Students occasionally engage in a peer review of their writing before they submit it to the professor. One of the purposes of the writing in this course is for students to analyze the theory and research presented in the readings in light of their field experiences. Students make two-part weekly journal entries that consist of a description of their observations in the schools and analysis of that observation based on focus questions derived from topics in the course materials. Journal entries are graded on the quality of the analysis and are not expected to be polished. Students write three short position papers in which they react to and analyze issues raised in the course readings.
Students also write a midterm and final exam and complete a final project.
The final project emphasizes using the research and theory explored in the course and the classroom observations to create projects that have the potential for classroom application. All of the writing is graded on a point scale, and in most cases, students may rewrite unsatisfactory papers after a consultation with the professor. Students occasionally engage in a peer review of their writing before they submit it to the professor. Students will keep a weekly observation journal in which they reflect on issues of educating the exceptional child as they manifest themselves in the classroom where they are observing. For a final paper, they will report on the action research project they conduct during their field experience.