Part I: Personal Connection
1) Share your favorite lesson or unit you remember learning in school.
2) Discuss how you will be able to use the information you learn in this course in your current or future work with children. (This course is ECE642: Quality Curriculum in Early Childhood Education)
3) Discuss your experience with planning quality early childhood curriculum.
Part II: Program Connection
This part of your introduction is meant to help you reflect on your previous learning experiences and connect prior knowledge to what you will study throughout the next six weeks. Specifically, think back to your ECE624: Advanced Topics in Child Development, Learning, and Developmentally Appropriate Practices course. Creating an effective curriculum largely depends on your understanding of developmentally appropriate practices. With this in mind, address the following:
1) What was the biggest lesson you learned from ECE624?
2) In what ways does your understanding of child development theories impact curriculum and instruction?
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CGDT rev. December 2020 [Do not include this revision information in the final version of the Course Guide.]
Course Guide
ECE624
ADVANCED TOPICS IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT, LEARNING, AND DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE PRACTICES This course examines current issues, trends, theories, and research related to child development and
developmentally appropriate practices in the early childhood classroom. Students generate ethical
solutions to relevant issues in the field of early childhood education and social justice. Further, students
will examine how various leadership models foster professional knowledge and skills within their chosen
field of study. Using this information, students design a classroom environment that incorporates
evidence-based and developmentally appropriate strategies that promote optimal learning and
development in young children. Prerequisite: ECE 600 or EDU 650
ECE624: ADVANCED TOPICS IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT, LEARNING, AND DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE PRACTICES COURSE GUIDE
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COURSE AT A GLANCE
COURSE DESCRIPTION This course examines current issues, trends, theories, and research related to child development and
developmentally appropriate practices in the early childhood classroom. Students generate ethical solutions to
relevant issues in the field of early childhood education and social justice. Further, students will examine how
various leadership models foster professional knowledge and skills within their chosen field of study. Using this
information, students design a classroom environment that incorporates evidence-based and developmentally
appropriate strategies that promote optimal learning and development in young children. Prerequisite: ECE
600 or EDU 650
COURSE DESIGN This course is designed to provide an in-depth analysis of child development with an emphasis on
developmental domains, theory, and real-life application in the early childhood years. Students can analyze
developmentally appropriate practices for early childhood settings through simulated exercises. They are
provided practical learning opportunities to apply in their current or future practice with young children. Further,
this course is designed to support students as they design early childhood classroom environments ideal for
maximizing children’s learning and development and modelling professional knowledge and skills.
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
1. Evaluate current issues, trends, theories, and research related to child development and
developmentally appropriate practices.
2. Generate ethical solutions, using the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct, to relevant issues in the field of
early childhood education and social justice.
3. Design a classroom environment that utilizes extensive evidence-based and developmentally
appropriate strategies and tools to promote optimal development and learning in young children.
4. Examine how multiple models of leadership foster professional knowledge and skills.