Study Specific Learning Difficulties, Special Education, Inclusion or Early Intervention with us
What causes some students to have difficulty learning to read, write spell or do maths? How can teachers identify the learning characteristics and styles of these students? How can teachers and schools help these students to learn successfully? What are effective teaching procedures? What is meant by specific learning disabilities such as dyslexia or dyscalculia? These are some of the questions that guide the study of Specific Learning Difficulties Education.
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- Programs in Specific Learning Difficulties Education, Special Education, Inclusion or Early Intervention
- Themes explored in Specific Learning Difficulties Education
- Themes explored in Special Education, Inclusion and Early Intervention
- Staff in Specific Learning Difficulties Education, Special Education, Inclusion and Early Intervention
- Research in the field of Specific Learning Difficulties
- Who are these program suitable for?
- Career outcomes
- Key benefits of the course
Programs in Specific Learning Difficulties Education
You can specialise in Specific Learning Difficulties Education by choosing one of the following programs:
(NB. The differing lengths of the Masters programs are based on the previous qualifications/work experience of the applicant)
Themes explored in Specific Learning Difficulties Education
Based on the latest research and theory, this study program offers learning experiences that you can apply effectively in your workplace. Study focuses on the following areas:
- Understanding and unpacking the causes of various types of learning disabilities such as literacy and numeracy underachievement, dyslexia and dyscalculia
- Implementing effective literacy and numeracy intervention
- Modifying classroom teaching to accommodate how these students learn, inclusive teaching procedures
- The psychology of types of exceptional learning such as ADHD, Aspergers Syndrome
- Diagnosing reading, writing and mathematics learning disabilities
- Literacy, numeracy and language development
Themes explored in Special Education, Inclusion and Early Intervention
Based on the latest research and theory, this program offers problem-based learning experiences that you can apply effectively in your workplace.
Some of the subjects focus on:
- Working with Challenging Behaviour
- Social-communication, behaviour and ASD;
- Inclusion and child/family interventions; and
- Assessment and program implementation.
Staff in the Specific Learning Difficulties Education area
Associate Professor John Munro leads the teaching in this area. Dr Munro has worked extensively in researching aspects of literacy and numeracy learning disabilities, teaching teachers and educational professionals to understand, diagnose and intervene with students who have these difficulties and advising education providers in these areas. You can see some of the recent papers written by Associate Professor Munro on www.education.unimelb.edu.au/eldi/selage/publications/index.html .
The Early Learning, Development and Inclusion cluster has specialised skills in specialist education and is renowned for its research work.
Research in the field of Specific Learning Difficulties
Dr Munro guides several research projects in this area:
- The early acquisition of literacy knowledge and the knowledge profiles of students who are more likely to display literacy and numeracy learning disabilities.
- The learning characteristics of numeracy numeracy learning disabilities.
- The effect of various types of cognitive strategy teaching on reading comprehension by primary and secondary level students.
- The learning characteristics of secondary level students who have literacy learning disabilities.
- You can gain an impression of theses areas of research by looking at the articles available on www.education.unimelb.edu.au/eldi/selage/publications/index.html .
Who are these programs suitable for?
This area of study is targeted at professionals who are looking for specialist knowledge and qualifications in areas of learning difficulties, academic underachievement, effective teaching and intervention; individual differences in literacy and numeracy learning.
In addition, these areas of study are targeted at a range of professionals who are looking for specialist knowledge and qualifications in disabilities and impairments and early intervention. Such professionals include school teachers, kindergarten teachers, preschool field officers and other professionals who work in schools and in early intervention programs.
Career Outcomes
Our course will assist you to improve your professional knowledge in the area of exceptional learning and will equip with enhanced competence in teaching in ways that accommodate the learning needs of students who have difficulties. As well as working in classrooms, this course equips graduates to work as
- special education and learning disability diagnosticians
- curriculum and teaching consultants
- learning support staff
- adult education support staff.
Key benefits of this program include:
- Course content that is based on explicit models of learning; you can see examples of this at www.education.unimelb.edu.au/eldi/selage/publications/index.html .
- A collaborative solution focused approach to teaching.
- On-line examples of student learning patterns for diagnosis and analysis.
- On-line scenarios of exemplary classroom teaching. These show how the course is highly relevant to schools
and grassroots
education practices.