Advanced Child Development – EDUC 501

Course Description

An examination of physical, cognitive, spiritual and social/emotional development, and guidance of a young child.

Rationale

“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52, King James Version). This statement of Jesus’s human development encompasses the domains examined in this course: cognitive, physical, social/emotional, and spiritual. An understanding of child development is essential for developmentally appropriate practice in the classroom.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations/notes

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (3)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the candidate is required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt for each Discussion. Each thread must be 400 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. Each thread must be supported by at least 2-3 scholarly citations (preferably from the assigned readings). Additionally, biblical worldview integration with appropriate scripture added is required. In addition to the thread, the candidate is required to reply to two other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be 250 words and incorporate at least one scholarly citation. All sources used must be cited in APA format. Acceptable sources include the Bible, the course textbook and presentations, journal articles, and other scholarly presentations. (CLO: A, B, C, E, G)

Parent Education PowerPoint Presentation Assignment

Each candidate will create a PowerPoint Presentation that could be used for a parent education session. The topic of the presentation will be Physical Development and Nutrition Needs. The presentation will feature the age group the candidate is currently teaching or planning to teach. Information for the presentation must be obtained from the course textbook as well as at least two peer-reviewed journal articles published within the last five years on physical development and nutrition. In addition to an introduction and reference slide, the presentation should have 1-2 slides for each of the following topics: physical growth, gross motor development, fine motor development, brain development, nutrition needs, obesity/eating disorders, physical activity, sleep, and biblical integration. For the biblical integration section, the candidate should support his/her claims with a meaningful scripture reference. The completed work should represent at least a 15-minute presentation. The student should be sure to format his/her in-text citations and reference page within the presentation according to current APA style. (CLO: A, C)

Developmental Case Study Assignments (3)

For this three-part assignment, the candidate will observe 2 children at different levels of development and report on his/her findings. The candidate will make note of characteristics observed in at least 3 developmental domains (physical, cognitive, social/emotional). Each child must be observed for 1-2 hours.

Developmental Case Study: Plan and Permission Form Assignment

Using provided permission form template to complete this assignment, the candidate will identify 2 students in different levels of development (early childhood, middle childhood, or adolescence) and two different families. The candidate should ensure that these children are a minimum of 3 years difference in age to observe children at different levels of development. The candidate should identify the observation setting on the permission form and obtain verbal permission from parents and leadership of any formal setting (if applicable) to complete the observation. The student should submit the completed permission form to Canvas as a Word document. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, G)

Developmental Case Study: Annotated References Assignment

For this assignment, the candidate will create an annotated reference list in preparation for completing the final case study paper. A minimum of three sources are required for this assignment, which consist of two peer-reviewed educational journal articles published within the last six years and the course text. The two articles selected must be submitted as an annotated reference list with an APA-formatted reference for each article followed by a 1-2-paragraph summary of the article's content. The articles should be related to two different topics associated with cognitive, physical, or social development. For the course text, the candidate will cite sections of the text that identify behaviors that would be considered typical for the developmental level of the students being observed. The candidate must then provide the direct text quotations he/she will use to support his/her observations in the final paper. The candidate will provide one quote for each of the domains covered in the paper (cognitive, physical, social/emotional) for each of the students being observed, for a total of six cited quotations from the text. Each direction quotation should contain in-text citations formatted in current APA formatting. The candidate should use the provided template in Canvas to complete the assignment. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, G)

Developmental Case Study: Paper Assignment

After completing the observations, the candidate will write 2-3 pages for each student (for a total of a 4-6-page paper) describing the behaviors observed in each of the three domains (cognitive, physical, mental/social) and indicate whether the behaviors are typical for each child's development based on course readings, expected milestones, and current research. The paper should be organized with headings for each student, followed by an introduction for each student that contains the students' demographics, school and family placement, and notable characteristics/traits, as well as the location of the observations. Following this, the student will provide subheadings to clearly label the developmental domains discussed. Within the written narrative, the candidate should make connections to journal articles chosen and the six quotes from the textbook identified in the Developmental Case Study: Annotated References Assignment. The paper should be formatted according to current APA style. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, G)

Journal Article Review Assignments (2)

Each candidate will access a journal article related to the topic for the week. For the Journal Article Review: Emotional Development Assignment, the candidate will find and read one peer-reviewed journal article regarding emotional development published within the last six years that is aligned with the age group he/she already teaches or desires to teach. For the Journal Article Review: Spiritual Development Assignment, the candidate will select one of the three article choices provided within the assignment as assignment resources. For the first page of the paper, the candidate will give a general review and summary of the information presented in the article. For the second page of the paper, the candidate will provide practical application of the information he/she learned in the article by concluding with ideas related to how the information would affect classroom instruction. The textbook is a good source of information that the candidate may use to support his/her response, but the candidate is also welcome to seek ideas from other sources or his/her own experience. Reviews should be kept to less than 3 pages, excluding the title page and reference page. The submission must adhere to current APA formatting. (CLO: A, B, D, E, F)

Quizzes (14)

Each quiz will cover the assigned reading material for the respective module: week. Each quiz will be open-book, contain 25 multiple-choice questions (a couple quizzes may contain some true/false questions), allow for one attempt, and have no time limit. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E)