Theories of Development: Concepts and Applications

Masters of Science in Education

EDU 530

Breyer State University
Instructor: Janice DeCicco Fipp, Ed.D

SYLLABUS

COURSE OVERVIEW: Welcome to Theories of Development: Concepts and Applications, a masters level course in the curriculum for the degree, Masters of Science in Education. I am very eager to instruct you in this course. The content will prove to provide a great deal of information for you in your career as an educator and an educational leader.

Theories of Development is an exciting course that provides an in-depth examination to assist you in translating developmental theories into practical implications for you as a professional who nurtures the development of young people. We will identify strategies for promoting children's and adolescents' physical, cognitive and social-emotional growth.

You will learn a good deal of valuable information, but most importantly, we will discuss the practical application of the course content. The assignments will assist you in interacting with the course content.

TIME FRAME: This is a four-semester course. You are allotted fifteen weeks to successfully complete all of the requirements for the course. The first day of week one will begin the day you register for the course, or the day you notify me that your textbook has arrived and you are ready to begin. Please be cognizant of the time frame. It is rare that extensions of the time are permitted, unless there is good justification. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be awarded four semester hours of credit.

TEXTBOOK: There is one textbook required for this course.

Book 1: Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Plus, Pearson myeducationlab
By:  Theresa M. McDevitt andJeanne Ellis Ormrod Merrill 2010 Copyright by Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN-13: 978-0-13-713383-3 ISBN-10: 0-13-713383-9

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EXAMINATIONS: There are two examinations for this course, a mid-term exam and a final exam.

The mid-term exam must be taken at the end of the 8th week of the course.
The final examination must be taken by the end of the 15th week in the course.

Both exams are in the classroom for this course. The examinations are "open book" essay and short answer tests. You will have one day to complete your exam once you access it from the classroom. To access the exam, you must send me an email and request to have access to the exam. Upon registration, you will receive my email address.  I will then program your access. You will receive an email from me telling you that you have been given access.
To access, you go to the online classroom, click on testing and click on the exam you are taking. You will need your USER ID and PASSWORD to access the exam.
Once you access the exam, you have 24 hours to submit your answers. The program provides the instructor the exact date and time you accessed the exam. It will also give me the date and time the exam answers were submitted by you.  Thus, you are timed. 

Your exam will be scored by your instructor and returned to you within 48 hours.

GRADING: The grading scale for this course is as follows:

90-100%    = A
80-89%      = B
70-79%      = C
Below 70% = Fail

COMMUNICATION: Although, the course requires that you complete a good amount of reading on your own, I encourage you to communicate with me. I am available as a teacher, a coach, and a mentor to assist you in meeting your goals for this course. Primarily, communication is through email. Our classroom for this course has a "chat" room. I am very willing to meet with you one-on-one in the chat with you at your request. From time to time, depending on how many students are enrolled at a particular time, we will have some scheduled group chats. You will receive more detailed information at the time such sessions are scheduled. If at any time during this course you change your email address, please be sure to notify me right away.

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS: The written assignments for this course will include reactions to readings or observations, as well as listed assignments in Classroom.

Although this is a Maters Level Education course and mastery of the course content is our focus, as in any English Composition course, I will give you feedback on your writing.  As a future educational leadership, you will be a role model in how you conduct yourself, how you communicate, as well as how well you lead others.  Do not be concerned if you receive feedback with recommendations or corrections on sentence structure, grammar or usage.  Follow my lead, and you will become more confident and successful within your current position and any future career path you choose.

READING ASSIGNMENTS: This textbook, as in most texts concerning the education profession, has a great deal of content in every paragraph, every page, and every chapter.

The best way to be successful in mastering the content in each chapter is to use the study skills methods taught in many high schools and colleges today.
An example of how to read and learn from nonfiction text, such as ours:

 Bring to mind any prior knowledge you may have on this   topic and also begin generating questions identifying what  you would like to learn about this topic.

Read table of contents and read the title of each chapter.

To again bring to mind prior knowledge and generate questions.

        When assigned to read a particular chapter, look for chapter  content objectives first.
         Next look for headings and subheadings.  These will assist you in outlining the chapter if you wish.
         Review and read all questions or activities at the end of the chapter prior to beginning reading.

         Take each heading statement, turn it into a question and read to find the answer.  The answer to the question will be the most important information.  This is the beginning of you identifying main ideas from the supporting details.
Note taking and outlining today take the form as graphic organizers.  These could be webs, charts, or any diagram that clearly distinguishes the main idea from supporting details.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

1). Demonstrate understanding of major theories of child development.
2). Demonstrate understanding of physical development.
3). Demonstrate knowledge of cognitive development.
4). Demonstrate an understanding of intelligence.
5). Demonstrate understanding of language development.
6). Demonstrate effective understanding of development of literacy.
7). Demonstrate understanding of personal and emotional development.
8). Demonstrate an understanding of social understanding and moral development.
9). Understand the development of motivation and self-regulation.
10). Demonstrate an understanding of dynamics of the family.

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR: I, Janice DeCicco Fipp, Ed.D., currently teach graduate level courses within the Masters of Science Program in Education at Breyer State University . I hold a teaching certificate in elementary education, a master's degree in supervision and curriculum development and a doctorate in educational leadership. I have served as an elementary school teacher, a curriculum coordinator, a director of special services, and a school administrator for 14 years. Currently, I am principal of a 600 student elementary school and I love it. The daily challenges and pleasures regarding students, staff, parents, boards of education, state development mandates and laws keep the profession exciting and worth the effort!

My goal is to share a great deal with you, so you may move forward within your career.

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