KEAN UNIVERSITY

UNION, NEW JERSEY

PERSPECTIVES ON EARLY CHILDHOOD PRACTICE

Course Number:EC 3250

Semester Hours:Three

Prerequisite or Co-requisite:ID3210, Working with Infants, Toddlers and Young Children in Diverse Settings

Limitations on enrollment:20

Required, Elective or General

Education Option:Required

Catalogue Description:

Students will examine theories of child development as well as philosophical and theoretical models of young children’s learning. Observations in a variety of early childhood settings will focus on the continuum of development and learning.

N.B. In order to insure full class participation, any student with a disability of condition requiring special accommodations (e.g. tape recorder, special adaptive equipment, special note taking or test taking procedures) is strongly encouraged to request such accommodations at the beginning of the course.

KEAN UNIVERSITY

UNION, NEW JERSEY

PERSPECTIVES ON EARLY CHILDHOOD PRACTICE

I.COURSE OBJECTIVES: The candidate will achieve growth toward becoming informed, dynamic professionals as evidenced by demonstration in knowledge, skills, and dispositions to teaching.

From a non-sexist, multi-cultural point of view the candidate will:

A.examine philosophical, historical, and theoretical bases for practice, including NJ Preschool Expectations and NJCCCS (K/D)

B.evaluate models of construction of developmentally appropriate early

childhood practice (K/S)

C.analyze the strategies for guiding the learning interaction for young children (K/S)

D.develop a framework for nurturing diversity and equity (S/D)

E.demonstrate competence in observing, recording and interpreting children’s development (K/S/D)

F.Demonstrate competence in planning learning experiences for and with young children (K/S/D)

II.Course Content:

A.Philosophical, historical, and theoretical bases of practice

a.psycho-social (Erikson)

b.knowledge construction (Piaget, Dewey)

c.hierarchy of needs (Maslow)

d.socio-cultural context (Vygotsky, Bronfenbrenner)

e.normative maturational (Gesell)

f.behaviorism and social learning (Skinner, Bandura)

g.multiple intelligences (Gardner)

B.Examine models of developmentally appropriate early childhood practice

1.Features of authentic learning and assessment

2.Teacher as facilitator of learning

3.Importance of child – centered experiences

4.Play as a medium for children’s social-emotional and cognitive development

a.importance of play

b.stages and types of play

c.integration of play experiences

C.Strategies for guiding interactions of young children

1.Children’s rights

2.Positive guidance

3.Conflict resolution

4.Classroom community

D.Framework for nurturing diversity and equity

1.Children with special needs

2.Strategies for accomplishing inclusion

3.Children from diverse backgrounds

4.Culturally and linguistically responsive environment

5.Anti-bias education

E.Observing, recording and interpreting children’s development

1.Methods for observing, recording, and interpreting

2.Case study

4.Teacher’s roles

F.Planning learning experiences for and with young children (K/S/D)

1.Case study

2.Curriculum

3.Social-emotional development

III.Methods of Instruction:

A.Lecture, discussions, group learning projects, and role-playing

B.Films, video, powerpoint, internet, and other media resources

C.Direct observation of children in diverse early childhood settings

D.Oral presentations and written assignments

IV.Methods of Evaluation:

A.Evaluation of observation reports, including connections to the NJ Preschool Expectations/NJCCCS (K/S/D)

B.Evaluation of case study report, including connections to theory (K/S/D)

B.Assessment of presentations (K/S)

C.Evaluations of written and oral assignments (S)

D.Student self-evaluation (K/S/D)

V.Suggested Texts:

Jalongo, M.R. & Isenberg, J. P. (2008). Exploring your role: An introduction to early

childhood education (3rd. ed.). New York: Pearson

Trawick-Smith, J. (2010). Early childhood development: A multicultural perspective (5th ed.).

NY: Pearson/Prentice Hall

Copple, C. & Bredekamp, S. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood

programs (3rd ed.). Washington DC: National Association for the Education

of Young Children

Cohen, D. H., Stern, V., Balaban, N., & Gropper, N. (2008). Observing and recording

the behavior of young children (5th ed.). New York: Teachers College Press.

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2008). Diversity in early care and education: Honoring differences

(5th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill.

VI:Bibliography:

A.Print

Berk, L. (2007). Infants and children:Prenatal through middle childhood (6th ed.).

Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon

Bodrova, E. & D. J. Leong (2007). Tools of the mind: The Vygotskian approach to

early childhood education (2nd ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill/Prentice Hall.

Corsaro, W. A. (2005). The sociology of childhood (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA:

Sage.

Delpit, L. (2006). Other people’s children: Cultural conflict in the classroom (rev. ed.).

New York: New Press.

Duckworth, E. (2006). The having of wonderful ideas and other essays on teaching and

learning(3rd Ed.). New York: Teachers College Press.

Elkind, D. (2007). The hurried child (25th anniversary ed.). Cambridge, MA:

Da Capo Press.

Fromberg, D. P. & Bergen, D. (eds.) (2006). Play from birth to twelve: Contexts,

perspectives, and meanings. New York: Taylor & Francis.

Gardner, H. (2006). Multiple intelligences: New horizons in theory and practice

(paperback ed.). New York: Basic Books.

Gardiner, H. W., & Kosmitzki, C. (2007). Lives across cultures (4th ed.). Boston:

Allyn and Bacon.

Helm, J., Beneke, S. & Steinheimer, K. (2007). Windows on learning:

Documenting young children’s work (2nd ed.). New York: Teachers College Press.

Roopnarine, J. L. & J. E. Johnson (2008). Approaches to early childhood education

(5th ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill/Prentice-Hall.

Scheinfeld, D. R., Haigh, K. M., & Scheinfeld, S. J. P (2008). We are all

explorers: Learning and teaching with Reggio principles in urban settings. New York: Teachers College Press.

Wortham, S. (2008). Assessment in Early Childhood Education (5thEd.).

Columbus, OH: Merrill/Prentice-Hall.

Van Hoorn, J., P. M. Nourot, B. Scales & K. Alward (2006). Play at the center

of the curriculum (4th ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill/Prentice Hall.

B.Seminal Works:

Berk, L. E. (2004). Awakening children’s minds. New York: Oxford University

Press.

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by

nature and design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Copple, C. (2003). A world of difference: Readings on teaching young children in a

diverse society. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Cuffaro, H. K. (1995). Experimenting with the world: John Dewey and the

early childhood classroom. New York: Teachers College Press.

Driscoll, A.. (1995). Cases in early childhood education: Stories of programs and

practitioners. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

DeVries, R. & P. Zan (1999). Moral classrooms, moral children: Creating a

constructivist atmosphere in early childhood education. New York: Teachers College Press.

Edwards, C. Gandini, L., & Forman, G. (1998). The hundred languages of children (2nd ed.). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.

Erikson, E. H. (1963). Childhood and Society (2nd ed.). New York: W. W.

Norton.

Fosnot, C. T. (Ed.) (1996). Constructivism:Theory perspectives and practice. New

York: Teachers College Press.

Heath, S. B. (1983). Ways with words: Language, life, and work in communities and

classrooms. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Helm, J. H. & Katz, L. (2001). Young Investigators. The Project Approach in the

Early Years. New York: Teachers College Press.

Johnson, J., J. Christie & T. Yawkey (2004). Play and early childhood

development (2nd ed.). New York: Addison, Wesley, Longman.

Katz, L.G. & Chard, S.C. (2000). Engaging Children’s Minds: The Project

Approach (2nd Ed.). CT: Ablex.

MacNaughton, G. & Williams, G. (2004). Teaching young Children: Choices in

Theory and Practice. Open University Press/Mc Graw-Hill Education, Maidenhead, Berkshire, UK

Owocki, G., & Goodman, Y. (2002). Kidwatching: Documenting children’s literacy

development. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann

Paley, V. G. (2004). A child’s work: The importance of fantasy play. Chicago, IL:

The University of Chicago Press.

Rogoff, B. (1990). Apprenticeship in thinking: Cognitive development in social

context. NY: Oxford University Press.

Tanner, L. N. (1997). Dewey’s Laboratory School: Lessons for today. New York:

Teachers College Press.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University

Press.

C.Websites

Annenberg Foundation - Annenberg Foundation

Association for Childhood Education International -

Classroom Connect -

Community Learning Network -

Early Childhood News

EPALS Classroom Exchange -

First signs -

Harvard University

Kathy Schrock’s Guide for educators -

National Association for the Education of Young Children -

National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators

National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center

NJ. Dept. of Ed.: New Jersey Preschool Expectations

New Jersey Dept of Ed.: New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards

NJ Department of Education -

Tufts University -

University of Illinois -

University of Illinois – Early Childhood Research & Practice

University of Illinois -

DEarly Childhood Education Publications

Association of Childhood Education International

Childhood Education

Focus on Preschool

Journal of Research in Early Childhood

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC),

Washington, DC

Young Children

Teaching Young Children

Early Childhood Research Quarterly

North American Reggio Emilia Alliance (NAREA)

Innovations

de Groot Kim

Rev. 10/21/09

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