CLINTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Plattsburgh, N.Y. 12901

Fall 2006

Psy235 Child Development 

Instructor: June Foley

Office: 532

Phone: 562-4177

Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday: 9:00-10:00 am, Tuesday, Thursday: 12:30-1:30, Friday, noon-1:00

Course Description:

This course provides a general introduction to the area of Developmental Psychology and a survey of developmental processes that influence the growth of the physical, intellectual, and socio-emotional aspects of the child from conception through middle childhood.

Course Objectives:

1. Students will demonstrate the ability to think critically and analytically, and to reason logically about issues in child development using course information and past experiences.
2. Students will demonstrate an understanding between theory and practice and be able to apply classroom learning to situations in life outside the classroom.
3. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the scientific methods used to learn about child development.
4. Students will understand the basic physical changes in the body and brain during childhood and the factors important for healthy growth. 
5. Students will understand the cognitive changes during childhood from  Piagetian and Information Processing perspectives and the factors important for healthy growth.
6. Students will understand the social and emotional changes during childhood, and the factors important for healthy growth.

Text:

Berk, Laura (2005) Infants and Children, 5th ed. Allyn and Bacon, Boston, Mass.

Interactive Web site:  http://www.abinteractive.com  The access code can be found inside the front cover of your textbook.  This site includes self-tests, video clips and other activities.

Attendance:

Regular class attendance and participation are essential for success in this course. Students are expected to attend all classes and to be prepared to discuss assigned reading. It is College policy that if a student misses 15% of class sessions s/he may be withdrawn from the course. I adhere to College policy. Students will be marked present if they are present at the time roll is taken in the first minutes of class. Late arrivals are disruptive to the class. Please make every effort to arrive on time.

College Policies

Students are expected to follow the College policies outlined in the College Catalog, pages 23-27.  These policies govern grading, standards for academic progress, attendance, and academic honesty.  It is important that you are aware of your rights and responsibilities according to these policies.

Evaluation and Grading:

4 Exams @ 100 points each

1 Comprehensive Final Exam @100 points

1  Article Review  @ 100 points 

2 Observation/Application Paper @100 points each

Attendance and Participation @ 100 points

Exams will be combination multiple choice and short answers. Questions follow directly from Learning Objectives and Class Discussions. You may drop the lowest test grade. NO MAKE-UP TESTS. Tests may be taken early.

Papers are due at the beginning of the class for which they were assigned. Students will lose 5 points the first day a paper is late, and 5 points for each additional class day the paper is late. The late penalty will be waived for students who attend class on the day the paper is due and hand it in by 5:00pm.  Papers may be submitted via e-mail as attachments in Microsoft Word. Papers MAY NOT be submitted as e-mail.

Coming to class prepared

Most days classroom activities will consist of discussion of assigned reading material. This allows students to check their understanding of materials read, reflect on that information, and share their opinions about it. In the process the material is rehearsed in a meaningful way. This has been established as among the most effective methods to learn new material. Obviously however, such a classroom is virtually useless to students who have not read the assignment. I want all my students to do well. Successful students have told me overwhelmingly that reading the book before class was vital to their success. There may be pop quizzes to evaluate preparation for class. These will be part of the attendance and participation grade

Using my Office Hours

I strongly encourage students to come to see me. I am willing to answer virtually any question. I will explain confusing articles. I will review papers before they are turned in. I will review your study strategies with you to see how they could be improved. I want you to succeed in this class.

Course Outline and Assignments