|
Laura Hutton |
|
EDUC110 Infant and Toddler Development
Course Overview: This course will explore the best practices designed to meet the needs of infants and toddlers as related to their physical growth and development, mental health, and human relationships. Attention will be given to the family and child's multicultural customs, gender equity and children with special needs, while insuring quality program development and implementation in out-of- home care environments.
Content will focus on the caregiver, the child, and the program being provided to meet the learning needs of the infant and toddler.
Required Text
Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2004). Infants, toddlers, and caregivers: A curriculum of respectful, responsive care and education (6th ed.). Boston: McGraw Hill.
Learning Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this course of study, the student will be able to:
Grading
A total of 300 points may be accrued throughout the course. They are as follows:
| Observation #1 | 30 points |
| Observation #2 | 30 points |
| Brochure | 40 points |
| Training Manual | 60 points |
| Midterm Exam | 35 points |
| Final Exam | 50 points |
| Class Participation | 40 points |
| Chat Rooms | 15 points |
| TOTAL | 300 points |
Grading Scale:
Course Policies
1. LATE ASSIGNMENTS - Assignments are expected to be turned in on or before the stated due date. Late assignments will be subject to a cumulative deduction of 10% of the points possible for that assignment for each calendar day late (e.g., if an assignment due 3/4 is turned in 3/6 it will be subject to a deduction of 20%) up to a maximum deduction of 50%.
2. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY - Students who commit acts of academic dishonesty (e.g., cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, and plagiarism) will be subject to formal disciplinary action and will receive a grade of 0 points on the test, drill, or assignment involved. This includes incidents that occur in the Test and Assessment Center. In addition, students will be referred to the Associate Vice President for Student Development for a Student Code violation.
3. WRITTEN WORK - All submitted written work must be word-processed. The instructor reserves the right to refuse a paper that does not reflect correct format and/or contains sloppy grammar and mechanics. Clarity and correct grammar are a must for all written assignments. If multiple grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors (including awkward construction) exist within any written assignment, the overall grade will be reduced by 10% of the points possible for that assignment.
4. EXTRA CREDIT AND RESUBMISSIONS - Bonus points will be given for professional development activities such as attendance at Future Educators of America meetings. Bonus points will not be given for attending activities required for employment or for which a student it paid. No other extra credit will be given. However, if a student is dissatisfied with an assignment grade, the student may revise and resubmit the assignment. Revised assignments should be submitted along with the original assignment. In addition to deductions for any errors the student did not fix, 10% of the points possible for that assignment will be deducted from the assignment grade for the revision. Class participation and tests may not be revised and resubmitted.
5. STATEMENT ON LEARNING DISABILITIES - Harford Community
College is committed to serving students who have documented physical,
psychological, or other disabilities. Students who have a disability are
responsible for contacting Learning Support Services at 443-412-2402 to discuss
their needs for accommodations. All information shared with Learning
Support Services will be held in confidence.
Assignments
OBSERVATION #1 -
Observe a child under the age of three with his/her primary caregiver (e.g., parent, step parent, foster parent, or other adult raising the child) for at least an hour. Take notes regarding the behavior of the child and caregiver then complete a write-up summarizing your observations. The first paragraph of the write-up should describe the child's development in the area of mind (e.g., intellectual or cognitive)(5 points). The second paragraph should describe the child's development in the area of body (e.g., physical or psychomotor)(5 points). The third paragraph should describe the child's development in the area of feelings (e.g., social-emotional or affective)(5 points). The fourth paragraph should describe the caregiver's interactions with the child (10 points). The last paragraph should describe which, if any, of the ten principles you saw implemented and/or ways in which the principles could have been implemented (5 points).
Your write-up should:
--be organized as described above
--include specific skills which the child demonstrates
--include quotes of the child's language or descriptions of vocalizations for pre-verbal children
--describe the caregiver's behaviors
--explain ways in which the caregiver's interactions were respectful, responsive and reciprocal
--reference at least four of the ten principles
--give ways that the principles were or could have been implemented.
OBSERVATION #2 - Observe a childcare setting (e.g., center or home day care) serving children under the age of three for at least two hours and interview one caregiver regarding the program's philosophy and curriculum. Take notes regarding the interactions between the children and caregiver(s) then complete a write-up summarizing your observations. The first paragraph of your write-up should describe the organization of the setting (e.g., how many children are present, what are their ages, are there multiple caregivers, is a primary caregiver system used, etc.)(5 points). The second paragraph should describe the caregiver's opinion regarding attachment and any steps taken to promote attachment (5 points). The third paragraph should describe caregiver-child interactions and the degree to which they adhere to the ten principles (10 points). The fourth paragraph should describe the curriculum and discuss the degree to which it adheres to suggestions given in your text (5 points). The last paragraph should describe the environment and the degree to which it adheres to suggestions given in your text (5 points).
Your write-up should:
--be organized as described above
--demonstrate a clear understanding of attachment
--reference at least five of the principles of interactions
--describe ways in which the principles are (or could be) implemented
-- include sufficient discussion of the ten principles to earn ten points
--demonstrate an understanding of curriculum as a plan for learning
--evaluate the program as using adult-directed activities or child-directed happenings
--reference at least five environmental recommendations in your text.
BROCHURE - Create a brochure advertising a hypothetical child care center for children under three. You can create a trifold brochure using Microsoft Word and most other word processing programs. Your brochure should include information regarding: program philosophy, staff, equipment, curriculum.
Your brochure should:
--be attractive and creatively designed (5 points)
--include a clearly articulated program philosophy (5 points)
--be reader friendly and not contain educational jargon (5 points)
--contain information about staff including qualifications and staff-child ratio (5 points)
--describe the building and equipment including child rooms and playground (5 points)
--describe the curriculum (10 points)
While the ten principles and other educational jargon learned in this course
should not be included, the brochure should clearly demonstrate adherence to
these principles (5 points).
The purpose of this brochure is to
demonstrate that you fully understand the concepts presented in chapters 1-6 and
can apply them to a day care setting. I will grade the brochures as if I
am looking for day care for my own infant or toddler. Does your brochure
convince me that you adhere to the principles covered in this course?
Given that I agree completely with the author of your text, does your brochure
lead me to believe that my very young child will receive the kind of care I
want? At the same time, you want to create a brochure that is very reader
friendly and does not talk "over the head" of parents who are not familiar with
this course content.
TRAINING MANUAL - Create a training manual for new employees at the hypothetical child care center you created for
the brochure. Your manual should include: your program philosophy, information about how infants and toddlers learn, information about typical development of infants and toddlers, information about children with special needs, a description of your curriculum, a description of a typical day, and suggestions for implementing your curriculum including a list of suggested happenings.
Your manual should:
--be well organized (5 points)
--be reader friendly with all educational jargon explained (5 points)
--include a clearly articulated program philosophy (may be identical to the one stated in your brochure) (3 points)
--describe how infants and toddlers learn including the influence of attachment (5 points)
--describe typical development of infants and toddlers:
discuss the range of development which is considered typical and include a list of developmental milestones (can be a developmental checklist obtained from another source) (5 points)
--discuss children with special needs including when children should be referred to Childfind and how your program adapts for children with identified disabilities (5 points)
--describe what your program means by curriculum and the type of curriculum you implement (10 points)
--include a schedule for a typical day (3 points)
--contain information to help the new caregiver implement your curriculum (4 points)
--demonstrate adherence to the principles presented in your text and the "Guidelines for Healthy Child Development and Care for Young Children" by the Maryland Child Care Administration (5 points)
--include a list of suggested happenings including a recommended age for each (10 points)
This is your final project and as such should
demonstrate full understanding of the course outcomes. You are creating a
manual which will transmit this knowledge to your new employees and enable them
to implement developmentally appropriate infant and toddler care. While
there is no required length, manuals which adequately fulfill assignment
guidelines are typically ten or more pages in length.
Exams
This course includes two exams, a midterm and a final. A week before the exam is assigned, a review sheet will be posted on the content page. Please use it to study. Your exams will be online but you will need to go to the test center to take them. The exams are untimed but you will want to allow at least an hour for the midterm and an hour and a half for the final. You will access the exams by entering WebCt and clicking on the exams icon. A test center employee will then enter an access code to allow you to take the exam. For test center hours, call 443-412-2352.
Class Participation
Class participation points will be assigned for introductions and for completing activities within content modules including: key terms games, the activities labeled "Apply What You're Learning" within online lectures, worksheets (chapters 7, 8, 9, and 11) and chapter check-ups. Chapter check-ups must be repeated until 100% accuracy is earned to receive credit. The introduction is worth one class participation point and every other content module is worth three class participation points. All class participation work must be completed by the stated due date or credit will not be given.
Chat Rooms
Students are expected to participate in three chat rooms worth five points each: one focusing on the caregiver, one focusing on the child, and one focusing on the program. Two different times are scheduled for each chat room to accommodate a variety of student schedules. Students must participate in ONE chat room on each topic. Full credit will be assigned if students log onto the chat room within five minutes of posted start time and remain logged on until the chat room is ended by the instructor. In addition, students must participate in the chat room by answering questions, asking questions, or making appropriate comments to earn full credit. The length of each chat room will be determined by the ability of students to answer instructor questions and the number of student questions posed, but it is anticipated that chat rooms will last 30-45 minutes.