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Name of Proposer: Lynyonne Cotton
Email address: lcotton@stmarys-ca.edu
Department/Program of Proposer: Psychology
Name of Department/Program housing the course: Psychology
Name(s) of Program Director/Department Chair (if not the proposer): Paul Zarnoth
Course Acronym, Number and Title: Psy 144, Middle Childhood
When will this course be taught: Once per year beginning Spring 2014
Course Prerequisites (if any): Psy 140, Human Development
Unit Value of Course: 1
Learning Outcomes (CE outcome in bold; course outcome in italics:
1.
Apply academic methods and/or theories in a way that promotes
collaboration and mutual benefit in a community setting
Apply and critically evaluate key concepts and theories relevant to middle childhood in an
elementary school setting.
Utilize an ethnographic methodology to act as a participant-observer and collaborate directly
with children, teachers and families in a mutually beneficial way.
Teaching:
Through course lecture, discussion and readings students will explore
various theories and methodologies. I will highlight a few of them here.
During the first couple of weeks of class, students will learn about the
major construct under study in this course, Erik Erikson’s concept of
industry. Students will read excerpts from Erikson’s writings and discuss
the meanings of industry and how schools can either facilitate or inhibit
students’ sense of industry. The role of other stakeholders will also be
considered in the theory of Urie Bronfebrenner as students explore the
confluence of contexts and people shaping industry at both macro- and
micro levels. Following the coverage of these major frameworks,
students should have a better understanding of how each of us can play
a role in shaping middle childhood through our collective impacts on
the school experience. Because most students will be directly assisting
students in a 15-hour service commitment, we will also critically
evaluate the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky in terms of their
implications for effective teaching and learning. Students will have an
opportunity to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each approach
within the context of tutoring, supervising, and assisting school
personnel at their specific sites. Ideas purported by Boykin and Au and
Kawakami and the cultural context of schooling will be given careful
consideration as students consider the achievement gap and the
struggles some students and families face in formal school settings.
Students are required to read two ethnographies: Perez’s Power
Struggle at Occidental Child Development Center and Harry’s Mapping
the Process: An Exemplar of Process and Challenge in Grounded Theory
Analysis. Together, these two pieces introduce students to an
ethnographic approach to better understanding the experiences of
students. They also serve as models for writing their final papers.
Learning:
2.
Students will keep a weekly journal. Some entries have specific
prompts dealing directly with theory. (See Topics 1 and 2, for
examples). The final paper will be an ethnography in which students
synthesize and interpret their experiences in light of 1 or 2 theories.
Quizzes will also be given.
Demonstrate critical reflection throughout their experience
Communicate in writing and class discussion their experiences and their feelings about them.
Teaching:
The preferred format for this class is 90-minute. This allows ample time
for in-class refection and sharing. I plan to continue the practice of
opening each session with informal sharing about what they are
experiencing at their respective sites. This sharing takes place in small
groups first then volunteers are asked to share their group’s collective
experience.
Learning:
In addition to informal oral reporting, students will keep a weekly
journal using a “What? So What? Now What?” format. (See syllabus)
3.
Express their understanding of the interconnections between their
experience and their responsibilities as members of social or professional
communities.
Develop a critical awareness of how powerfully and pervasively formal schooling influences
middle childhood and give careful consideration to their respective roles in shaping this experience.
Teaching:
As mentioned above, Bronfenbrenner’s framework is used throughout
the course. The framework allows us to consider our direct and indirect
influences on each other. There is an exercise that we do where small
groups are assigned a context within Bronfenbrenner’s model. Each
context/ group has to make a list of strategies for resolving a problem.
(e.g., one is childhood obesity during the 1st few weeks of class; another
is the achievement gap assigned around midterm; and the other
dilemma is bullying). The goal is to have each student experience direct
responsibility as well as indirect responsibility for problem mitigation. I
also incorporate lecture material and readings directly from local- and/
or state –level school information. In Week 4, for example, we read
reports from the latest California fitness studies. After mid-term, we
examine school, district, and state-level student performance data from
the CDE website with eye towards data for under-performing groups.
Learning:
In addition to informal oral reporting, students will keep a weekly
journal using a “What? So What? Now What?” format. (See syllabus).