Psychology
Posted: August 12th, 2013
Final Project
Name:
Course:
Date:
Final Project
Weekly Course Schedule
| Week 1 | Introduction |
| Learning
Resources |
Class text: Damon, W., & Lemer, M. R. (2008). Child and adolescent development: An advanced course. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons |
| Threaded
Discussions |
Discuss what you understand by development, by identifying the principles of development. identify some of the things you expect to learn in the course |
| Application
Assignment |
Take home exam that will focus on identifying the developmental changes that occur in different stages of development |
| Final
Project |
There will be no final project for this week |
| Week 2 | Development theories |
| Learning
Resources |
Damon, W., & Lemer, M. R. (2008). Child and adolescent development: An advanced course. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons |
| Threaded
Discussions |
Discuss the different developmental theories including psychoanalytic, biological, cognitive, behavioral, and social development theories. Which theories seem most applicable and relevant in modern times? |
| Application
Assignment |
A take home exam, enabling students to learn more about the theories and an in class review of the theories |
| Week 3 | Physical and Sexual Development |
| Learning
Resources |
Damon, W., & Lemer, M. R. (2008). Child and adolescent development: An advanced course. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons |
| Threaded
Discussions |
Discuss the physical and sexual development of children, and identify some of the relevant theories when doing so |
| Application
Assignment |
Students will have an in class debate where they will argue for and against the effect of hereditary and environmental influences as biological foundations |
| Week 4 | Differences in Development Theories |
| Learning
Resources |
Damon, W., & Lemer, M. R. (2008). Child and adolescent development: An advanced course. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons |
| Threaded
Discussions |
Having examined different theories, the students will discuss how the theories differ. They will focus on the dimensions that contribute to these differences, which include nature and nurture, structuralism and functionalism, continuity and discontinuity, and explanation and description |
| Application
Assignment |
Students will have a take home essay in which they will discuss how different development theories clash, hold a debate on the credibility of nature v. nurture arguments |
| Week 5 | Cognitive Development |
| Learning
Resources |
Damon, W., & Lemer, M. R. (2008). Child and adolescent development: An advanced course. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons |
| Threaded
Discussions |
Focus on cognitive development in children. discussions on how children receive and process information |
| Application
Assignment |
Short and long answers focusing on Piaget’s theory, and development of language and communication |
| Week 6 | Information Processing |
| Learning
Resources |
Damon, W., & Lemer, M. R. (2008). Child and adolescent development: An advanced course. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons |
| Threaded
Discussions |
Discuss information processing theory, with focus on basic memory and developmental strategies in young children |
| Application
Assignment |
Students will work in groups and make a presentation focusing on the different teaching strategies, and how they can represent knowledge |
| Week 7 | Family and Development |
| Learning
Resources |
Class text: Child and Adolescent Development: An Advanced Course; Bjorklund, F. D., & Blasi, H. C. (2011). Child & adolescent development: An integrated approach. New York, NY: Cengage Learning |
| Threaded
Discussions |
Discuss the issue of parental attachment. Students will discuss the effects of the parents being too attached to their children, and the children attachment to their parents, and the role of this attachment to the children |
| Application
Assignment |
Group discussion and subsequent class presentation on a child’s emotional development, personality development and social cognition |
| Week 8 | Sex Development |
| Learning
Resources |
Class text: Child and Adolescent Development: An Advanced Course; McHale, M. S., Crouter, C. A., & Whiteman, D. S. (2003). The family contexts of gender development in childhood and adolescence. Social Development 12, (1), 125-148 |
| Threaded
Discussions |
Students will discuss the difference in development of gender roles in children and will discuss the influences or the factors contributing to the differences |
| Application
Assignment |
A take home exam that will focus on sex differences and moral development in children, and a multiple choice exam |
| Week 9 | Peer Relationships |
| Learning
Resources |
Class text: Child and Adolescent Development: An Advanced Course; supplemental materials |
| Threaded
Discussions |
Students will discuss peer influence among children, and they will focus on highlighting its negative and positive effects |
| Application
Assignment |
Students will have an exam on short and long answers focusing on the development of children’s cognitive abilities. |
| Week 10 | Stages of Development |
| Learning
Resources |
Damon, W., & Lemer, M. R. (2008). Child and adolescent development: An advanced course. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons; supplemental materials |
| Threaded
Discussions |
Students will discuss the different developmental stages, which they have not covered including middle childhood and adolescence |
| Application
Assignment |
Take home assignment and in class review of the psychological changes that children go through as they are entering adolescence |
| Week 11 | Gender Identity |
| Learning
Resources |
Damon, W., & Lemer, M. R. (2008). Child and adolescent development: An advanced course. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons;
Knafo, A., Lervolino, A. C., & Plomin, R. (2005). Masculine girls and feminine boys: Genetic and environmental contributions to atypical gender development in early childhood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 88, (2), 400-412 |
| Threaded
Discussions |
Students will discuss the struggles that many adolescents face when seeking their own identity, with focus on sexual orientation |
| Application
Assignment
|
Students will work in groups. They will search for an article from various news sources on the web highlighting an issue concerning the struggles that adolescents face because of their sexual orientation |
| Final
Project |
The students will write a final paper in which they will select a major topic that we have dealt with during the course. The paper will highlight a major issue such as gender role and development, and it will highlight the different theories of development. The final paper will be 8-10 pages long. The students will use different research materials, other than the class text. This materials should show a clear understanding of the students ability to use scholarly sources |
| Week 12 | |
| Learning
resources |
Class notes |
| Threaded
Discussions |
The final week will be a discussion of the various issues touching on child development. Students will select their topic of interest from the lessons covered in class. They will highlight any changes in perception raised |
| Application
Assignment |
The students will work individually. They will look for different articles that deal with any issue concerning child development. They will then write a paper on the article, applying the principles they have learnt in the course |
| Other | Students will identify relevant and present concerns that deal with children and adolescents. They will highlight any emerging issues, which may have not been covered in the course |
Notes
In developing the course, I had to identify the various issues that concern child development psychology. These issues begin when the children are at a young age. The type of family that a child has determines how that child grows up. The family has an important role to play in the gender role and development of children (McHale et al., 2003). The neighborhood determines the people that the child will socialize with and the friends that she will form. This can have an effect on the way the child develops, and it can determine the child’s peer influence. Children have different rates of development, physically and sexually. Understanding the cause of these differences is important because it will-among other things, help the child who has slow growth understand his body well.
There are different methods of assessments, and each of them has disadvantages and advantages. When students take their assignments home, they are able to conduct further research on the topic at their own pace, and this enables to understand better. Many students prefer holding debates on controversial issues. The debates specify to the students what they are supposed to do, giving them a clearer understanding. They compel the students to look beyond the obvious, as they look for points to confront their opponents’ opinion (Kanuka et al., 2006)
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