Course Credit: 4
PSY M 503: Early Childhood Development and Education
Credit Hours: 4
Introduction to the Course
Early childhood development and education is an important determinant of wellbeing over an individual’s lifetime. This course is planned to prepare students with the knowledge, skills and values related to the development and education of the young child. As students will involve with the different domains of development and education by studying this course, they will be afforded opportunities for understanding child development and education in various context with sensitivity to varying abilities and competencies of children. Topics such as human growth and development, research methods used in this area, the importance of attachment in the early childhood period, school readiness, the importance of play and creativity in learning are commonly included here.
Course Objectives
The core objective of designing this course curriculum is to familiarize students at the post graduate level with fundamental concepts, theories and research methodologies used in early childhood development and education with the addition of several learning strategies used for early childhood education. The specific objectives are as follows-
1. Gain knowledge of the basic terminologies, the emergence of the fields, and implications for Early Childhood Development and Early Childhood Education.
2. Gain knowledge of the research methods used in studying Early Childhood Development and Early Childhood Education.
3. Know the genetic principles, methods of behavioral genetics, and biological beginning of life and how genetic abnormalities can influence early life, theories of attachment, factors affecting attachment security, and its effects on Early Childhood Development and Education.
4. Know the nature and scope of physical and sexual abuse in the early years and its influence on development and education. Also, know the preventions and treatments to alleviate the effects.
5. Gain knowledge of the factors affecting school readiness (i.e., children as a self, family, community, etc.), the whole-school approach, and the individualized education approach used for children to maximize their learning potential.
6. Know how children can be educated by different play strategies, learning through play at home and outside, the importance of play as a pillar of early education, and the role of creativity, animation in childhood learning and development.
7. Get acquainted with the present status of the field in first-world countries and contemporary challenges faced in the Asia Pacific.
Course Contents and Number of Classes (Lecture Hour)
Unit No.
|
Topics
|
No. of classes
|
1
|
Introduction to Early Childhood Development and Education
1.1. Definition of Early Childhood Development and Early
Childhood Education
1.2. Historical Development of Early Childhood Development
1.3. Early Childhood Education as a field in the making
1.4. Early Childhood as a time to intervene for education
1.5. Implication for practice in Early Childhood Development
and Education
|
05
|
2
|
Research Methodologies used in Child Development and Early Childhood Education
2.1. Observational method used in Child Development
2.1.1. Open Methods: Case History/Diary, Specimen Description
2.1.2. Closed Methods: Event Sampling, Trait Rating, Time
Sampling, Field Unit, Analysis
2.2. Experimental Studies used in Child Development
2.2.1. Threats to Experimental Validity
2.2.2. Relevance of Experiment
2.3. Research methods in early childhood education
2.3.1 Systematic Research Methodologies
2.3.2 Qualitative Research Methodologies
|
07
|
3
|
Biological Beginning
3.1. Some Genetic Principles
3.2. Methods used by Behavior Geneticists
3.3. Abnormalities in Genes and Chromosomes
3.4. Genetic Counselling
|
05
|
4
|
Attachment theory and its effects on Early Childhood Development and Education
4.1. Measuring the security of attachment
4.2. Stability of attachment
4.3. Cultural variations
4.4. Factors affecting attachment security
4.5. Attachment and its effects on Early Childhood Development and
Education
|
06
|
5
|
Child Abuse and its effects on Early Childhood Development and Education
5.1. Physical Abuse’s Nature and Scope of the Problem
5.1.1. Etiology, Risk and Protective Factors
5.1.2. Correlates and Effects of Physical Abuse on Early
Childhood Development and Education
5.1.3. Assessment, Prevention and Treatment of Physical Abuse
5.2. Sexual Abuse’s Nature and Scope of the Problem
5.2.1. Etiology, Risk and Protective Factors
5.2.2. Correlates and Effects of Sexual Abuse on Early
Childhood Development and Education
5.2.3. Assessment, Prevention and Treatment of Sexual Abuse
|
07
|
6
|
School Readiness in Early Childhood Development and Early Childhood Education
6.1. School Readiness
6.1.1. Children's readiness for school
6.1.2. Schools' readiness for children
6.1.3. Family and community supports and services that
contribute to children’s readiness for school success
6.2. Readiness conditions
6.3. Essential elements and importance of school readiness
|
06
|
7
|
Whole School Approaches & Individualized Education Approaches in Kindergarten
7.1. Whole School Approach
7.1.1. Definitions, Inclusion means all
7.1.2. How ready is your school for inclusive practice?
7.1.3. Readiness for inclusive practice
7.1.4. An example in practice
7.2. Individualized Education Approach
7.2.1. Individualized Education Plan
7.2.2. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
7.2.3. Individualized Family Service Plan
7.2.4. Portage Project
|
06
|
8
|
Learning by Playing
8.1. Learning by Playing
8.1.1. Definition of Play as an important strategy for learning
8.1.2. Theories of Play
8.1.2.1. Psychoanalytic theory
8.1.2.2. Cognitive-developmental theory
8.1.2.3. Socio-cultural and ecological theories
8.1.2.4. Evolutionary and comparative theories
8.2. Development of play as a learning strategy
8.3. Learning through play in organized pre-primary setting, at home and
in the community, in the early grades of primary school
8.4. Meaningful play, importance of classroom playing and Outdoor
Playing
|
07
|
9
|
Creativity and Education
9.1. Conceptualizing creativity
9.2. The role of creativity in learning
9.3. Creativity and young children
9.4. A Framework of Creativity
9.5. Creative curriculum and a case study for the potential use of
animation in Classroom
9.6. Future direction
|
06
|
10
|
Early Childhood Education’s present status around the world, and Contemporary issues and challenges in Asia Pacific
10.1. Early Childhood Education’s present status around the world
10.1.1. US, UK, France, Brazil, SA, Australia
10.2. Contemporary issues and challenges in Asia Pacific
10.2.2. China, Singapore, India, Bangladesh
|
05
|
Total number of classes: 60
Learning Outcomes
Unit 1: Understand and describe the definition, history in the making of the field, early childhood as a time to intervene for better learning, and implication of Early Childhood Development and Education as an important field of study in Psychology.
Unit 2: Understand and narrate the types of observational methods used in child development research, relevance and threats of experimental studies, systematic and qualitative research methods used in early education research.
Unit 3: Acquire knowledge and narrate the biological beginning of life, genetic abnormalities, and methods used by the behavioral geneticist to study the biological basis of life and its impact on later life’s development and education.
Unit 4: Understand and narrate the attachment theory, sense of security, and stability in early life and the effects of insecure attachments with a primary caregiver on overall childhood development and education.
Unit 5: Acquire knowledge and describe the nature, scope, risk, and protective factors of physical and sexual abuse during early childhood and in pre-schools. Also, learn what preventive measures and treatments can be put in place to mitigate the negative impacts of those abuses on the children to facilitate normal development in the early years.
Unit 6: Understand and describe the children, family, and community’s readiness for the little one to go to school and support the family and educational institute as a whole. Also, learn the essential elements of school readiness and family’s preparedness and readiness conditions for dealing with any problems of the children going to school.
Unit 7: Acquire knowledge and narrate the meaning of inclusive practice as a part of the whole school approach of early childhood education, school’s readiness to provide the same and be prepared to focus on individualized education, and provide family service for the special needs children in need.
Unit 8: Understand and describe the definition and development of the play as an effective learning strategy, theories of play as part of education in early life, learning through play in pre-primary, home, and in the community setting, and the importance of classroom and outdoor play in early childhood education and development.
Unit 9: Acquire knowledge and describe the concept and the role of creativity in early childhood education, how creativity and animation can foster learning among young children in the classroom setting and at home, a framework of creativity, and future direction needed to promote learning by creativity.
Unit 10: Understand and describe the current status of the field around the world, especially in developed countries of the world, and the Contemporary issues and challenges for the countries of the Asia Pacific region.
Instructional Strategies (Mode of Teaching)
This course tracks both lectures (with or without a multimedia projector) and group discussion. Students must read the course materials referenced beforehand to be able to grasp the lecture materials fully, and effectually participate during discussion sessions. For lectures in the physical setting, students ought to abstain from using all types of electronic gadgets (i.e., laptops, mobile, tablet, iPad, etc.). For exceptional conditions such as online class use of those electronic devices mentioned earlier will be allowed but standard decorum of class such as maintaining silence, engage in meaningful discussion will have to be followed. Attendance is mandatory for both physical lectures at the university and remote online classes. Students are highly encouraged to communicate with the respective course instructors for problems in understanding the lectures as well as with the course materials and/or any other factors of the class.
Readings
Adrienne, G. (2016). Early Childhood Assessment in School and Clinical Child Psychology. Springer-Verlag New York.
Berndt, T. J. (1997). Child Development. Chicago Brown and Benchmark Publishers.
Bornstein, M. H. & Lamb, M. E. (1988). Developmental Psychology: An Advanced Textbook. New
Jersey. Lawrence Erbaum. Associates, Publishers.
Clarke-Stewart, A., Friedman, S. & Coch, J. (1985). Child Development: A Topical Approach. John Wiley & Sons.
Krogh, S. L. & Slentz, K. L. (2010). Routledge. Early Childhood Education: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (2nd Ed.). Routledge.
Lyman, D. R. & Hembre-Kigin, T. L. (1994). Mental Health Interventions with Preschool Children. pleunum Press.
Minyi, L., Jillian, F., Susan, G. (2017). Contemporary Issues and Challenge in Early Childhood Education in the Asia-Pacific Region. Springer Singapore.
New, R. S. & Cochran, M. (2007). Early Childhood Education: An International Encyclopedia 1st Edition (Vol. 1-4). Praeger Publishers, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881, USA.
Santrock, J. W. (1997). Children. New York. McGraw Hill.
Saracho, O. N. (2015). Handbook of Research Methods in Early Childhood Education: Review of Research Methodologies (Vol. 1). Information Age Publishing Inc. Charlotte, NC, USA.