School of Education
Phoenix Campus
Mission: Wayland Baptist University exists to educate students in an
academically challenging, learning focused, and distinctively Christian
environment for professional success, lifelong learning, and service to God and
humankind.
Principles of Caring for Preschool Children
ECHD3301
Winter 2012 Phoenix Campus Term
(November 12, 2012 - February 16, 2013)
Instructor’s Name: Brenda O. Mann M.Ed
Phone: May Leave message at WBU Campus. (602) 279-1011
E-mail Address: borellana.orellana78@gmail.com (prefer email)
Office Hours: By Appointment
Catalog Course Description: This course serves as an overview of the basic
principles that represent best practices in early childhood education. This course
emphasizes an appropriate learning environment with practical applications
based on current research. Students will learn how to observe developmental
levels, design appropriate activities, and how to support children in their learning.
Prerequisites: None
Required Resource Materials:
A. Student Textbook- Gestwicki, C. (2011). Developmentally Appropriate
Practice: Curriculum and development in early education (4th ed.)
Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.
B. Access to Program Guidelines for High Quality Early Education: Birth
Through Kindergarten
Course Learning Outcomes:
1. Students develop a broad sense of who children are and can describe roles
children assume as individuals, as group members, as family members, and as
members of cultural and linguistic communities.
2. Students will use their understanding of young children’s characteristics and
needs to create environments that are healthy, respectful, supportive, and
challenging for all children.
3. Students will use their understanding of relationships with children and families
to identify ways to connect to children and families.
4. Students will use their understanding of relationships with children and families
that will promote positive development and learning of content knowledge
through developmentally effective approaches.
5. Students will use systematic observation to document the qualities, needs, and
attributes of children.
Competencies For This Course:
1. Students will use developmental knowledge to create healthy, respectful,
supportive, and challenging learning environments.
2. Students will know and understand the multiple influences on development
and learning.
3. Students will create thoughtful, appreciative, systematic observation, and
documentation of unique qualities to meet the needs of children.
Attendance Policy:
1. Campus Attendance Policy: Students enrolled at Wayland Baptist University
should make every effort to attend all class meetings. The University expects
students to make class attendance a priority. All absences must be explained to
the instructor who will decide whether omitted work may be made up. When a
student reaches a number of absences considered by the instructor to be
excessive, the instructor will so advise the student and file an Unsatisfactory
Progress Report in the office of the Dean. Any student who misses twenty-five
(25%) or more of the regularly scheduled class meetings may receive a grade of
F for that course. Student grade appeals should be addressed, in writing, to the
campus dean.
Blackboard:
Students in this course are expected to log-in to the Blackboard site on at least a
weekly basis to check for announcements, changes in schedule, etc. from the
instructor. The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this syllabus
and/or course schedule as deemed necessary. It is the student’s responsibility to
be aware of any changes made to the course syllabus (schedule changes, etc.),
as will be announced by the instructor. Should you have any difficulties with your
Blackboard account, please contact the instructor and/or Virtual Campus at 806291-1720 or the Wayland Helpline at 1-800-203-9048. There is also a link on the
WBU website to request help from the Virtual Campus for any problems that
occur during an online class. Please visit this site at:
http://www.wbu.edu/academics/online_programs/VCContact/studentcontact.htm.
Disability Statement:
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), it is the
policy of Wayland Baptist University that no otherwise qualified person with a
disability be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be
subject to discrimination under any educational program or activity in the
University. The Coordinator of Counseling Services serves as the coordinator of
students with a disability and should be contacted concerning accommodation
requests at (806) 291-3765. Documentation of a disability must accompany any
request for accommodations. It is the responsibility of the student to disclose and
to provide documentation pertaining to the disability so that appropriate
modifications may be made.
Academic Honesty:
University students are expected to conduct themselves according to the highest
standards of academic honesty. Academic misconduct for which a student is
subject to penalty includes all forms of cheating, such as illicit possession of
examinations or examination materials, forgery, or plagiarism. (Plagiarism is the
presentation of the work of another as one’s own work.)
Disciplinary action for academic misconduct is the responsibility of the
faculty member assigned to the course. The faculty member is charged with
assessing the gravity of any case of academic dishonesty and with giving
sanctions to any student involved. Penalties may be applied to individual cases
of academic dishonesty: See the 2011-2012 University Catalog (pg. 88) for more
information about academic honesty.
Course Requirements:
1. The student will attend class, read all assigned materials, participate in class
activities, field experiences, and assignments, and will behave in a professional
manner. Students will complete all assignments at the appropriate time: due
dates are important!
2. All assigned work must be word-processed.
3. The student will complete in classroom presentations
4. Written assignments
5. Reading Assignments
6. Projects and Other Assignments (observations, field trips, performances)
7. Discussion Board
Evaluation/University Grading System:
A
B
C
D
F
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
Below 60
CR=Credit
NCR=No Credit
I=Incomplete
W=Withdrawal
WP=Withdrawal Passing
WF=Withdrawal Failing
X=No Grade Given
IP=In Progress
*A grade of “CR” indicates that credit in semester hours was granted, but no grade or grade
points were recorded.
*A grade of incomplete is changed if the work required is completed prior to the date indicated in
the official University Calendar of the next long term, unless the instructor designates an earlier
date for completion. If the work is not completed by the appropriate date, the grade of “I” is
converted to the grade of “F”. An incomplete notation cannot remain on the student’s permanent
record and must be replaced by the qualitative grade (A-F) by the date specified in the official
University calendar of the next regular term.
Course Grading Criteria:
Exam 1 (Chapters 1-4)
Exam 2 (Midterm- Chapters 5-8)
Exam 3 (Chapters 9-12)
Exam 4 (Final-Chapters 13-16)
Discussion Board (10)
Curriculum Model Project
Assignments
Attendance and Participation
Observation Project (2)
100 points
100 points
100 points
100 points
100 points
90 points
100 points
60 points
50 points
Exams:
There will be a total of 4 examinations worth a total of 400 points. Exams may
consist of multiple choice, true/false, short answer, and/or essay questions, and
will contain material covered in the required text reading, and/or from activities
and materials presented in class.
Discussion Board: There will be weekly assignment on Black Board. Each
student will post their responses on Black Board and reply to other students in
the class.
Curriculum Model:
Students will evaluate the different curriculum models presented in the text, and
using this information, incorporate elements from each of the models to develop
their own model curriculum for developing positive learning, as well as building
environments that are respectful, challenging, and promote student learning.
Observation Project:
The students will observe in a preschool setting (daycare, church setting,
preschool classroom) for a minimum of 1 hour, and chronicle the observation in a
paper, describing the children’s roles and activities, the teacher’s role and
activities, the physical environment, instructional strategies and how it compares
to what the student has learned about developmentally appropriate practice
throughout the course.
Assignments
Other assignments will be posted on Black Board that might include extra
readings, looking at videos, articles, etc and giving a critique.
Course Schedule (*Subject to Change)
Week
1 (November 12-November 17 )
Reading Assignment
Chapter 1
NO CLASS!
THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
2 (November 26-December 1)
Chapters 3 and 4
3 (December 3-December 8)
Chapters 5 and 6
Class mtg. Dec. 7/8 at WBU
Campus
4 (December 10-December 15)
NO CLASS!
Chapters 7 and 8
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS
5 (January 2-January 5)
Chapters 9 and 10
6 (January 7-January 12)
Chapters 11 and 12
Class mtg. Jan 11/12 at WBU
7 (January 14-January 19)
Chapters 13
8 (January 21-January 26)
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
9 (January 28-February 2)
10 (February 4-February 09)
11 (February 11-February 16)
Class mtg. February 15-16 at WBU
Assignment Due
Read
Syllabus/Discussion
Board 1
Assignment 1
November 19, 2012November 24, 2012
Discussion Board 2/
Exam 1/Assignment 2
Discussion Board 3/
Assignment 3
Exam 2 (Midterm)
December 17 , 2011January 1, 2012
Discussion Board
4/Assignment 4
Discussion Board
5/Exam 3/Curriculum
Model Project due
Discussion Board
6/Assignment 5
Discussion Board 7
Discussion Board 8
Discussion Board 9
Discussion Board
10/Final
Exam/Observations
due
DUE DATES:
Unless otherwise indicated by the instructor, all assignments and exams must be
submitted to the instructor by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday of the week in which it
states the assignment/exam is due. All work turned in after this time, and without
permission of an extension from the instructor, will be considered “late”. A
penalty of 25% off for every day the assignment/exam is late will be assessed to
the total grade. Under no circumstances will a late assignment/exam be accepted
beyond two (2) days of the due date.