EDF 2130; Section 0002: Fall 2010
Fridays, 1:30 – 4:20 p.m.; TA 222
Instructor:
Office Hours:
Shloe Kerness
Fridays by appointment
Work Cell Phone: (407) 399-9125
Email: skerness@mail.ucf.edu
Wiki Page: child-adolescentdevelopment.wikispaces.com
Catalog Description: The goal of this course is for students to gain knowledge and understanding about the developmental stages and characteristics of individuals from infancy through adolescence, with application to learners in educational settings.
Statement of Course Goals and Objectives
KEY: FEAP = Florida Educator Accomplished Practices
PEC = Florida Professional Education Competencies
ESOL = English for Speakers of Other Languages
Through lectures, overhead, video and/or computer presentations, class discussions, student presentations, written assignments, exams, field experiences, and group interactions the student will, upon completion of the course, be able to:
1.
Demonstrate knowledge of physical, cognitive, and psychosocial developmental patterns and of individual differences in order to meet the needs of all students in the classroom. (FEAP/PEC 1,
5, 7)
2.
Identify and demonstrate understanding of theories and themes of human growth and development as represented by the following theories: biological theories, psychoanalytic theories, psychosocial theories, behavioral theories, cognitive-developmental stage theories, moral developmental theories, cognitive information processing theories, sociocultural theories, and contextual theories. (FEAP/PEC 13, 7)
3.
Describe the effects of culture, beliefs, traditions, values, and gender on development.
(FEAP/PEC 2; FEAP/PEC 5, 13)
4.
Identify typical and atypical patterns of development, including language development and the needs of students with limited English proficiency. (ESOL 25; FEAP/PEC 2, 5; PEC 14)
5.
Recognize the signs of child abuse and neglect, alcohol and drug abuse, severe emotional distress in students (FEAP/PEC 6, 11)
6.
Describe the variety of teacher-centered and learner-centered approaches to instruction that are aligned with developmentally-appropriate instructional practices. (FEAP/PEC 2, 11; PEC 13)
Required Text and Materials
Meece, J. L. (2008). Child & Adolescent Development for Educators . Boston: McGraw Hill.
1

Academic Course Requirements
1.
Attendance (30 points)
One great breakthrough in psychology was the discovery that learning is a constructive, active process. You cannot learn without being engaged in what you are learning, and you cannot be engaged if you do not have a basic understanding of the topics being discussed. Therefore, it is expected that students will make every reasonable effort to attend each class meeting and be appropriately prepared for class by having read the assigned readings for the week.
Because attendance is so important, attendance will be recorded at the start of each class and after the break—twice per day. One absence will not be counted, so you have a “free” day in case of medical necessity. All other days will be counted, even if you have an excused absence, as you will be missing the equivalent of a week’s worth of work.
You will not be assigned a passing grade if you miss more than two classes. Furthermore, you will not be assigned an “A” if you are tardy more than 4 times.
2.
Interactive Notebook (140 points)
Each student will be provided a spiral notebook by the instructor. Students will use this notebook to create an interactive notebook in which they will record important information from the textbook, lectures, and other learning activities. Interactive Notebooks will be used for class notes as well as for other activities where students will be asked to express their own ideas and process the information presented in class. Students will begin work on each notebook entry in class and finish each week’s entry at home. The teacher will provide elements such as “foldables”, graphic organizers, and visuals that students will glue inside their notebooks. It is the student’s responsibility to record notes and embellish each week’s addition to his/her notebook and ensure that he/she has added enough information from the readings as to ensure proper retention of key ideas presented in class.
There will be 4 notebook checks throughout the semester (see schedule). All class notes and notebook assignments should be included, even for the days you are absent. An important part of the notebook is its visual appearance. Your notebook should be neat and colorful! Each entry should be titled and dated. Your artistic touch should be visible throughout the notebook.
3.
Field Experience (100 points)
The 8 hour mandatory field experience in Child and Adolescent Development for Educators allows you to see developmental principles in action as you observe children from infancy through adolescence. You will take notes on your observations, and these notes will become a part of your
Independent Developmental Research Project (see #4 below). Further details can be found in the
Appendix. (Due 11/5)
4.
Independent Developmental Research Project (50 points)
The first part of this project requires students to use information they gathered during each field observation. Students will select one particular behavior observed from each stage of development and provide an in depth explanation for that behavior. Students will use theory and research from the textbook to explain the behavior in developmental terms.
2

The second part of this project requires students to research and write about a developmental issue relevant to a particular age group of their choice. Additional readings outside of class will be required. Further details can be found in Appendix B. (Due 11/19)
5. Expert Group Presentation (50 points)
You have two options for your Expert Group Presentation. Presentations must be kept under 20 minutes.
Option 1: PowerPoint and Group Discussion
If you choose this option, your group will prepare a PowerPoint, jointly created and discussed by all in your Expert Group discussion group forum. The PowerPoint will contain only seven slides:
Slide 1: Title and names of all group members
Slide 2: Creative activity related to your stage of development.
Slide 3: Several KEY facts about Physical Development at your stage.
Slide 4: Several KEY facts about Cognitive Development at your stage.
Slide 5: Several KEY facts about Social-Emotional Development at your stage.
Slide 6: Link to a short video/movie selection/YouTube clip (no more than 2 minutes) demonstrating some key characteristics of this stage of development.
Slide 7: References: Include at least five reputable sources to support your presentation.
On the day of your presentation, your entire group will come to the front of the class to discuss your stage of development. Do NOT read from the PowerPoint but make sure to give personal examples for at least 1-2 facts on each slide to make this stage come alive for your classmates. Each person in the group must speak for some part of the presentation.
Option 2: Website or YouTube Creation
If you choose this option, your group will create a website or YouTube video that demonstrates each of the three aspects of development at your stage (physical, cognitive, social-emotional). If you choose the website, make sure to use references and to use your own words. Do not include copyrighted material. If you choose the YouTube video, make sure it is less than 15 minutes long.
This a creative option, so have fun with it. You may want to film some kids you know engaging in
Piaget’s conservation tasks, for example. Or you might want to interview a bunch of teenagers about developmental issues. Have fun with this! On the day of your presentation, your entire group will come to the front of the class to discuss your stage of development and your website/YouTube presentation.
6. ESOL Assignment (30 points total)
Standard 25: Recognize indicators of learning disabilities, especially hearing and language impairment and limited English proficiency (LEP).
Students will complete two parts to this assignment. The first activity is about students with learning disabilities. The second involves hearing and language impairment issues. Students will write a reflection for each activity discussing the practical implications of what they have read.
Please submit these in hard copy only as you need my written feedback for your ESOL notebook.
Part 1: Visit at least five links on the following webpage: http://www.ldonline.org/educators
3

Read about various ways to accommodate learning disabilities in the classroom. Then, select two ideas you would like to try and implement in an educational setting. Discuss, in a paragraph, why you selected these activities and how you might go about implementing them.
Part 2: Read through the cover page for each of the following websites: a) http://www.washington.edu/doit/Faculty/Strategies/Disability/Hearing/ b) http://www.nichcy.org/Disabilities/Specific/Pages/SpeechLanguageImpairments.aspx
Then, complete the “Check your understanding” quiz at the bottom of the first website (a). Were you surprised by the correct answer? Reflect upon this activity and the results, as well as on what you learned from the second website. Summarize your reflections in a paragraph.
7. Midpoint and Final Exam (200 points total)
There are two essay exams in this course. You will be given one hour to write your response to 5 essay questions that cover the course content at the midpoint and again during finals week. You may not use the textbook, but you may use your interactive notebook during the tests; therefore, it is especially important to keep up with your notebook. Instead of basic recall information, I will be looking for your critical understanding of the material presented in class and covered in the text. I highly recommend that students use the publisher’s companion website, www.mhhe.com/meece3e , as a resource. For each chapter, you will find an outline, chapter overview, and list of objectives in addition to practice tests.
8. Cereal Box Presentation (30 points)
You will have an opportunity to research and prepare a presentation on one theory of human development. For this project, you are to take a cereal box and turn it into an explosion of information about the theory you select. Just like a box of cereal lists the ingredients, nutritional value, and information about that particular brand, you are going to do the same about a theory of human development. What is key to understanding your theory (not your personal theory) and how can you convey that information on a cereal box? You will also “pitch” your brand in class. Each student will 2 minutes to teach us as much as you can about your selected theory. Furthermore, we all know the tastiest cereal comes with a prize in the box… so, you will need to stuff your cereal box with one toy or item that will help you explain your theory. The final product needs to have a polished, presentable appearance and have enough information to convey the essence of your theory.
Extra Credit
Students may select one activity from the Extra Credit list found on the course wiki page, www.child-adolescentdevelopment.wikispaces.com
, to earn up to 10 extra credit points.
NOTE: APA Format
All work for this class must be consistent with the American Psychological Association format (5 th ed.). The following format guidelines from APA are essential to use in all submitted papers:
 all work must be double-spaced (handwritten work will not be accepted for out of class assignments)
 use 12 point Times New Roman font
 1” margins
4


You must cite the source for all paraphrased work, including work from a website

You must cite and note the page # for all direct quotes.

All citations must be listed in the References section
 Please put page #’s on all pages of your work.
Grading and Evaluation
To be fair to all students in this class, all assignments are due on time . Late work will lose 10% for each week that it is late, but note that presentations and tests may not be submitted late. No exams will be given early or late. Special arrangements may be made in cases of emergency. Please contact the instructor in such situations. All assignments must be turned in to receive a passing grade for the course, including the field experience notes and verification.
NOTE : The withdrawal deadline for the semester is posted on the ucf.edu website. Incompletes are only given in very rare circumstances involving last minute, grave emergencies. See the last page of this syllabus for more details on the incomplete policy for this class. Therefore, if you are concerned about a possible failing grade, you are encouraged to withdraw from class before the withdrawal deadline.
Grades:
Attendance
Interactive Notebook
Field Experience
Independent Developmental Research Project
Expert Group Presentation
ESOL Assignment
Midpoint/Final Exam
Cereal Box
Grading Scale
A 93-100%
A- 90-92%
B+ 87-89%
B 83-86%
B- 80-82%
C+ 77-79%
C 73-76%
C- 70-72%
D+ 67-69%
D 63-66%
D- 60-62%
F 0-59%
30
140
100
60
50
30
200
30
640
5

Administrative Course Requirements
Teamwork
This course relies heavily on teamwork and cooperation throughout the semester. Early on in the semester, you will be assigned into expert groups and will be asked to accomplish various tasks in a group effort. If you are having difficulties with working in groups, please feel free to discuss this with me and whether this course is ideal for you.
Technology Requirements
Students will be expected to have access to a computer frequently, as all writing assignments will be typed out and not handwritten. The software you use to write your assignments is irrelevant, as long as you follow my writing guidelines outlined later in my syllabus. If you do not own a computer, there are computer accessible to you in all UCF's computer labs. For further information on computer labs, please see the following website: http://registrar.sdes.ucf.edu/webguide/index_quickfind.aspx
.
All class related emails may be sent to skerness@mail.ucf.edu
using your Knights email account.
As of 2009, Knights email is the only official student email at UCF. See www.knightsemail.ucf.edu
for further information.
Technology Use during Class
Bringing your laptop to use during class is a privilege; therefore, students are expected to use computers appropriately for note-taking and other class-related purposes. Using a computer or other electronic device (PDA, cell phone, MP3 player, etc.) to engage in non-class related activities such as text messaging, web surfing, checking email, etc. will result in the loss of such privileges of use during class.
University Writing Center
The University Writing Center (UWC) is a free resource for UCF undergraduates and graduates.
The UWC's most popular service is the individualized writing consultation: a trained writing consultant will spend 30 minutes with you (an hour if your paper is longer than 7 pages, or if you are writing a paper with a group*) reviewing your work and making recommendations for revision.
You can bring your work to the UWC at any point in the process--even if you haven't started writing yet. Your consultation will be most helpful if you take the time to:
* prepare: identify specific issues on which you want feedback
* participate: actively discuss your paper with the consultant
* reflect: decide which of the possibilities raised during the consultation are helpful to you
* act: revise your paper
The UWC will help with writing in any subject, including out-of-class writing such as job application letters. The UWC will also help you organize oral presentations. After each consultation, you will receive a Record of Consultation (RoC) form which summarizes what was discussed. It is best to make an appointment; however, the UWC does accept walk-ins. You may use the UWC computers to work on your writing without an appointment; available software includes Microsoft Office 2000, and specialized software (Editor, Writer's Helper, Minklink,
6

Inspiration) for brainstorming, organizing, problem-solving, proofreading, and editing. The UWC does not write, proofread, or grade papers. For more information or to make an appointment, visit the UWC website at http://www.uwc.ucf.edu, stop by MOD 608, or call 407.823.2197.
NOTE: If you are working on a group-written paper, please have all group members come to the appointment.
Academic Integrity
Students will be held to the following standards of the UCF Creed: a) Integrity : I will practice and defend academic and personal honesty. b) Scholarship : I will cherish and honor learning as a fundamental purpose of my membership in the UCF community. c) Community : I will promote an open and supportive campus environment by respecting the rights and contributions of every individual. d) Creativity: I will use my talents to enrich the human experience. e) Excellence: I will strive toward the highest standards of performance in any endeavor I undertake.
All work submitted for this course must be original work, created specifically in response to the course assignments as listed in the syllabus and may not be from assignments submitted for other classes.
A Word on Cheating and Plagiarism:
Academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. In this course we may utilize turnitin.com, an automated system which instructors can use to quickly and easily compare each student's assignment with billions of web sites, as well as an enormous database of student papers that grows with each submission. Accordingly, you may be expected to submit assignments in both hard copy and electronic format. After the assignment is processed, as an instructor I receive a report from turnitin.com that states if and how another author’s work was used in the assignment. For a more detailed look at this process, visit http://www.turnitin.com
.
Violations of student academic behavior standards are outlined in The Golden Rule, the University of Central Florida's Student Handbook. See http://www.ucf.edu/goldenrule/ for further details.
1. Cheating is defined as non-permissible written, visual or oral assistance including that obtained from another student that is used on examinations, course assignments or projects.
The unauthorized possession or use of examination or course related material shall also constitute cheating.
2. Plagiarism is defined as deliberately using or appropriating another's work without any indication of the source, thereby attempting to convey the impression that such work is the student's own. Any student failing to properly credit ideas or materials taken from another has plagiarized. This includes copying and pasting website content into one’s papers without proper citation.
7

NOTE: Wikipedia
, an online “encyclopedia” is neither a reliable nor reputable source for research. Student papers or projects citing or using Wikipedia as a source will receive a grade of 0.
3. A student who has assisted another in any of the aforementioned breach of standards shall be considered equally culpable.
ACADEMIC ACTION
1. Loss of credit for specific assignment, examination or project.
2. Removal from course with a grade of "F," depending upon severity of the offense.
AND/OR
CONDUCT REVIEW ACTION
*Taken by the Office of Student Conduct*
1. Warning
2. Probation
3. Suspension
4. Expulsion
5. Permanent conduct record with UCF accessible by other institutions by request.
For more information, please contact the Office of Student Conduct at 823-2851.
UCF faculty members have a responsibility for your education and the value of a UCF degree, and so seek to prevent unethical behavior and when necessary respond to infringements of academic integrity. Penalties can include a failing grade in an assignment or in the course, suspension or expulsion from the university, and/or a "Z Designation" on a student's official transcript indicating academic dishonesty, where the final grade for this course will be preceded by the letter Z. For more information about the Z Designation, see http://z.ucf.edu/ .
For more information about UCF's Rules of Conduct, see http://www.osc.sdes.ucf.edu/ .
Accommodations for the Differently-Abled
Students with disabilities are not required to register with any office or department on campus.
However, when requesting specific classroom accommodations for a disability, these students are required to register with Student Disability Services before receiving accommodations.
Reasonable accommodation in the classroom is a provision of federal and state laws including the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, commonly known as Section 504, and the Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990, commonly known as the ADA. Once an accommodation is determined to be appropriate by SDS, the accommodation must be provided. The only option is how the accommodation will be provided. Most classroom accommodations are easy to arrange and will not take much time to administer. If, however, assistance is needed, contact Student Disability Services at (407) 823-2371, TTY/TDD only phone (407) 823-2116.
At the University of Central Florida, the Office of Student Disability Services (SDS) is responsible for coordinating and implementing disability services for students. Student Disability Services is the located in the Student Resource Center Room 132, phone (407) 823-2371, TTY (Text
8

Telephone) / TDD (Telecommunication Device for the Deaf) only phone (407) 823-2116 or e-mail: sds@mail.ucf.edu
.
Major Topics of the Course

Key Developmental Theories Related to Child and Adolescent Development, biological theories, psychoanalytic theories, psychosocial theories, behavioral theories, cognitive-developmental stage theories, moral developmental theories, cognitive information processing theories, sociocultural theories, and contextual theories.

Physical, Cognitive, and Psychosocial Development: Early Childhood through Adolescence

The following major theorists: Lorenz, Ainsworth, Piaget, Montessori, Vygotsky, Skinner,
Bandura, Erickson, Kohlberg, Baumrind

Key aspects of infant development relevant to educators.

Language and Literacy Development

Students with Limited English Proficiency

Children with Exceptional Needs

Peer Relations and Moral Development & Family and School Contexts in Development
9

APPENDIX A
Guidelines for the Field Experience
You are expected to spend 8 hours observing children in natural or school settings, while taking field notes about what you see. You are not allowed to interact with the children, nor are you allowed to publish your results or use the children’s real names in your field notes. Rather, you are merely reporting what you observe while watching children interact with each other, adults, and their environment. Your notes should be your own—even if two or more of you are observing at the same site, you each will notice and record different aspects of the environment and interactions you observe. You will need to show the supervisor at each location the sheet in
Appendix B as well as obtain the appropriate signatures to document all of your field experiences.
You will make 4 focused field observations that are 2 hours each in length.
The four focused field observations will take place as follows. Each section is worth 25 points each. All notes must be typed.
LATE work will lose 10 points for each week that it is late.
1.
INFANCY/TODDLERHOOD (Ages 0-3) TWO HOURS TOTAL: For these observations, you will observe children at story time or gym time at a local public library, kiddie-gym, church nursery, or bookstore. Other ideas include visiting Chik-Fil-A at lunch time during a weekday, visiting the Orlando airport food court, or getting permission to observe the waiting area at a local pediatrician’s office. Inform the office or store manager or librarian that you are required to observe toddlers for a psychology class for UCF. Explain that you will sit at a distance, taking notes, without using children’s names or identifying the store/library/gym. If you wish to do this activity with a partner, no more than 2 students should attend an event at any given time.
2.
PRESCHOOL (Ages 3-5)
FIRST HOUR: For this observation, you will observe children at a local preschool. The
UCF Creative School has agreed to allow our class to observe children there. There will be a sign up sheet available in class.
SECOND HOUR:
A.
Spend 30 minutes playing games at two or more of the following preschool websites:
 http://www.noggin.com/
 http://www.nickjr.com/
 http://pbskids.org/
 http://www.sesamestreet.org/home
B.
Spend 30 minutes watching one of the following preschool shows:
 Blue’s Clues

Dora the Explorer
10


Little Bear

Max and Ruby

Peep

Sesame Street

Go Diego, Go!

Barney

Clifford and Friends
Summarize your experiences for parts A and B, relating them to developmental theory and research.
3.
MIDDLE CHILDHOOD/ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AGE (Ages 6-11)
For this observation, you will observe elementary age children interacting at a local public park NEAR an elementary school (Blanchard Park is closest to UCF). You will need to conduct your observations after public school ends, usually around 3 pm, or on a weekend.
4.
ADOLESCENCE (Ages 12-19)
For this observation, you will observe adolescents at a local mall on a Friday or Saturday night after 7 pm.
Sit in a food court on a weekend night or outside at a patio table at
Waterford Lakes Town Center to observe teenagers interacting together.
You can either bring a laptop to take notes, or you can handwrite your notes then transcribe them later. For each observation, submit your typed observation notes by the deadline listed on the course schedule.
11

APPENDIX B
Guidelines for the Independent Developmental Research Project
This project has three sections. Please label each part on your final project. Parts 1-2 are worth 20 points each. The reference page is worth 10 points. The remaining 10 points are based on the quality of your writing, spelling, and grammar.
I.
Developmental Stages (20 pts)
In this section, you will cite one or more examples from your Field Notes that illustrate a particular behavior at each of the stages of child development, and then you will use theory and research from the textbook to explain the behavior in developmental terms. Each section should be about a paragraph long.
Organize your sections as follows:
A.
INFANCY/TODDLERHOOD (Ages 0-3)
B.
PRESCHOOL (Ages 3-5)
C.
MIDDLE CHILDHOOD/ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AGE (Ages 6-11)
D.
ADOLESCENCE (Ages 12-19)
II.
Research Activity (20 pts)
For this section, you will select one behavior you observed from your Field Notes that illustrates something we learned about in class. Choose something that interested you or puzzled you or made you want to learn more about it. Then, research this behavior in the Meece text as well as two other sources, one of which must be a research journal article. I recommend using PsychInfo from the UCF library
Databases webpage to locate this article. Other sources include reputable magazines like Psychology Today or Newsweek, a reputable website, such as one sponsored by a university or psychology organization (such as the American Psychological
Association or the Society for Research in Child Development), or brochures/handouts from medical professionals.
Use all three sources (textbook, plus other two sources) to explain the behavior you observed. Discuss both theoretical perspectives on the issue (from the textbook) and research/practical considerations (from the other two sources). Finally, suggest ways you recommend to facilitate the child’s (or children’s) development, based on the sources you read.
III.
References (10 pts)
Using APA format, list your references in alphabetical order. One of your references must be the textbook. The others should be the resources used in section II of your paper.
12

APPENDIX C
Please show this to a responsible adult at each location of your observation.
To Whom It May Concern:
The student, ___________________________________________, has enrolled in EDF 2130, Child and
Adolescent Development for Educators, at the University of Central Florida. As part of this course, he/she is required to observe children from ages 0 – 18 at public locations in order to identify typical developmental patterns. Students are not conducting research, nor will their notes be published. They should not interact with the children. Rather, they will be sitting in the background, merely watching typical behavior and taking anonymous notes (children will not be named).
Please sign below to indicate that the above named student observed children at your location.
If you have any questions, you may reach me at skerness@mail.ucf.edu
or at 407-399-9125.
Thank you,
Shloe Kerness
Instructor
School for Teaching, Learning and Leadership
University of Central Florida
I.
Infancy/Toddlers (one hour)
NAME: _____________________________________
LOCATION:__________________________________
II.
Howard Phillips
NAME: __________________________(Initials only)_
Additional hour for those who missed Howard Phillips:
NAME: _____________________________________
LOCATION:__________________________________
III.
Creative School for Children or alternate preschool : ___________________________
NAME: _____________________________________
IV.
Park (get a parent signature)
NAME: _____________________________________
LOCATION:__________________________________
V.
Mall (get a mall employee signature)
NAME: _____________________________________
LOCATION:__________________________________
13