PCC 361 Theory and Practice in Early Childhood Education
Course Syllabus for Fall 2012
Credit Information
Class Information
Instructor
Office Location
Office Hours
Office Phone
Home Phone
Office Email
3 semester credit hours
Meets Tuesdays 12:30-3:10
Dr. Rebecca Waters
Education Department, Lower Rine
Thursday 9:00-11:00 or by appointment
513.244.8109
513.860.3262
rebecca.waters@ccuniversity.edu
Course Description
Four areas of educational practice are analyzed in-depth in this course in terms of prominent and
emerging educational theories. These include program philosophies, curriculum design, assessment
practices (including the value-added dimension) and the interrelated contributions of cultural, political, and
social interactions. Consideration is given to current trends in early childhood educational practice.
Participants complete three advocacy projects including a research component. Prerequisites: PED101
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course you will:
 Be able to compare and evaluate differing philosophies of education in light of
educational theory (including how Value-Added approaches should and should not be
used in making decisions about school quality and improvements)
 Be able to communicate how theories of teaching, learning, play, development, and
assessment are related
 Develop tools for early childhood advocacy
 Be able to explain Value-Added/growth model assessment practices to teachers, school
leaders and parents
Course Texts
Required Texts:
Snowman, J. and Biehler, R. (2006). Psychology Applied to Teaching. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin
Company
Available on-line:
Operating Standard’s for Ohio’s Schools –go to
http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=1222&C
ontentID=5769&Content=82958
Click on the PDF marked “ Operating Standards for Ohio Schools”
Additional Resources (on reserve in the library)
Blankstein, A.M. (2004). Failure is Not an Option. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Kieff, J. (2009). Informed Advocacy in Early Childhood Care and Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Merrill.
Mooney, C.G. (2006). Theories of Childhood: And Introduction to Dewey, Montessori, Erikson, Piaget, &
Vygotsky. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill.
Peters, B.S. (1997). Building Faith: One Child at a Time. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House.
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PCC 361 Theory and Practice in Early Childhood Education
Course Syllabus for Fall 2012
Course Requirements
ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION
You are expected to attend all class sessions and actively participate in discussions and activities.
If you must be absent due to illness or an emergency you will be responsible to obtain any lecture notes you
missed from other students. Because I believe your attendance to be important to both your learning
as well as the contributing to the pattern of professional behavior expected of a teacher, activities
offered during class WILL NOT be made up. Tardiness is unprofessional and therefore, also
unacceptable. Please consult the college policy on attendance for further information.
“Digging Deeper”
As a college student and a professional educator, you are expected to read beyond the assigned
text. You will be asked about readings you encounter outside of class. You will note an asterisk by dates
on the outline where you are expected to locate information about the topic outside of class. For these you
may read journal articles or search the topic on-line. Be prepared to share your information. I also
recommend that you immerse yourself in the journals of your profession on a regular basis. I have also
listed a few books available in the library that you will find helpful in enhancing your grasp of the theorists
and the notion of advocacy. These are not required assignments but will certainly help you understand the
theory and practice as it surfaces in today’s educational settings. Digging deeper will not only extend your
own knowledge and understanding, it will influence your 25 point participation grade.
READING ASSIGNMENTS
You are required to read the assigned readings prior to class time on the dates indicated in the
course outline. From time to time, activities related to those readings will be completed in class. Points
accumulated from these activities will account for 50 points toward your final grade.
EXAMS
Three exams will be offered during the semester. The first exam will cover the Purpose and
Definitions outlined in the Operating Standards for Ohio’s Schools. Each exam will consist of multiple
choice questions, short answer, and/or essay questions. Each exam requires you to analyze and synthesize
what you are learning. The structure of the exams is modeled after the Praxis II exam. Each exam is worth
50 points. In addition, a final cumulative test will be given during the week of exams. This test will also be
worth 50 points for a total of 200 points toward your final grade.
DIALOGUE JOURNAL: Engaging in Professional Communication
A dialogue journal is a tool you may one day use in your classroom. You will be given a spiral
notebook. In the journal you will write to your professor and/or classmates. Your professor or classmate
will write back. Details regarding the topics of discussion will be reviewed in class. The dialogue journal
assignment is worth 50 points toward your final grade.
TOOLS FOR ADVOCACY PROJECTS (TAP)
Advocates for early childhood typically take these proactive steps: 1) Study what has been written
about an issue, 2) Listen sensitively to differing perspectives on an issue and be able to express multiple
perspectives, 3) Brainstorm alternatives to existing practice, and 4) Experiment on a small scale. For this
course you will complete three advocacy projects.
 For your first advocacy project you will be assigned a current “problem or issue” in education.
Your job is to “study what has been written about it. You will be expected to connect your
research with the theories presented in class and in your text. You will be asked to share your
findings with the class as well as provide a written research report of your findings. Your research
paper must follow APA guidelines. You must include at least three citations from peer reviewed
journals in the field. No more than three citations may be taken from the internet.
 For your second advocacy project you may choose one of the following using the research you
have now completed:
o a) develop and implement a plan to address the issue (experiment on a small scale);
o b) write and submit a grant to address the issue;
o c) Attend the one day session of the OCTEO conference (October 25- Columbus)
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PCC 361 Theory and Practice in Early Childhood Education
Course Syllabus for Fall 2012
o
If you have questions about a specific activity, check with Dr. Waters to determine if the
proposed activity meets the requirement.

Your final TAP will be a two-part assignment aimed at communicating information about the
Value-Added data assessment model. This will be discussed in class.
We will review this assignment during the first class session. Each project is worth 50 points for a total of
150 points available toward your final grade.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PORTFOLIO
In your introductory coursework you began a professional development portfolio. For this course
you will collect evidence for the following Performance Outcomes and place these with the others in your
section marked Portfolio-Based Performance Outcomes. The outcomes for which you must show evidence
are as follows:
PO #1 Teacher candidate is a caring and empathetic individual.
PO# 3 Teacher candidate commits time and energy to community service.
PO#4 Teacher candidate is an agent of change who reads about issues, listens to differing perspectives, chooses
appropriate forums and becomes an advocate for sound, educational practices and policies.
PO#5 Teacher candidate demonstrates knowledge of communication skills and interpersonal relationship skills across
diverse cultures.
PO# 14Teacher candidate takes responsibility for engaging in continuous, purposeful professional development
through research, inquiry, and /or reading critically.
You will notice that much of the evidence you will want to include will come from your advocacy projects.
The Performance Outcomes have been outlined by the Education Department as important to becoming a
teacher of any age. Your evidence will be evaluated using the rubric located on Moodle. This evaluation
will not contribute points to your grade for this class but will become part of your record for performance
assessment leading to admittance to programs, graduation, licensure, etc. However, failure to include this
portion of the portfolio will render your coursework for PCC 361 incomplete.
LATE ASSIGNMENTS
Late assignments are not professional and therefore not acceptable. Assignments that are late due
to severe illness or an emergency situation may be accepted within one week of the due date with a penalty
ranging from 0%-50% depending on the circumstances. If you find yourself in a situation that prohibits
you from turning in your assignment on time, it is in your best interest to address that issue with your
instructor as soon as possible.
EVALUATION
Participation
Reading/In-class Activities
Exams (4) @ 50 pts. each
Dialogue Journal
Tools for Advocacy @ 50pts. each
Total
25 points
50 points
200 points
50 points
150 points
475points
Your final grade will be based on the percentage of the 475 total points you earn. (Ex. 451 points = 95%)
NOTE: Attendance patterns will influence your grade. All students are held to the CCU Academic
Integrity Policy for all work submitted.
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PCC 361 Theory and Practice in Early Childhood Education
Course Syllabus for Fall 2012
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men…
Colossians 3:23
Course Outline
Date
Topic
Aug. 21
Introduction
Theories and Perspectives of Play: Mildred
Parten
Developing a Perspective of Advocacy
Assignments Due
Print this syllabus and bring with you to class
Read pages 6-10 Operating Standards for
Ohio’s Schools-You will be responsible to
learn these terms
Snowman & Biehler Chapter 1
Aug. 28
Understanding the whole child: Erik
Erikson, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky,
Lawrence Kohlberg
Snowman & Biehler Chapter 2
Sept. 4
Theories of Teaching and Learning: John
Dewey
The Influence of John Dewey on American
Digging Deeper: What can you learn
about John Dewey and his influence on
American Education? Be sure to look for
connections in the Ohio Operating
Standards to Dewey’s work.
Education Theory and Development
Snowman & Biehler Chapter 3: pp.67-83;
pp98-102
Sept. 11
Sept. 18
Sept 25
Oct. 2
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Exam 1-Purpose and Definitions
Theories of Teaching and Learning: Howard
Gardner
Snowman & Biehler Chapter 4
Addressing Cultural and Socioeconomic
Diversity
Theories of Teaching and Learning: Robert
Slavin
Theories of Teaching and Learning: B.F.
Skinner
Snowman & Biehler Chapter 5
Theories of Teaching and Learning: Noam
Chomsky
Digging Deeper: What can you learn about
Noam Chomsky and his theory concerning
a “black box?”
Exam 2
TAP Assignment Due
Snowman & Biehler Chapter 7
PCC 361 Theory and Practice in Early Childhood Education
Course Syllabus for Fall 2012
Theories of Teaching and Learning and Faith
Development: James Fowler-
Oct. 9
Oct. 16
Information Processing
Snowman & Biehler Chapter 8
Theories of Teaching and Learning: Maria
Montessori
Digging Deeper: What can you learn about
the American Montessori Movement?
Constructivist Learning Theory, Problem
Solving , and Transfer
Snowman & Biehler Chapter 10
Theories of Teaching and Learning: Jerome
Bruner
Oct. 23
Theories of Teaching and Learning:
Abraham Maslow
Snowman & Biehler Chapter 11
Theories of Teaching and Learning:
Benjamin Bloom
Oct. 25*
Option 3
for
Advocacy
Oct. 30
Attend OCTEO conference in Columbus,
OH
$25 Student Registration Fee-Registration
includes all workshops and lunch
Exam 3
TAP Assignment Due
Theories Guiding Assessment Practice: An
Introduction
Nov. 6
Theories Guiding Assessment Practice:
Understanding Assessment
Nov. 13
Theories Guiding Assessment Practice:
Understanding Value-Added
Nov. 20
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Snowman & Biehler Chapter 14
No Class: Thanksgiving Break!
PCC 361 Theory and Practice in Early Childhood Education
Course Syllabus for Fall 2012
Nov. 27
Motivation & Classroom Management
Snowman & Biehler Chapter 12
Dec. 4
Theory and Practice: Revising your
Philosophy of Teaching and Learning
Dialogue Journals Due
TAP Assignment Due
Portfolios Due (w/Performance Outcomes
evidences)
EXAM WEEK – Check the Exam Schedule for time
Details of all assignments will be made available on Moodle. The course outline and assignments listed
above are subject to change.
The mission of Cincinnati Christian University is to teach men and women to live by biblical principles and
to equip and empower them with character, skills, insight, and vision to lead the church and to impact
society for Christ.
Note: Students who require academic accommodations due to any documented physical, psychological or
learning disability should request assistance from the Academic Support Director within the first two weeks
of class. The Academic Support office is located in the lower level of the Worship and Ministry Building
(room 153). You may also contact the office by phone (244-8420).
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