Through the study of the early childhood and elementary years, the student will be able to describe the language, cognitive, physical, social and emotional development of young children, birth to 12 years. Instruction will focus on theories of child development, research methods, and developmental milestones. Knowledge learned in this course can be applied to parenting and to careers in child care, early childhood education, elementary education, and nursing. Sixteen hours of field experience outside of class time is required for students to complete four written observations of individual children; these observations may be done in a variety of settings, including the Children’s Learning Center on the HCC campus. This course meets the Maryland State Department of Education Child Development requirement for an initial certificate in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education. It also meets the MSDE Human Growth and Development requirement for Generic Special Education Infant/Primary and Generic Special Education Elementary/ Middle. This course is also 45 hours of the 90-hour Child Care Certificate required for Senior Staff.

It meets the college definition for: Arts and Sciences Elective. This course is required for the Letter of Recognition, Certificate of Proficiency, and AAS Degrees in Early Childhood Development.

Overall Course Objectives

Once you have completed this course you will be able to discuss:

• The developmental appropriateness of programs for young children
• Major research methods and assessment techniques used to study children
• Pre-natal development
• Gross and fine motor development of children
• Personality development of young children
• Psycho-social development of children
• Language development of young children
• Moral development of young children
• The role of the family, school and community in relation to the development of children
• The effects of racism and sexism on young children
• How children learn
• Children and the law
• The status of children around the world

Major Course Topics

• Research Methods
• Major Contemporary Theories
• Prenatal Development
• Birth and the Neonate
• The Young Infant
• Toddlerhood
• The Preschool Years
• Middle Childhood

Course Format

• Is not self-paced.
• May require 3 on-campus meetings, as well as two exams which must be taken in the HCC Test Center. (For more information see the “Exam” section below on this page.)
• Does not require real-time chats.
• The communication in the class will take place through emails and six discussions.
• I will also provide my on-campus office schedule, and my home phone number.

Orientation

This course has a required face-to-face orientation. Check the list of scheduled orientations for the date, time, and location. Please check my email message to you for more information about the orientation and the option to participate in an online orientation.

Course Requirements

• Review the “What you should know before you register” section of the Distance Learning Homepage.
• Two exams, consisting of multiple choice questions
• Five one- or two-page homework assignments
• Four written observations of young children of specific ages
• Participation in weekly on-line Discussions

Texts and Materials

Required:

• Berk, Laura E. Infants and Children,5th Edition. Allyn and Bacon, 2005.
• Allen, K. Eileen and Marotz, Lynn R. Development and Profiles: Prebirth Through Eight,4th Edition. Delmar Publishers, 2003.

Buy your textbooks from our online Bookstore, or visit our Bookstore. (Maps)

Technical Requirements and Plug-Ins:

The following software/plug-ins are required for this course:

• Internet Explorer
• Windows Media Player
• Word Viewer, if you don’t have the full version of Microsoft Word

Exams

For purposes of verification and assessing learning outcomes, this course has two proctored exams at the HCC Testing Center for students in the local region or at a regional institution for remote students. The exam will have a flexible window of time during which it needs to be taken rather than a single date and time.

If you have any questions or comments about this course, please send a message to Kate Kenney, KKenney@howardcc.edu

Last updated on 27-Feb-06

© Howard Community College, 2000