FACULTY OF EDUCATION Associate Degree in Education (ADE) 02 year /B.Ed.(Hons) Elementary 04 year Program Course No. Title of Course
EED- 311 CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Credit Hours Semester/
3 1st
Course Description The primary focus of this course is learning about children in order to become an effective teacher. It provides Student Teachers with an overview of child development and growth as a holistic process. The latest research and thinking about the conditions that affect children’s learning and development will be addressed across developmental domains and stages of development. Development of language and cognition as well as emotional, social, and physical characteristics of children will be explored. Student Teachers will form their own child development theories. Implications of child development theory for schools, teachers, and society will be considered. Student Teachers will be provided with real experiences to study and observe children at different levels of development. They will have an opportunity to enhance their understanding of how people learn, individual differences and learning styles, and how theories of learning and development relate to classroom learning and teaching. The course will enable Student Teachers to create learning environments that suit the needs of an individual child as well as children in general.
Course Outcomes After completing this course, Student Teachers will: • describe major theories and themes about how children develop • compare the characteristics of various developmental stages according to different theorists • identify factors influencing the learning process • design age-appropriate teaching methods based on developmental theory • identify individual differences of students and children with special needs • reflect on their conceptions about child development and its implications for teaching and learning.
Course Outline
UNIT 1: Introduction to child development (2 weeks/6 hours) 1 W. Overview of growth and development Psychosocial models Behaviourism and socio-cultural models 2 W. Cognitive models Factors that affect the child: Key issues and controversies Approaches to classroom development
UNIT 2: Early childhood development (2 weeks/6 hours) 3 W. Unit introduction: Infant development The three domains of toddler development Developmentally appropriate practices for toddlers 4 W. The three domains of preschool child development Developmentally appropriate practices for preschool child development Unit review
UNIT 3: Primary school-age child development (3 weeks/9 hours)
5 W. Introduction to primary school-age child development Aspects of physical development Encouraging healthy physical development 6 W. Cognitive development: Overview and Piaget’s concrete operational theory Cognitive development: Industriousness and intelligences Emotional development 7 W. Social development: Changes and parental roles Social development: Peer interaction, friendship, and growth Utilizing play in the classroom
UNIT 4: Adolescence and development (3 weeks/9 hours) 8 W. Teacher’s influence on student motivation and unit conclusion Introduction and overview of physical development Social and emotional development I: Erikson and development of self-identity 9 W. Social and emotional development II: The adolescent peer group Social and emotional development III: Motivation and self-regulation Cognitive and linguistic development I: Piaget 10 W. Cognitive and linguistic development II: Vygotsky Cognitive and individual differences Conclusion and review
UNIT 5: Differences in classrooms: Developmental variation and special needs (3 weeks/9 hours) 11 W. Differences in student learning and performance strengths Child development review I Child development review II 12 W. Recognizing disability and learning disorders I: Emotional and behavioural Recognizing disability and learning disorders II: Language, physical, and sensory Cognitive differences: Delays and giftedness 13 W.Addressing special needs in the classroom: Differentiated instruction School resources and support services for special-needs students Reflection and review
UNIT 6: Teachers, family, schools, and society (3 weeks/9 hours) 14 W. The role of the nuclear and extended family Role of community, culture, and society within families Role of culture and society: Gender balance 15 W. Role of culture and society: Influence of media Role of school, peers, and teachers Teachers’ influence on child development
16 W. Schools, families, and communities as partners in child development Unit review
Course reflection and review
Textbooks and references S. Bredekamp and C. Copple (eds.), Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8 (Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1999). C. Howes and S. Ritchie, A Matter of Trust: Connecting Teachers and Learners in the Early Childhood Classroom (New York: Teachers College Press, 2002). C. Howes, Culture and Child Development in Early Childhood Programs: Practices for Quality Education and Care (New York: Teachers College Press, 2012). Laurence Steinberg, Adolescence, 9th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011). Web resources Child Development Institute website, designed to provide information and tools parents need to understand their children. http://childdevelopmentinfo.com Early Childhood Development (ECD) Pakistan website. http://www.ecdpak.com Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development (available in English and Urdu). http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/en-ca/home.html Nurture: Pakistan’s Pioneer Publication on Early Childhood Development. http://www.ecdpak.com/nurture/about_nurture.html Search Institute® is a leading global innovator in discovering what children and adolescents need to succeed in their families, schools, and communities. They present a ‘Developmental Asset Lists’ at http://www.search-institute.org/developmental-assets/lists