Course:

CD 2 and PSYC 2: Early Child Growth & Development, 3 units,

I am very much looking forward to facilitating your learning experience this semester. Fostering the optimum growth and development of children is my passion, and I hope it will soon become yours as well.

Plan to give the class all the attention you would an in-person class, however. You will need to spend 54 hours in our virtual classroom and approximately twice that reading the text and preparing assignments. Your participation in discussion forums must take place during the week(s) in which they appear and before the due date in order to receive credit. You must participate every week in order to stay in the class. DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELF TO FALL BEHIND! It is impossible to catch up once you do.

This class will be taught entirely on the internet.

Office hours by appointment: (send me an email to arrange in-person or telephone meetings).   

See you online!

Dr. B.

Introductory
Statement:

This course is offered as part of Gavilan College's Child Development major programs for a Certificate of Completion in Early Childhood Education or an Associate Degree in Child Development. It can also be used (as Psych 2) to meet three of the sixteen General Education unit requirements for the Child Development Teacher Permit. CD2/Psych2 also meets a Social Science lower division general education requirement for the Associate Degree or the California State University Breadth Requirements.

Students will be required to the read the textbook, online lecture modules, and linked articles, as well as to participate in regular online discussions (asynchronous). Students will be evaluated on their online participation, written assignments, and online examinations. APA bibliographic format will be required in all written assignments. Please prepare yourself by reviewing the APA Guide that will be posted in the Resource section of the class, and/or the APA website (http://apastyle.apa.org/).

Optional Class Meetings

All students are encouraged to attend an online or live orientation to Moodle, the software used for the online classes at Gavilan College. Information about these orientations can be found on the main Distance Education web site, http://www.gavilan.edu/disted/.

Course
Description:

This course examines typical and atypical development within the psychosocial, cognitive, and physical domains from conception through the preschool years. Upon completion of this course students will be able to evaluate theories and research of child development and effectively apply and communicate their understanding through observation and evaluation. This course is listed both as CD 2 and PSYC 2, and has the option of a letter grade or credit/no credit.

Required
Text:

Order online or from the Gavilan Bookstore

1. Students requiring special services or arrangements because of hearing, visual or other disability should contact their instructor, counselor, advisor, or the Disabled Students Services.
2. Limited English language skills will not be a barrier to admittance to and participation in vocational programs.
3. Students are expected to exercise academic honesty and integrity.   Violations such as cheating and plagiarism will result in disciplinary action which may include recommendation for dismissal.
4. The college policy on attendance, as stated in the catalog is: "students missing one more class hour than the unit value for a particular course, without making prior arrangements may, at the instructor's option be dropped without possibility of credit." (You can expect to spend just as many hours in your “virtual” classroom as in a regular, face-to-face, classroom.)

Educational
Objectives
to be
Achieved:

At the end of this course, students are expected to

1. Define the study of human development and discuss some of its major themes

2. Define developmental theory, and describe how theories help explain human behavior.

3. Explain how scientists attempt to distinguish the effects of genes (nature) and environment (nurture) on human development.

4. Describe the normal process of birth, specifying the events of each stage.

5. Describe the basic reflexes of the newborn, and distinguish between gross motor skills and fine motor skills.

6. Describe language development during the first two years, and identify the major hallmarks.

7. Discuss Erik Erikson's first two stages of psychosocial development, and offer examples of how caregivers can encourage trust and autonomy in their chilren.

8. Explain social learning theory as an extension of learning theory, focusing specifically on fathers as role models for their children.

9. Describe changes in eating habits and nutritional needs during the preschool years.

10. Explain the role of fast mapping in children's acquisition of language

11. Discuss the role of play in the development of social skills, focusing on the benefits of sociodramatic play.

12. Discuss some things that parents can do to encourage the healthy development of their preschooler. 

Course
Grading
System

Final course grades consist of a percentage of the total points accumulated -- a possible 100 points.  

A Note
from the
Instructor:

GOOD LUCK!   You are about to embark on a very exciting field of study.   I will try to assist you in any way that I can to make this class a rewarding experience.   To ensure that you are not dropped from the class for lack of participation, log in by February 1 and post an introduction in the Let's Get Acquainted Forum, then, participate at least weekly throughout the semester. Dr. B.