Master in the Art of Teaching Special Education

The Marygrove online MAT degree with a focus on special education concentrates on developing instructional leaders who are capable teachers of all children, including those with disabilities included in a regular education classroom. Course work includes attention to adaptive technology, Individual Educational Plans, working effectively with families, and specific strategies for reaching children with a variety of mild disabilities.

Students in this online special education program complete six core courses, three capstone projects and the specialized courses below.

SED 565: Teaching Students With Disabilities 3 credits

Prerequisite: none

As part of the online MAT degree with a focus on special education, SED 565 focuses on the appropriate methods and techniques for meeting the educational needs of students with mild disabilities. Psychological information about groups and individuals; strategies for achieving integration in regular education; organizational structures of schools, and strategies for teaching reading, math, and study skills are covered in this course.

SED 570: Students With Disabilities: School, Family, and Community Interaction 3 credits

Prerequisites: none 

In this course candidates develop flexible theoretical frameworks, practical skills and sensitivity in working with families of students with disabilities. The theoretical basis for current approaches to supporting families, the anomalies and challenges presented by the growing diversity of U.S. society, and development of a critical awareness of formal and informal supports for families is investigated.

SED 573: Assistive Technology in Special Education 3 credits

Prerequisites: none

SED 573 introduces the use of adaptive technology, methods for linking technology and instruction of students with special needs, techniques for selecting and utilizing computer based instructional programs, and methods for developing interactive instructional materials.

SED 575: IEP Development 3 credits

Prerequisites: none

SED 575 covers pre-referral and referral processes for students, assessment plans, eligibility criteria for services, due process, and development of the individual education plan (IEP). The course includes consideration of students assistive technology needs, transitions, modifications, functional behavior analyses and intervention plans.

AIE 630 Creativity and Innovation
The focus of this course will be on teaching participants effective ways to integrate the arts (music, movement/dance, theater, visual representation) into core content areas to increase student engagement and foster problem solving.

LLE 610 Cultural Literacy
The question often raised is: "Who gets to decide which parts of which cultures are worth teaching?" Rather than engage directly in this debate, the focus of this course will be on teaching participants effective pedagogy to enable children in their classrooms to develop the skills needed to thrive in a multicultural world. The emphasis will be on helping participants and their students to recognize and negotiate cultural influences throughout life. Stories are often carriers of culture; therefore, this course will use the technique of digital storytelling to give participants and their students an opportunity to express their growing cultural literacy in 21st Century teaching strategies.