Department of Child and Family Development
CFD 270L-1 Principles of Child Development Laboratory
Spring 2015
Instructor Contact Information
Instructor: Hsing-chen Tung, Ed. D.
Office: EBA 401
Office hours:
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Monday 11am - 12pm (Walk-In okay)
Monday 12pm - 2pm (By appointments only)
Wednesday 10:15am - 10:45am (By appointments only)
Thursday 10:45am - 11:15am (By appointments only)
Phone: 619 594-4445
Email: htung@mail.sdsu.edu
The best way to contact the instructor is through Email. Please put the course number and
your name in the email subject line. Emails are normally replied within 48 hours during
weekdays. Students may also call during the walk-in office hour.
Section and Enrollment Information
Class meeting: Monday 2pm-2:50pm
Class location: GMCS 306
Schedule number: 20518
Course prerequisites:
 Completion of Psychology 101 with D- or better.
 Completion or concurrent enrollment in CFD 270, PSY 230, or TE 170.
 There is no grade requirement in the prerequisites mentioned above in order to take
CFD 270L, but you cannot move to the CFD Major without a “C” or better.
Enrollment and crashing policies:
 Students will be dropped from the class if transcripts are not received by Monday
1/26. Unofficial SDSU Transcripts are available at www.sdsu.edu/e-services. Highlight
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or circle the information that needs to be checked by the instructor: your name and
major, PSY101, and CFD 270/Psy 230/TE 170.
You may submit either a hard copy or an electronic copy of your transcripts. To submit
the electronic copy of your Degree Audit Report (or transcripts), please click on “Submit
Prerequisites Here” on the side bar after you log into Blackboard. Then click on
“View/Complete” and type your name. The submission title can be your name. Then you
will browse your computer to attach the file.
 Hard copy of negative Tuberculosis clearance (dated Feb 1, 2014 or more current) by
Monday Feb. 2 in class or you will not receive any grade in the course.
Course Description
This course will introduce various recording instruments for examining the
physical/motor, social, emotional, and cognitive development of children from birth
through age five. The course is designed to help students gain a hands-on understanding of
child development through observing children’s behaviors and recording and interpreting
them using various methods.
Student Learning Outcomes
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has implemented
Professional Preparation core standards for PreK-3 teachers. The Early Childhood Educator
Competencies and Personnel Competencies for Early Childhood Mental Health also provide
important guidelines for preparing child and family development professionals. This
course utilizes these standards in identifying course goals/objectives and course
instructional activities, assigning course requirements, and creating assessments. The
following table identifies how these standards are aligned with the Student Learning
Objectives for the course, as well as with each course assignment. Visit the following
Websites for detailed listings of standards.
NAEYC Initial Licensure Standards: http://www.naeyc.org/positionstatements/ppp
Early Childhood Educator Competencies: http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/re/complist.asp
Revised Training Guidelines and Personnel Competencies for Infant-Family and Early
Childhood Mental Health: http://ecmh.dreamhosters.com/wp/wpcontent/uploads/2012/03/training-guidelines.pdf
Student Learning Objectives
Assessment
1. Develop a professional concept
about observing and recording
children’s behaviors
3 observation exercises NAEYC: 3, 5
NAEYC Standards
in-class activities
CA IFECMH:1A, 1B, 1C
2 exams
ECE Comp: 2, 3, 5, 9
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2. Utilize the introduced
recording techniques for
observing the behavior of
children
3 observation exercises NAEYC: 1, 3, 5
3. Interpret the behavior of
children based on written
recordings of different methods
3 observation exercises NAEYC: 1, 3, 5
4. Identify/Differentiate major
characteristics of the recording
instruments introduced in the
course
3 observation exercises NAEYC: 3
in-class activities
CA IFECMH: 1B, 1E
ECE Comp: 9
in-class activities
CA IFECMH: 1B, 1E
ECE Comp: 3, 9
in-class activities
CA IFECMH:1E
2 exams
ECE Comp: 9
CFD Departmental Goals this Course Meets:
Goal #1: Students know and understand typical and atypical development characteristics and
needs across the lifespan.
Goal #5: Students possess high-level communication skills.
Goal #6: Students demonstrate a high level of cultural competence.
Goal #7: Students identify and conduct themselves as a member of the child and family
profession
Course Materials
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A copy of the textbook is on library reserve.
E-book, used and rental copies are available in SDSU bookstore with reduced prices.
Required Text
Bentzen, W. R. (2009). Seeing young children: A guide to observing and recording behavior
(6th ed.). New York, NY: Delmar Learning. (ISBN-10: 1-4180-7378-4)
Recommended Text
American Psychological Association (2010). Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological
Association. (ISBN 10: 1-4338-0561-8; This text can be purchased online for about
$20.)
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Assessment and Grading
Assignments and Exams
Required assignments
Points possible
Three observation exercises:
180 (60 points each)
Exams:
180 (90 points each)
Students will have one midterm and the final exam will be on
Monday, May 4. Students will have 50 minutes to complete each
exam. The tests will be a combination of true/false, multiple-choice,
matching, fill-in-the-blank, short-answer, and designing-anobservation-chart questions. Students will need a pen or pencil. The
final is not cumulative.
Be on time for the exam. If you are late for the exam and a student
has already finished it and left the classroom, you will receive a zero
for the exam.
No exam will be given to students before the scheduled exam time.
A make-up exam will not be given except in the event of
extraordinary circumstances beyond the control of the student (e.g.
severe illness or death in the family). In such situations, email the
instructor immediately and later, provide a written documentation
by an appropriate professional.
In-class activities (unannounced):
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Several times throughout the semester, students will participate in
activities during class. These will be unannounced and may take
place at the beginning, middle, or end of class. Students must write
their own names on the in-class activity sheets.
Students who arrive 15 minutes late (by classroom clock) to class
may not write their names on the activity sheets. Likewise, students
who leave class early, after completing the activity, will not receive
credit. An in-class assignment needs to be handed in right after it is
finished for credit. Falsification will result in no credit for the activity,
plus additional point reduction in the course score.
TOTAL
400
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Final Grades
Please be advised that we do not round up for the final grade (e.g., 79.5% to be round up to B-).
Final grades will be based on the total points earned. How the total points are converted into the
final grades is as follows:
A = 372-400 points
A- = 360-371 points
B+ = 348-359 points
B = 332-347 points
B- = 320-331 points
C+ = 308-319 points
C = 292-307 points
C- = 280-291 points
D+ = 268-279points
D = 252-267 points
D- = 240-251 points
F = < 240 points
Grading Policies
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All observation assignments must be turned in at the beginning of the class on the
day they are due. Both the hard copy and the Turnitin copy need to be on time.
Ten minutes into class, the assignments are considered late. An assignment will receive
a reduction of 20 points for being late each week. With the 20 points reduction, use the
week until next class meeting to make the late assignment a good one so you earn all
the rest of the points.
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Assignments delivered via E-mail are not accepted. However, if you are not able to
turn in your assignments during class because of extraordinary circumstances, your
Turn-It-In copy still needs to be submitted by the time it is due, and you need bring a
hard copy of the assignment and a documentation signed by a professional by the next
class. After verification of your circumstances, your assignments will then be
considered on time. The last day to turn in all assignments is 2pm on Monday May 4.
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Attempts to correct any error in earned points would not be honored if it has been two
weeks since the points were posted on Blackboard. Within a week after points are
earned, grades will be posted. Please monitor your own progress and contact the
instructor immediately if you suspect any error.
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Missed in-class assignments must be made up within two weeks after your absence. A
written documentation signed by an appropriate professional is needed to make up an
in-class activity. Each student is allowed only one absence for the semester and may
make up the missed in-class assignment without documentation.
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CFD 270L-1 (Monday) Course Activities and Schedule
Date
Topic
1/26
Introduction to the course
2/2
Introduction: What is observation?
Readings
Assignments / Activities
Chapter 1, 3, 4
Due: copy of TB clearance
Chapter 5
Due: 5-min observation
General guidelines for observing children
Methods, behavior, plans, and contexts
2/9
Observation and recording methods
Objective V.S. Subjective
Introduction to the SDSU Children’s Center
2/16
Children’s Center
2/23
Observing the newborn
3/2
3/9
Tour of SDSU Children’s
Center; meet at the end
of hallway
Explanation of observation
exercise #1
Narrative descriptions
Chapter 6, 14;
Instructions for
Observation Exercise #1
Observing the infant
Chapter 13, 15
Brief review for exam #1
Interpretation and evaluation; APA writing
Review APA writing style
Observing the toddler
Chapter 11, 16;
Instructions for
Observation Exercise #2
Frequency counts and duration records
3/16
Exam #1
Ch. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 13,
14, 15, 16
3/23
Observing the toddler
Chapter 8, 16
Due: Observation exercise
#1; Explanation of
observation exercise #2
Event sampling
3/30
Enjoy your spring break!
4/6
Observing the preschooler
Time sampling
Chapter 7, 16;
Instructions for
Observation Exercise #3
Due: Observation exercise
#2; Explanation of
observation exercise #3
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Date
Topic
Readings
4/13
Observing the preschooler
Chapter 12, 16
Assignments / Activities
Checklists
4/20
Observing the preschooler
Chapter 12, 16
Due: Observation exercise
#3
Review of exam #2
Rating Scales
4/27
Anecdotal records
Chapter 10
5/4
Exam #2
Chapter 7, 8, 10, 12, 16
Course Assignments
Three observation exercises
Students will complete three observation exercises throughout the semester. For this
assignment, children of various ages will be observed in the SDSU Associated Students
Children’s Center. Students will record and interpret children’s behaviors by following the
instructions. Each observation exercise must be word-processed, unless other specified,
and written in the proper format. Instructions will be posted on Blackboard, but details will
be discussed in class on 2/23, 3/9, and 4/6.
The observation exercises must be done at the SDSU Associated Students Children’s
Center; no other locations are acceptable. You will sign up for your observation times a few
weeks before each observation. Please plan ahead for your observations!
Course Policies and Expectations
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Participation in class, including listening, taking notes, and speaking up
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Be present for detailed instructions for three observation exercises (2/23, 3/9, and
4/6)
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Completion of readings and assignments on time
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Download and print out the PowerPoint slide presentation for each lecture. The slides
will be posted on Blackboard a few days before each lecture.
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College-level quality writing: legible and proofread. An assignment will be returned to
you prior to grading if it is difficult to read. In most cases, your assignments will then be
late and you will lose points. Consider using the free Mentoring Services provided by
the CFD department to improve your writing and study skills if necessary. The
application form is posted under “course documents” on Blackboard.
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Conduct of integrity: Plagiarism is SIX or more words in succession borrowed from
another student’s work or published literature without quotation marks. Rephrasing
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others’ ideas without citation is also plagiarism. Instances of cheating and plagiarism
will result in failure of the course and referral for disciplinary procedures.
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Classroom etiquette: Turn off cell phones prior to class. Headsets and cell phones are
not allowed during class and the exams. Laptops are a great device for taking lecture
notes, but it is very disrespectful to be emailing and surfing the Internet during class.
Please refrain from chatting and other inappropriate behaviors during class. Points will
be deducted for such behaviors.
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The course syllabus, assignments, and announcements will be posted on Blackboard.
Announcements might also be sent via Email. It is recommended that students provide
an SDSU Rohan student Email account for Blackboard and check for course
communication on a regular basis.
Student Blackboard Support: http://its.sdsu.edu/blackboard/BB9/index.html
Guidelines for Turnitin.com: Students agree that by taking this course all required
papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for
the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents
in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of
such papers. You may submit your papers in such a way that no identifying information
about you is included. Another option is that you may request, in writing, that your
papers not be submitted to Turnitin.com. However, if you choose this option you will be
required to provide documentation to substantiate that the papers are your original
work and do not include any plagiarized material.
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Student work samples: Your works, without the name, may be selected by the
instructor to keep on file. The work that is selected will be used solely for the purposes
of evaluation from higher education accreditation institutions (e.g., NAEYC, NCATE).
Teaching Methods
Lectures will be used to introduce the recording techniques. During the lectures, whole
group discussions will be used to stimulate critical thinking. I will be asking you questions
so that your practical knowledge gained from experiences with children will be included to
enrich the lectures.
Multimedia, such as video clips and photos of children, will be shown for you to practice
observation skills. Individual and small group activities will take place for you to discuss
the lectured concepts or practice using the introduced recording techniques with coaching
and guidance from me (before you go home and do your observation exercises). After the
in-class opportunities of working out some problems, you will become more confident
doing your observation exercises. Therefore, attendance is very important.
Since this is a lab class, in addition to textbook reading and class attending, your major
course work will involve several observation exercises to expand your understanding of
child development and methods of studying children.
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Student Disability Services (http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/sds/)
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this
class, it is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. To
avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student
Disability Services as soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not
retroactive, and that I cannot provide accommodations based upon disability until I have
received an accommodation letter from Student Disability Services. Your cooperation is
appreciated.
Absence from a Class
The course schedule is subject to change. Changes made will be announced in class. It is the
student’s responsibility to find out about the changes from your classmates or the
instructor if you are absent from a class. Students need to borrow the detailed notes from
their classmates after being absent.
Below please write down the names, phone numbers and emails of three classmates whom
you could call to borrow notes after your absence.
1.
2.
3.
To be enrolled in CFD 270L, I have read and accept the policies and terms as herein stated.
___________________________________________
Student Signature
__________________________
Date
 Keep this page for yourself.
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