Dr. Altman Carmit Learning Difficulties. Semester II

 Learning Difficulties

Semester II 2014

                     Dr. Carmit Altman

E-mail: carmit.altman@biu.ac.il

Appointments scheduled via email

 

Course Description

This course provides an introduction to learning and language difficulties. It covers research, theory, application and data analysis. This course will cover issues and problems in current LD research and theory, background on the historical development of the field, analysis of learner data and research articles. In addition, there will be a requirement to collect data and analyze them based on the literature learnt.

 

Student Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, students should be able to:

  •           identify major issues in current Learning and language disability research and theory
  •           summarize the important studies and basic ideas of research studies
  •           analyze second language learner data from multiple perspectives
  •           discuss problems and challenges in current research and theory and think of the implementation in the EFL classroom     

Course Requirements

Participation in classroom exercises and discussion of readings (10%) 

An exercise regarding a relevant journal article (20%)

Final Assignment (70%)

 

The Assignment will require you to find an article dealing with learning disabilities/difficulties. You will need to find a student and apply an intervention. You will then analyze some aspect of the language and in a brief report describe the language difficulties based on the theories discussed.

  

Schedule - Subject to change. Listen for updates.

Lesson

Topic

Readings

1

Introduction

What is Learning Difficulties?

Kavale et al. (2009)

2

What is Learning Difficulties?

(Implementation in the classroom)

3

Reading and writing development

Frith (1985)

Castles (2006)

4

Reading and writing development

 

5

 

Memory and Language

Nee et al. (2008)

6

Memory and Language

 

7

Gifted but Disadvantaged

Van-Tassel Baska (2008)

8

ADHD and learning

 

9

ADHD and learning

 

10

The importance of Phonological Awareness

 

11

SLI

 

12

Bilingualism

 
 

 

 

 

Readings 1

 

Barkley, R. A. (1998). Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Scientific American, 279(3), 44-49. (1224066)

Buttersworth, B. (2005). The development of arithmetical abilities. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 46(1), 3-18. (1222876)

Castles, A. (2006). The dual route model and the developmental dyslexia. London Review of Education, 4(1), 49-61. (1223987)

Frith, U. (1985). Beneath the surface of developmental dyslexia. In K. E. Patterson, J. C. Marshall & M. Coltheart (Eds.), Surface dyslexia: Neurological and cognitive studies of phonological readings (pp. 301-314). London: Erlbaum. (1224023)

Geary, D. C. (2004). Mathematics and learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 37(1), 4-15. (1222871)

Seidman, L. J. (2006). Neuropsychological functioning in people with ADHD across the lifespan. Clinical Psychology Review, 26, 466-485. (1222873)

Semrud-Clikeman, M. (2005). Neuropsychological aspects for evaluating learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 38(6), 563-568. (1222878)

 

Readings 2

D’Amato, R. C., Crepeau-Hobson, F., Huang, L. V., & Geil, M. (2005). Ecological neuropsychology: An alternative to the deficit model for conceptualizing and serving students with learning disabilities Neuropsychology Review, 15(2), 97-103. (001175140)

Dromi, E., Leonard, L. B., Adam, G., & Zadunaisky-Ehrlich, S. (1999). Verb agreement morphology in Hebrew-speaking children with specific language impairment. Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, 42, 1414-1431. (1235108)

Friedman, N., & Novogrodsky, R. (2008). Subtypes of SLI: SySLI, PhoSLI, LeSLI, and PraSLI. In A. Gavarró Algueró & M. João Freitas (Eds.), Language acquisition and development: Proceedings of GALA (pp. 205-217). Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars. (001235110)

Kavele, K. A., Spaulding, L. S., & Beam, A. P. (2009). A time to define: Making the specific learning disability definition prescribe specific learning disability. Learning Disability Quarterly, 32(1), 39-48. (1224028)

Nee, D. E., Berman, M. G., Moore, K. S., & Jonides, J. (2008). Neuroscientific evidence about the distinction between short and long-term memory. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 17(2), 102-106. (1222914)

Paradis, J. (2007) Bilingual children with specific language impairment: Theoretical and applied issues. Applied Psycholinguistics, 28, 512-564. (002355613)

Paradis, J., Crago, M., Genesee, F., & Rice, M. (2003). French-English bilingual children with specific language impairment: How do they compare with their monolingual peers? Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, 46, 1-15. (2354981)

 

 

Textbooks

Coren, S., Ward, M. L., & Enns, T. J. (1999). Sensation and perception (5th ed.). Fort Worth: Harcourt. (000454488 ) (פסיכולוגיה 152.1 COR)

Kandel, R. E., Schwartz, H. J., & Jessell, M. T. (2000). Principles of neural science (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Medical. (000463996) (מדעי החי 611.8 PRI)

Breznitz, Z. (Ed.) (2006). Fluency in reading: Synchronization of processes‏. Mahwah: Erlbuam‏. (001165608) (משאב אלקטרוני)

·   Nicolson, R. I., & Fawcett, A. J. (2008). Dyslexia, learning, and the brain. Cambridge, Mass: MIT. (001163091) (חינוך 616.8553 NIC)

·   Willems, G., Whitmore, K., & Hart, H. (Eds.) (1999). A neurodevelopmental approach to specific learning disorders. London: Mac Keith. (000406126) (פסיכולוגיה 616.8588 NEU)

 

 

Additional Articles

Ansari, D. (2007). Does the parietal cortex distinguish between "10," "Ten," and Ten dots? Neuron, 53, 165-167. (1177054)

Breznitz, Z., & Meyler, A. (2003). Speed of lower-level auditory and visual processing as a basic factor in dyslexia: Electrophysiological evidence. Brain and Language, 85, 166-184. (001177052)

Hubbard, E. M., Diester, I., Cantlon, J. F., Ansari, D., Van Opstal, F., & Troiani, V. (2008). The evolution of numerical cognition: From number neurons to linguistic quantifiers. Journal of Neuroscience, 28(46), 11819-11824. (001177055)

van Eimeren, L., Niogi, S. N., McCandliss, B. D., Holloway, I. D., & Ansari, D. (2008). White matter microstructures underlying mathematical abilities in children. NeuroReport, 19(11), 1117-1121. (1222938)