INTRODUCTION TO CHILD DEVELOPMENT Syllabus & Course Schedule Fall, 2014 COURSE CONTENT This course is the undergraduate introductory course in child development. The course covers the following subject areas: •Major theories of child development •Research methods in the field of child development •Prenatal development and birth •Infancy and early childhood development •Physical growth •Cognitive development INSTRUCTOR:Calvin L. Gidney, Ph.D. “Chip” MEETING TIMES:Tuesdays & Thursdays 10:30 – 11:45 AM Recitation A: Mondays 6:00 PM – 6:50 Eaton 333 Recitation B: Tuesdays 6:00 – 6:50 PM Barnum 114 OFFICE HOURS:By appointment; Sign up online at http://tinyurl.com/Gidney_OO_14f Mondays, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM OFFICE:Eliot-Pearson Rm. 174 E-MAIL:[email protected] PHONE:Office Phone: 627 – 2213 (N.B. I do not have voice mail on my office phone; if you wish to leave a message for me, please call the Eliot-Pearson main desk at 627 – 3355.)CD 1_14f page ! 2Syllabus•Intelligence •Language development •Emotional development •Social development •Moral development •Gender development •Family influences on child development •Influences of peers, media, and schooling on child development LEARNING GOALS In this course, students will gain … •An understanding of major theories of child development •An appreciation of child development research strategies •Knowledge of both the sequence of child development and the processes that underlie it •An appreciation of the impact of context and culture on child development •An understanding of the joint contributions of biology and environment to development •A sense of the interdependency of all aspects of development •An appreciation of the interrelatedness of theory, research, and applications •Familiarity with APA writing style and citation rules •Familiarity with observation of children in school settings •Broadened understanding of the many professions and career paths that work with children, their families, and their communities. PHILOSOPHY of TEACHING and LEARNINGCD 1_14f page ! 3Syllabus“A teacher opens the door; you alone must decide whether to enter.” - Note found inside a fortune cookie I believe that, ultimately, only you are responsible for your own learning. This means that it is up to you to put in the effort that it takes to learn the material. As a professor, I reject the notion that your minds are ‘empty vessels’ waiting to be filled with knowledge that I impart. Rather, I believe that each of you, as individuals, has the capacity to learn whatever interests you, whatever engages you. That’s where my responsibility comes in – I view my role in the learning process as that of an agent provocateur – someone who tries to engage you through challenging you, exposing you to new thoughts and ideas, and getting you to rethink assumptions that you may take for granted. There are many implications of this philosophy for this course: You are responsible for learning the all material presented in class lectures and in the textbook. The only reading associated with this introductory course is the textbook. Each chapter of the textbook covers a great deal of material, much of which will be presented in class lectures and in weekly recitations. However, because class meets only 3 hours per week, lectures will not cover all of the material presented in the chapters. Notwithstanding, you are responsible for all the material covered in the textbook. You bear the primary responsibility for your performance in this class. Because this is a large lecture class, some of the assessments will be in a mixed format (i.e., a mix of multiple choice, short answer, true-false, and fill-in-the-blank questions). I recognize that this style of assessment may not be the most accurate measure of your mastery of the material, but, because of the class size, such “objective” assessments are an invaluable and efficient tool. If you have special needs associated with this type of test taking, please inform your TA. We will make every effort to accommodate your test-taking needs. Responsibility also means that you must be sure to attend class and recitations. If you cannot make it, please make arrangements in advance with two of your fellow students to get the notes. Only after you have studied these notes should you make an appointment with a TA to clear up any lingering doubts. Of course, you have many resources to help you in your learning, and I hope that you will avail yourselves of them! Remember that your TAs are here to help you and your attendance at section is both essential and required. Please note their office hourCD 1_14f page ! 4Syllabustimes and visit them often; they like it! You may also visit ME during my office hours (please be sure to make an appointment). HOW THIS COURSE WORKS The overarching goal of this course is to expose you to the field of child development. The multiple components of this course each play a unique role in achieving this goal. 1. Lectures. The purpose of the lectures is NOT to simply re-teach the material in the book. It will be assumed that either you have read the textbook prior to lecture, or that you will read it shortly thereafter. Sometimes, lectures will contain new material, not discussed in the book. If this is the case, you will be held responsible for all new material presented in lectures. The purpose of the lectures is to: (1) introduce the theme of the unit, (2) provide you with the opportunity to reflect on your own experience and knowledge, and (3), link those experiences to the material, and (4), to consider how the material presented in the chapters relate to the lived experiences of children and real-world practices and policies. 2. Recitations. Recitations are as important as the lectures and so, attendance will be taken in recitations and factored into your final grade. The purpose of the recitations is to (1) review the material presented in the book and in lectures, (2) highlight the material we believe to be the most important in each chapter, (3) deepen your understanding of some of the concepts presented in the unit, and (4) provide you with an opportunity to clarify your understanding of the material. Recitations will also be the locus of all in-class assessments (see recitation schedule at the end of this document). Please be sure to arrive a bit early for