Department of Teacher Education and Administration s1

University of North Texas

Department of Teacher Education and Administration

EDEC 4633.002, Fall 2016

Nurturing Children’s Social Competence

Instructor: James D. Laney, Ed.D. (with Inna Dolzhenko, Ph.D. Candidate)

Course Meets: T/Th, 9:30-10:50 a.m., MH 113

Office: Matthews Hall 218L

Office Hours: M/W, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m., Th., 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. or by appointment

E-mail:

Office phone: (940) 565-4897

Course Catalog Description:

4633. Nurturing Children’s Social Competence. 3 hours. Facilitating the social and emotional skills of young children. Incorporates an ecological approach to significant influences on self-esteem and self-concept including diversity, family, creativity and individual differences. Includes analysis of play theory and research. Field experience required. Prerequisite(s): EDEC 3613.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this course, students will be able to identify:

1. Dominant theoretical views of social development as they pertain to EC-6th grade children, recognizing the wide range of individual differences in children.

2. The diverse influences on the social and emotional development of children.

3. Components of social competence, such as self-esteem, self-regulation, aggression, the formation of friendships, resilience, discipline, compliance with rules, expectations, and consequences.

4. The role of play in the social development of children.

5. The impact of visual media and screen time on the social competence of children.

6. Issues related to cultural diversity and how to evaluate strategies that promote an anti-bias curriculum.

7. Critical perspectives of gender and sexuality development in EC-6th grade children.

8. Effective strategies for promoting prosocial behaviors in EC-6th grade children.

9. The importance of school policies and classroom procedures on the social development of children, as well as how children function in groups and collaborate with peers.

10. Diverse beliefs of parenting practices, as well as ethical strategies to use with colleagues.

Required Course Materials:

· REEF Polling App (https://app.reef-education.com)

· Textbook:

Kostelnik, M. J., Soderman, A. K., Whiren, A. P., Rupiper, M. L., & Gregory, K. M. (2015). Guiding children’s social development and learning. (8th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.

Course Evaluation:

Getting to Know You Form 10 points

Discussion Article Group Presentation 50 points

Assessments (3 @ 40 points each) 120 points

UNT CDL Observation Paper 50 points

Lesson Plan Connection 100 points

Final Exam 100 points

REEF Participation 25 points

Class Attendance (25 @ 3 points each) 75 points

Total class points 530 points

Course Grading Scale:

A = 477-530 points (90%-100%)

B = 424-476 points (80%-89%)

C = 371-423 points (70%-79%)

D = 318-370 points (60%-69%)

F = 0-317 points (<59%)

Discussion Article Group Presentation:

Students will collaborate with classmates to present information on one of the assigned discussion articles. Groups will be formed by students and consist of approximately 4-5 members. A sign-up sheet will be distributed during the first week of class so that groups can choose their desired topic. Presentations will be scheduled throughout the semester and must integrate technology (Power Point, Prezi, etc.). Each group member must present a portion of the information.

Assessments/Assignments:

Three assessments and two assignments (Getting to Know You Form & UNT CDL Observation Paper) will be given during the semester. These are located on Blackboard. The assessments contain multiple choice and true/false questions and are timed; once a student begins the assessment, it must be completed in 60 minutes. Assessments and assignments are open for 3 days.

UNT CDL Observation Paper:

Students are expected to observe at the UNT Child Development Laboratory for 90 minutes during the semester and submit a 5-7 page APA-formatted paper related to their observations. Several options for observation are available. Students are required to draw on information from the textbook or from class lectures when developing their papers.

Lesson Plan Connection:

Students will develop a lesson plan based on a children’s book. Books must contain a theme related to social competence and be approved by the instructor. No 2 students may review the same book. A lesson plan template with specific requirements will be provided.

Final Exam:

The Final Exam will consist of multiple choice and true/false questions that will test student’s factual, conceptual, and applied knowledge of the information presented in class. The exam will be comprehensive in nature and take place on Blackboard. Each student must take the Final Exam regardless of their grade in the class at the end of the semester. The Final Exam is open for 3 days.

Course Communication:

During the first week of class, students will be asked to provide an email address and verify the email address on Blackboard. This email address must be one the student checks on a regular basis. I will email the class and post information frequently during the semester and because this course meets partly on-line, it is the student’s responsibility to check Blackboard regularly!

Course Attendance/Participation:

The University expects students to attend all classes regularly and punctually. Attendance will be verified during each face-to-face class meeting through use of a sign-in sheet or the student’s REEF Technology Clicker. There are no “excused” absences; however, special consideration will be given in extreme situations. These must be pre-approved and will be discussed on an individual basis. Arriving late and/or leaving early (more than 15 minutes) will count as a partial absence. If you miss 2 full face-to-face class meetings, 6% of you final grade will be taken off with your 3-rd absence. If you miss more than 3 full face-to-face class meetings, you will be dropped from or receive a failing grade in the course.

Extra Credit Opportunities:

There will be three opportunities to earn extra credit during the semester. Information will be discussed in class. Points received for extra credit will be added to students’ total class points.

Writing Policy:

Teachers are judged on the accuracy of everything they write, whether it is a letter to parents or an email to a principal or a worksheet for students. Your written products – including, but not limited to, papers, lesson plans, and emails – should include appropriate and accurate spelling, grammar, punctuation, syntax, format, and English usage. You should expect that all assignments will be evaluated on these writing skills, in addition to any other expectations of a particular assignment. The UNT Writing Lab (Sage Hall, 152) offers one-on-one consultation to assist students with their writing assignments. To use this resource, call (940) 565-2563 or visit https://ltc.unt.edu/labs/unt-writing-lab-home.

APA:

EDEC 4633 is a professional development course contributing to teacher certification and entry into the teaching profession. All course work will be evaluated as a professional product. Spelling, punctuation, grammar, and appearance are factors in the grading of each assignment. If indicated, students must follow the formatting guidelines found in the 6th edition of the Publication of the American Psychological Association (APA). Examples of APA formatting are available on Blackboard. If a student submits an assignment or paper and fails to use APA, the student will lose points.

Late Work:

The assessments and assignments in this course are available for a minimum of 3 days; other items are available all semester long. For this reason, late work is not accepted.

Grading and Grade Reporting:

Grading rubrics for all assignments can be found on the course Blackboard Learn website with the assignment. Students are encouraged to review the grading rubrics to guide them in successfully completing all assignments.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS):

The following TEKS for Social Studies correspond to the information presented in this course.

Kindergarten:

(7) Economics. The student understands the importance of jobs. The student is expected to: (A) identify jobs in the home, school, and community; and (B) explain why people have jobs.

(8) Government. The student understands the purpose of rules. The student is expected to: (A) identify purposes for having rules; and (B) identify rules that provide order, security, and safety in the home and school.

(9) Government. The student understands the role of authority figures. The student is expected to: (A) identify authority figures in the home, school, and community; and (B) explain how authority figures make and enforce rules.

(11) Culture. The student understands similarities and differences among people. The student is expected to: (A) identify personal attributes common to all people such as physical characteristics; and (B) identify differences among people.

(12) Culture. The student understands how people learn about themselves through family customs and traditions. The student is expected to: (A) identify family customs and traditions and explain their importance; and (B) compare family customs and traditions; and (C) describe customs of the local community.

1st Grade:

(10) Economics. The student understands the value of work. The student is expected to: (A) describe the requirements of various jobs and the characteristics of a job well performed; and (B) describe how specialized jobs contribute to the production of goods and services.

(11) Government. The student understands the purpose of rules and laws. The student is expected to: (A) explain the need for rules and laws in the home, school, and community; and (B) give examples of rules or laws that establish order, provide security, and manage conflict.

(12) Government. The student understands the role of authority figures, public officials, and citizens. The student is expected to: (A) identify the responsibilities of authority figures in the home, school, and community; (B) identify and describe the roles of public officials in the community, state, and nation; and (C) identify and describe the role of a good citizen in maintaining a constitutional republic.

(13) Citizenship. The student understands characteristics of good citizenship as exemplified by historical figures and other individuals. The student is expected to: (A) identify characteristics of good citizenship, including truthfulness, justice, equality, respect for oneself and others, responsibility in daily life, and participation in government by educating oneself about the issues, respectfully holding public officials to their word, and voting.

(15) Culture. The student understands the importance of family beliefs, customs, language, and traditions. The student is expected to: (A) describe and explain the importance of various beliefs, customs, language, and traditions of families and communities.

2nd Grade:

3rd Grade:

(11) Citizenship. The student understands characteristics of good citizenship as exemplified by historical and contemporary figures. The student is expected to: (A) identify characteristics of good citizenship, including truthfulness, justice, equality, respect for oneself and others, responsibility in daily life, and participation in government by educating oneself about the issues, respectfully holding public officials to their word, and voting; and (C) identify and explain the importance of individual acts of civic responsibility, including obeying laws, serving the community, serving on a jury, and voting.

(12) Citizenship. The student understands the impact of individual and group decisions on communities in a constitutional republic. The student is expected to: (A) give examples of community changes that result from individual or group decisions; and (B) identify examples of actions individuals and groups can take to improve the community.

(13) Culture. The student understands ethnic and/or cultural celebrations of the local community and other communities. The student is expected to: (A) explain the significance of various ethnic and/or cultural celebrations in the local community and other communities; and (B) compare ethnic and/or cultural celebrations in the local community with other communities.

4th Grade:

(19) Culture. The student understands the contributions of people of various racial, ethnic, and religious groups to Texas. The student is expected to: (A) identify the similarities and differences among various racial, ethnic, and religious groups in Texas; (B) identify customs, celebrations, and traditions of various cultural, regional, and local groups in Texas such as Cinco de Mayo, Oktoberfest, the Strawberry Festival, and Fiesta San Antonio; and (C) summarize the contributions of people of various racial, ethnic, and religious groups in the development of Texas such as Lydia Mendoza, Chelo Silva, and Julius Lorenzo Cobb Bledsoe.

5th Grade:

(22) Culture. The student understands the contributions of people of various racial, ethnic, and religious groups to the United States. The student is expected to: (A) identify the similarities and differences within and among various racial, ethnic, and religious groups in the United States; (B) describe customs and traditions of various racial, ethnic, and religious groups in the United States; and (C) summarize the contributions of people of various racial, ethnic, and religious groups to our national identity.

6th Grade:

(12) Government. The student understands various ways in which people organize governments. The

student is expected to: (A) identify and give examples of governments with rule by one, few, or many.

(13) Citizenship. The student understands that the nature of citizenship varies among societies. The student is expected to: (A) describe roles and responsibilities of citizens in various contemporary societies, including the United States; (B) explain how opportunities for citizens to participate in and influence the political process vary among various contemporary societies; and (C) compare the role of citizens in the United States with the role of citizens from various contemporary societies with representative and nonrepresentative governments.

(14) Citizenship. The student understands the relationship among individual rights, responsibilities,

duties, and freedoms in societies with representative governments. The student is expected to: (A) identify and explain the duty of civic participation in societies with representative governments; and

(B) explain relationships among rights, responsibilities, and duties in societies with representative governments.

(15) Culture. The student understands the similarities and differences within and among cultures in

various world societies. The student is expected to: (A) define culture and the common traits that unify a culture region; (B) identify and describe common traits that define cultures; (C) define a multicultural society and consider both the positive and negative qualities of multiculturalism; (D) analyze the experiences and evaluate the contributions of diverse groups to multicultural societies; (E) analyze the similarities and differences among various world societies; and (F) identify and explain examples of conflict and cooperation between and among cultures.