Del Mar College Course Syllabus CDEC 1313 Curriculum Resources for Early Childhood (online) Course Description: Instructor: Benita Flores Office: CL Rm. 122 698-2385 E-mail Address: benitaflores@delmar.edu A study of the fundamental of curriculum design and implementation developmentally appropriate programs for children. R1, E1, M1 Prerequisites: None Student Learning Outcomes: The student will define developmentally appropriate practices; describe the process of child-centered curriculum development; and develop guidelines for creating developmentally appropriate indoor and outdoor learning environments. The student will apply an understanding of teacher roles in early childhood classroom; prepare developmentally appropriate schedules including routines and transitions; and select, plan, implement and evaluate developmentally appropriate learning experiences for children. Course Objectives: 1. Define developmentally appropriate practices. a. Describe developmentally appropriate practices as they apply to infants/toddlers, preschool and school age children including children with special needs. b. Evaluate classrooms to determine their placement on a continuum from developmentally appropriate to inappropriate in relation to room arrangement, activities, material and equipment. c. Explain the value of play and its relationship to developmentally appropriate practice. d. Describe how cultural and linguistic diversity are a part of developmentally appropriate practices. 2. Describe the process of child-centered curriculum development. a. Compare curriculum approaches/models b. Discuss the application of anti-bias curriculum. c. Analyze different approaches to curriculum planning.
d. Describe a variety of assessment strategies and their role in the early childhood planning process. e. Develop lesson plans for a specific group of children. f. Discuss planning and implementation of curriculum and instructional practices based on knowledge on individual children, the community and curriculum goals, and content. g. Analyze and develop an anti-based developmentally appropriate curriculum 3. Develop guidelines for creating developmentally appropriate indoor and outdoor learning environments. a. Describe the relationship between children s ages and developmentally appropriate indoor and outdoor learning b. Define learning centers and /or activity zones and their relationship to learning through play. c. Describe basic arrangement of learning centers in developmentally appropriate indoor learning environments. d. Describe developmentally appropriate outdoor learning environments. e. Explain the concept of using zones in outdoor learning f. Describe how to enhance creativity and aesthetics in the 4. Apply an understanding of teacher roles in early childhood classrooms. a. Describe various roles of a teacher b. Practice teacher roles in early childhood classrooms c. Demonstrate the ability to select the appropriate teacher role. d. Adapt indoor and outdoor environment for children with special needs. 5. Prepare a developmentally appropriate schedule including routines and transitions. a. Compare appropriate and inappropriate schedules of infant/toddlers, preschool and school age children. b. Describe developmentally appropriate routines for use in classroom. c. Define and describe how to use transitions in classroom. d. Develop an appropriate schedule for a specific group of children. 6. Select, plan, implement and evaluate developmentally appropriate learning experiences for children
Textbook(s): Gestwicki, Carol. Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Curriculum and Development in Early Education, 4th ed. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers, 1999. Bredekamp, S. & Copple, C. Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs. NAEYC (Revised edition) ISBN-978-1- 928896-64-7 Technology Requirements: Students enrolled in online courses are expected to be comfortable navigating through the Blackboard environment, submitting assignments online, and participating in class discussions via the internet. Students are expected to regularly check their DMC e-mail. In addition, online resources are available through www.delmar.edu. Malfunctioning or unavailable equipment is not an excuse for missed assignments or communications. Make a back-up plan now! (Even if you do not think anything will happen, make a back-up plan) Methods of Evaluation: You can check the points you have earned throughout the semester by clicking on the My Grades icon. Your final grade will be determined by total points earned on the discussions, quizzes, assignments, and the final exam. Assignments Points Grade Scale 10 quizzes @ 10 points each 100 points 675-750 points = A 1 Final Exam @ 100 points 100 points 600-674 points = B 4 Assignments @ 100 points 400 points 525-599 points = C 15 discussion postings @ 10 points 150 points 450-524 points = D 0 449 points = F Total Possible Points 750 points *Portfolio Items Laboratory assignments may be relevant for capstone or teaching portfolios. There will be no makeup tests. Each test will be offered during a specified period, and if you do not take a test during the designated time, for any reason, your grade on that test will be zero.
Attendance and Course Policies: An online course is unique in that you are somewhat able to work at your own pace, however, students are expected to adhere to stated deadlines for submission of assignments and taking quizzes. Students are expected to take part in weekly online discussions with their classmates. Failing to post for two consecutive weeks may result in your being dropped from the course. If you have any questions about anything during the term, please don t hesitate to contact me. I will respond to your email message with 24 hours (48 hours on weekends and holidays). Once the semester begins, students may access this online class Monday through Saturday each week. On Sundays, Discussions and Quizzes will be locked. Sundays will be used by the instructor to finish reading the students discussion postings, grade quizzes, and tally weekly points. Each week there will be a discussion question. You are required to participate by responding to these every week. You must participate at least two times on DIFFERENT days during the week. I will evaluate your postings on the following scale: 5 points You responded to the original discussion question by posting a response. 8 points You responded to the original discussion question AND responded to fellow classmate s comments. You actually engage in discussion with the class. Your postings are at least 50 words long. 10 points All of the above, plus your postings are well-thought contributions that exhibit a true understanding of the assignment. Your postings are at least 100 words long. 15 points All of the above, plus you have READ at least 80% of the overall class discussion postings. Assignments: Assignments must be submitted in Microsoft Word format (either Word 97-2003 or Word 2007) or saved as a Rich Text file. No other format will be accepted and therefore, will not be graded. See the web link for discounts and/or the free trial offer on Microsoft Word. Your assignment(s) must have your last name and first initial (example: Flores, B.) in the upper right hand header of each page. Underneath your name, type the title of the assignment. No other information is necessary. All work must be
typed, using a 12-point font, double-spaced, and free of writing errors. Proof your work; points will be deducted for misspelled words, poor punctuation, grammatical errors, paragraph structure, etc. Late work automatically loses points as follows and will not be accepted once Final Exams week begins. 1 day late loss of 5 points 2 7 days late loss of 10 points 8 14 days late loss of 20 points 15 days loss of 50 points College Policies: Students are expected to read and abide by the Code of Conduct found in the College Catalog. If you have any questions regard the Code of Conduct, please consult with your instructor. Students requesting disability accommodations or information encouraged to contact the Office of Special Services, Harvin Center Room 188, 698-1288. SCANS Competencies: The SCANS Competencies identified by the Secretary s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills have been infused into this course. The SCANS Competencies were developed to close the gap between training and workplace know how. The specific SCANS Competencies to be developed in this course are: C5 Information: Acquires and evaluates information C7 Information: Interprets and communicates information. C9 Interpersonal: Participates as a member of a team; Contributes to group effort. IDEA: The IDEA System defines effective teaching in terms of progress on selected objectives. The IDEA objectives identified for this course include: Gaining factual knowledge (terminology, classifications, methods, trends). Acquiring skills in working with others as a member of a team. Developing specific skills, competencies, and points of view needed by professionals in the field most closely related to this course. The effectiveness of the IDEA objectives may be evaluated by students during the semester.