences

Learning units of the module:

Theoretical approaches and methodological issues in language development
Overview of typical language development

Language development in bilingual/multilingual population

Prerequisite courses: None

EAG 52: Linguistic Processing

Course Module Code: EAG52
Credits ECTS: 10
Course Type: Compulsory
Semester: Second (2^nd)
Language: Greek

Module Outline

Course Content:

The aim of this module is to familiarize students with the functioning of the two significant cognitive processes in language processing which are the comprehension and the production of oral and written speech. This knowledge will allow students to deepen their understanding on the type and nature of potential problems which may arise in these two cognitive areas. More specific objectives of the module are the following: 1) to understand the complex relationship between cognition, language and communication in the context of which the understanding and production of spoken and written language and the role of the cognitive parameters involved such as memory, attention and executive functions are studied and 2) to become familiar with the central theoretical and methodological issues in relation to the study of language processing.

Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the module, learners will be able to:

understand the multidimensional relationships of language cognition and communication
understand the main methodological tools used in psycholinguistic research on language processing
understand the functioning of the two main processes involved in language processing, namely production and comprehension, both at the level of spoken and written language

understand the role of key cognitive parameters such as memory, attention and executive functions in language processing, both at the level of individual words and at the level of sentences and whole texts

Learning units of the module:

Language, cognition and communication
Comprehension and production of oral and written speech

Cognitive parameters of language processing: the role of memory, attention and executive functions

Prerequisite courses: EAG51

EAG 53: Problems of oral and written language: Theoretical approaches

Course Module Code: EAG53
Credits ECTS: 20
Course Type: Compulsory
Semester: Second (2^nd)
Language: Greek

Module Outline

Course Content:

The aim of this module is to provide students with an in-depth understanding of issues related to problems/disorders in both oral and written language, the theoretical models and approaches that refer to the causes and the evolutionary unit of the aforementioned problems per age phase.

More specific objectives of the module for students are the following: 1) to be able to define problems and their characteristics, both in oral and written language and 2) to be aware of the different scientific approaches and their impact on shaping the field.

Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the module, learners

will have been introduced to developmental written and oral language disorders
will be familiar with the theoretical framework of oral language problems

will be familiar with the theoretical framework of developmental type problems in written language

Learning units of the module:

Introduction to the developmental type of oral and written language problems
Theoretical framework of oral language problems
Theoretical framework of developmental type problems in written language

Prerequisite courses: EAG50 and EAG51

EAG 60: Research Design in Special Education

Course Module Code: EAG60
Credits ECTS: 10
Course Type: Compulsory
Semester: Third (3^rd)
Language: Greek

Module Outline

Course Content:

The main purpose of this module is to introduce and familiarize students with the basic principles, procedures and issues of research design in Special Education. In addition, the aim of the module EAG60 is to familiarize students with the standards of scientific reading and writing as well as to develop critical thinking.

The specific objectives of this module for students are: 1) to become competent in reading, using and producing research results in special education and 2) to acquire the knowledge and skills required to develop a research project in special education.

Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the Module students will:

know the dominant research trends in special education
know the stages of conducting research
search, retrieve, organize, synthesize and critically interpret literature data
recognize the need to establish and adopt a theoretical framework for the design of research
be familiar with basic research designs (qualitative designs, quantitative designs, mixed methods design) applicable to special education
formulate a research aim and research questions or hypotheses based on a theoretical reflection and literature review
know and handle basic sampling methods and techniques in the context of quantitative and qualitative designs
develop and evaluate basic tools for collecting empirical material in the context of quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods designs
recognize the ethical and moral issues involved in the collection of quantitative and qualitative data and indicate appropriate ways of dealing with them

formulate and write a research design for small-scale empirical research in special education

Cognitive Objects:

Research designs (qualitative designs, quantitative designs, mixed methods designs).
Applications – examples of research designs in special education.

Prerequisite courses: EAG50

EAG 61: Educational interventions for oral and written language Difficulties

Course Module Code: EAG61
Credits ECTS: 20
Course Type: Compulsory
Semester: Third (3^rd)
Language: Greek

Module Outline

Course Content:

This module aims to develop skills in designing intervention programmes for oral and written language problems in monolingual and bilingual/multilingual populations.

Specific objectives of the module for students: 1) to gain an in-depth knowledge of issues related to educational interventions for oral and written language problems of the type of specific learning difficulties for both monolingual and bilingual and multilingual populations; and 2) to become competent in analysing, synthesizing, and evaluating these educational interventions in terms of initial assessment, planning, major decision making, implementation, and final evaluation.

Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the Module students will be able to:

describe and design the content of intervention programs for monolingual and bilingual/multilingual speakers with oral language problems
describe and design the content of intervention programs for monolingual and bilingual/multilingual speakers with writing difficulties in the context of specific learning difficulties
implement intervention programs for monolingual and bilingual/multilingual speakers with oral and written language problems
describe the teaching of the first language to speakers with oral and written language problems
describe the teaching of a second/foreign language to speakers with oral and written language problems

Cognitive Subjects:

Educational interventions for people with oral language problems
Educational interventions for people with written language problems
First and second/foreign language teaching for people with oral and written language problems

Prerequisite courses: EAG 50, EAG 51, EAG 52 and EAG 53

EAG 62: Practical Training Module

Code: EAG62
Credits ECTS: 30
Type: Compulsory
Semester: Fourth (4^th)
Language: Greek

Module Outline

Content:

General description of the Practical Training: The Practical Training (PT) consists of the students’ attendance of thematic weeks within the educational platform, visits to public assessment and support institutions and facilities for people with oral and written language disorders, design of educational interventions, feedback, implementation of educational interventions and writing of a final written assignment. During the PT, emphasis is placed on observing and documenting assessment and treatment processes, followed by independent provision of corresponding services. An important part of the PT is related to the development of appropriate materials for the assessment and support processes.

In particular, the PT follows the following steps:

Course attendance on the educational platform (assessment and educational intervention)
Face to face presence at assessment and support institutions/facilities for people with oral and written language problems (observation of assessment and educational intervention procedures for people/children with oral and written language problems)
Design of educational intervention (with supervision)
Supervised educational intervention for people/children with oral and written language problems (in the above institutions/facilities)
Supervised independent assessment and intervention for people/children with oral and written language problems (in the above institution/facilities)
Provision of feedback and writing of the final written assignment

Specific objectives of the Module for students:

to get in touch with the institutions/facilities that assess and support oral and written language disorders/difficulties
to become familiar with the range and type of services they provide; and
to be able to provide independent assessment and intervention services for people with oral and written language problems.

Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the module, learners:

will have been familiar with assessment and support institutions and facilities for people with oral and written language problems
will have taken part, as observers, in assessment and intervention procedures (therapy sessions) for people with speech and language problems in institutions where these services are provided
will be able to participate in assessment procedures and to design appropriate educational activities and interventions to address these disorders/difficulties
will be able to develop appropriate material for these activities
will be able to evaluate procedures and self-assess their participation in them