Learning Disabilities: Literacy

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2016:

During the pre-teaching period students are required to complete readings that will be provided via LMS.

170 hours

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

This subject reviews contemporary theories and explanations of learning disabilities in literacy and examine their underpinning assumptions and implications. Theories include schematic-interactive models, strategic models and orthographic learning models. Implementation issues such as word, sentence and topic level processes are examined. Contemporary diagnostic and education programs and practices for students with learning disabilities in literacy are analysed and evaluated in terms of current research. In addition, strategies for the provision of assistance at the systemic, school and classroom levels are examined.

On completion of this subject, students should be able to:

• discuss the cognitive and affective processes involved in fluent reading;
• discuss the developmental trends to acquiring this knowledge;
• discuss the causes of different types of dyslexia and comprehension difficulties (psycholinguistic, information processing, phonological cognitive, metacognitive);
• discuss and evaluate procedures for diagnosing and reporting literacy difficulties;
• discuss the characteristics of successful literacy instructional programs according to particular literacy learning disabilities;
• evaluate literacy education programs and develop and implement education programmes that are supported by current research;
• analyse critically approaches to the assessment of reading disabilities, procedures used to diagnose and remediate reading disabilities, theories and explanations of reading disability;
• develop a problem solving approach to the diagnosis of specific learning disabilities;
• develop skills in communicating the nature of particular cases of reading disabilities to teachers, parents and students;
• use the model of literacy knowledge to plan and implement a literacy support program;
• work in a team with other professionals in analysing and reporting reading disabilities;
• display positive attitudes to the diagnosis and remediation of reading disabilities.

• Reflective task (500 words) Due mid-semester 10%
• Written task (4500 words) Due end semester 90%

This subject has a minimum hurdle requirement of 80% attendance at all tutorials, seminars and workshops.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.