EDP2105

Child development 2

Ms K Margetts

6 points - 4 hours per week - First semester - Peninsula - Prerequisite: EDP1104

Objectives Upon successful completion of this subject, students should be able to identify major developmental changes or milestones in the early childhood years, including cognitive, physical, social, communication, large and small motor, moral, and creative domains; describe comprehensively the major developmental characteristics of infants, toddlers, 3-5 year olds, and 5-8 year olds; assess the likely impact of culture, family, genetic inheritance, birth order, and life experience on development; describe and identify common areas of individual difference and normal variation in the development of individual children; identify, through appropriate use of observation, consultation, and checklists, children whose development may vary sufficiently from the norm to warrant seeking specialist assistance; communicate sensitively and effectively, particularly with parents, about development and possible developmental delays; apply understanding of and knowledge about development to program planning, implementation, and evaluation; appreciate and explain the importance of basing curriculum on children's development and of offering a curriculum that caters for children at different levels in their development; observe development sensitively and record precise, relevant, and accurate information that can be used in program planning and evaluation as well as in planning for individual children; link the development of children in general and specific behaviours and skills of individual children to several contemporary and theoretical perspectives.

Synopsis This subject focuses on the total development of children 0-8 years; implications of development for learning, teaching and all aspects of program operation in the early childhood years. Students will explore factors affecting development, such as genetic inheritance, family and cultural background, life experience, and birth order. Emphasis will be on the interrelation of areas or domains of development, so that the student develops a comprehensive picture of the child at various developmental ages. Attention to several theoretical perspectives will be used to assist students to gain an overview of the development of the 'whole child'. The study of normal patterns of development will be paired with attention to individual differences and normal variations in development in individual children

Assessment Child study: 60% - Examination: 40%

Recommended texts

Beaty J Observing development of the young child Macmillan, 1994
Berk L Child development 4th edn, Allyn and Bacon, 1997
Blaxall J and others Children at the centre Harcourt Brace, 1996
Boulton-Lewis G and Catherwood D (eds) The early years, development learning and teaching ACER, 1995
Cohen D and Stern V Observing and recording the behaviour of young children Merrill, 1994
Sheridan M From birth to five years: Children's developmental progress 3rd edn Routledge, 1992

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