DFST 3123 on-line class
Child Development, Spring 2012
Dr. Angela Nievar Office: 304 E Matthews Hall
Phone: 940-891-6800 Office Hours: 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Email: Tuesday-Thursday and by appointment
Required Text:
Berk, L. E. Infants and children: Prenatal through middle childhood (7th edition).
Course Description:
Survey of physical, cognitive, language, social, and emotional development in early and middle childhood (3 to 11 years). Requires observation.
Learning Objectives:
1. Identify physical, social-emotional, and cognitive characteristics of children ages 3-11.
2. Learn how to apply information to parenting, teaching, and child service situations.
3. Learn about major theories guiding research and practice in the area of child development.
4. Learn how to gather information about children and evaluate that information.
5. Demonstrate awareness of how families influence child development, and how family functioning is influenced by the broader context.
6. Learn about social policy issues related to children and families, and link relevant research findings with policy issues that affect children’s development.
Course Requirements:
1. Participation in discussions and readings. Participation in Wimba Live is optional, but you are responsible for archived material.
2. You will need to configure your computer to work with Blackboard Vista. The student helpdesk can help you if you have problems. Videos are accessible via Real Player.
3. Child observation at Child Development Lab or other pre-approved site and a summary of observation, including an application of theories or concepts from class materials.
4. Quizzes, midterm, and final exam over readings and lectures.
Course Grading:
Grades will be determined on a basis of 100 possible points from the course requirements. Posts are worth 15 points. The quizzes are worth 15 points. The observation paper is worth 20 points. The midterm and final are worth 25 points each.
Extra credit assignments should be two pages double-spaced with 1” margin and 12 pt. font. Each assignment can receive up to one full point added to your final grade. No one can receive more than a total of 2 points extra credit. These extra credit assignments should be posted under the assignment tab. You may attend one day of Texas Council on Family Relations (tx.ncfr.org) in March for 2 extra credit points.
Academic Integrity:
It is expected that you will conform to the University of North Texas Code of Student Conduct and Discipline as outlined in the undergraduate catalog (see also the student Handbook, which can be found online at www.unt.edu). This states in part that all instances of cheating, fabrication, and plagiarism are prohibited and will be reported.
If you have a documented family emergency or serious illness, please call me before the exam (midterm or final). Make-up exams are given only to students with legitimate emergencies (such as serious illness with doctor’s excuse). Except in extreme circumstances (e.g., long hospitalization), make-up exams should be completed within 1 week of the exam.
E-Mail Communcation:
All students should activate and regularly check their Eagle Mail (e-mail) account. Eagle Mail is used for official communication from the University to students. Many important announcements for the University and College are sent to students via Eagle Mail. For information about Eagle Mail, including how to activate an account and how to have Eagle Mail forwarded to another e-mail address, visit https://eaglemail.unt.edu. For the most part, I will be using blackboard mail to communicate about this course. You can have blackboard mail forwarded to another e-mail address, too.
COURSE SCHEDULE
MODULE #1: INTRODUCTION
Remember to read on-line course content and view video clips in each module along with text assignments.
Jan. 18 Read “Start Here” and Course Content, Introduction (Lesson 1) If you have not had an online course at UNT, please go through the tutorial.
Jan. 19 Read History and Theory (Course Content), begin nature and nurture discussion
Text: 3-29
Jan. 24 Nature and nurture posts due
Jan. 24 Read Methods of Research, begin working on research certificate
Text: 29-46
Jan. 26 National Institute of Health research certificate due
Jan. 27-28 QUIZ #1
Jan. 30 Read Genetics and Individual Differences, begin genetics discussion
Text: 60-87
Feb. 3 Genetics posts due
Feb. 3 Prenatal Development, Birth, and the Family, read on-line materials and begin birth discussion.
Text: 92-95, 102-121, 135-141, 154-157
Feb. 10 Birth perspectives posts due
Feb. 10-11 QUIZ #2
Feb. 13 Notes on the Observation Paper
Live Classroom 2 p.m. on Wimba
You can access this live lecture by clicking on your Wimba link on the main page. Please prepare your computer in advance by running the Wimba Wizard. If you can’t be there then, you need to view it later in the archive. This is important information.
MODULE #2
EARLY CHILDHOOD: TWO TO SIX YEARS
Feb. 14 Temperament and Attachment—read the on-line materials
Begin attachment posts
Feb. 20 Attachment posts due
Feb. 20 Physical Development in Early Childhood, begin posts
Text: Chapter 8
Feb. 29 Physical development posts due
Mar. 2-3 QUIZ #3
Mar. 3 Cognitive Development: Behaviorism, imitation--Bandura, and Piaget
Begin make-believe play posts
Text: 317-329
Mar. 7 Vygotsky
Text: 329-338
Mar. 9 Make-believe play posts due
Mar. 12 Autism, IQ, and academics
Text: 338-346
Mar. 15-17 Midterm
Mar. 19-25 SPRING BREAK
Mar. 26 Child care and language, begin language posts
Text: 348-360
Mar. 28 Live classroom: Television and the Media Wimba presentation. Please be there on Wimba if you are available at 2 p.m. You can access this archived presentation.
Mar. 30 Language posts due
Mar. 30-31 QUIZ #4
Apr. 2 Emotional and Social Development, begin first friendship posts
Text: 363-377
Apr. 4 Morality/Gender Differences in the Early Years
Text: 378-405
Apr. 6 First friendship posts due
Apr. 6 Optional media and television extra credit assignment due
Apr. 6-7 QUIZ #5
Apr. 9 OBSERVATION PAPERS DUE TODAY
MODULE # 3
MIDDLE CHILDHOOD: SIX TO ELEVEN YEARS
Apr. 9 Physical Development in Middle Childhood, begin sports posts
Text: Chapter 11
Apr. 13 Sports posts due
Apr. 13 Optional eating habits extra credit assignment due
Apr. 13-14 QUIZ #6
Apr. 14 Read Cognitive Development, start discussion on academics and IQ
Text: 437-449
Apr. 20 Academics and IQ posts due
Apr. 20 Read Academic learning/Intelligence, begin ADHD posts
Text: 450-461
Apr. 25 ADHD posts due
Read Language/Education/Schools
Text: 462-477
Apr. 25-26 QUIZ # 7
Apr. 26 Social and Emotional Development, start self-esteem posts
Text: 482-505
May 1 Family Influences, problems of development, resilience
Text: 506-522
May 3 Self-Esteem posts due
May 2-3 QUIZ #8
May 7-9 FINAL EXAM
DISCUSSIONS
Discussion posts should be at least a paragraph long, meaning 3-5 sentences. Only your first two posts will be considered in grading, but these topics are often controversial and allow for additional discussion. You are welcome to join in the discussion at any time, but be sure to post at least once before the deadline listed on the syllabus. Late posts are not accepted, so you are encouraged to post early. This will make our discussion better than if everyone posts on the last day possible. Even though you probably have your own opinion about some of these topics, it would be best to read your book and on-line materials before posting on each topic. When we get everyone to fill out the survey about where you live, we will assign discussion groups. For people who live really far away and cannot use the Child Development Lab, you can complete an alternative observation assignment. Discussion groups also make it easier to have conversations through posts because they are much smaller than the whole class.
QUIZZES
Quizzes are 10 questions each. You will need to read and study the materials before the quiz, because you only get one try. There is a time limit on the quiz of 9 minutes. If there is a problem with the quiz, such as your computer exploding when you are only halfway finished, please call the student helpdesk immediately. They can provide you with a number that will help you negotiate retaking the quiz. Sometimes they can troubleshoot the problem for you. There are no make-up days for quizzes, because each quiz counts as only a small part of your grade. It is really important that you do the quizzes and the posts, because a zero can affect your grade much more negatively than an F (50% is better than 0%). If you are sick, just drag yourself over to the computer for 10 minutes and do it.
CHILD OBSERVATION
Objectives:
- To refine your observational skills.
- To take careful notes without comments, judgment, or personal bias.
- To review behaviors and relate them to class materials.
- To identify the typical characteristics of a child.
- To write a college level case study according to a specific format.
Procedure:
If you live within 50 miles of the University of North Texas, you should observe at the Child Development Lab. (The entrance is between Matthews and Stovall.) You may sign in there and then be directed to the observation booth. Some children attend only in the mornings, so you may not be able to observe that child in the afternoon on a second visit.
All students will need to fill out the survey link on the main page to be assigned to groups for discussion. It should be up within the first week of class. These groups will also help students who live too far away to attend the lab. For those of you who will be attending the lab, please follow these directions:
- Select a target child at the Child Development Lab.
- For each area of development (physical, social-emotional, cognitive/language), observe and record two types of developmental behavior for each area of development. (2 for physical development, 2 for social-emotional development, 2 for cognitive/language development). Complete a running record of the observation. Include date and time. You will probably need to observe the child more than once.
- Write a 4-5 page case study, using 1-inch margins and Times New Roman 12 pt. font. Use spell-check and grammar-check functions. Grammar will be 5% of the total grade. Use Word (.doc or .docx). The paper should be double-spaced.
- In your introduction, discuss the site and provide a brief description of your target child (such as age, ethnicity, approximate height/weight). Refer to the child by initial rather than name, for example, “R” instead of Robert.
- SUMMARIZE observational notes. You must discuss two relevant concepts, theories, or developmental milestones covered in class or in the text for each area of development.
- Once you have analyzed the data, write your final conclusion. State whether the child is performing at age level expectations. Be sure and remain unbiased and base your opinion on facts about early childhood development.
- Turn in the paper on time via the link to turnitin.com on our course main page.
The Student Evaluation of Teaching Effectiveness (SETE) is a requirement for all organized classes at UNT. This short survey will be made available to you at the end of the semester, providing you a chance to comment on how this class is taught. I am very interested in the feedback I get from students, as I work to continually improve my teaching. I consider the SETE to be an important part of your participation in this class.
ADA Compliance:
The University of North Texas College of Education does not discriminate on the basis of disability in the recruitment and admission of students, the recruitment and employment of faculty and staff, and the operation of any of its programs and activities, as specified by federal laws and regulations. Copies of the College of Education ADA Compliance Document are available in the Dean’s Office, Matthews Hall 214. The student has the responsibility of informing the course instructor of any disabling condition to confirm that modifications will be required in order to avoid discrimination.
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