LaGuardia
Community College
City
University of New York
Social
Science Department
Learning
and Education: SSY 105 6960
| COURSE INFORMATION |
PROFESSSOR INFORMATION |
| Semester: |
Fall 2009
|
Professor: |
Lara Beaty |
| Class time: |
Saturdays, 9:15 am
– 12:45 pm |
Office: |
C-459C |
| Classroom: |
C-722 |
Telephone: |
x5796 |
| Blackboard: |
use the red,
“E-portfolio” button |
e-mail: |
lbeaty@lagcc.cuny.edu |
| Webpage: |
http://lbeaty.freeshell.or |
Office hours: |
Mondays,
9:15 am
– 10:15 am
Wednesdays, 4:30 pm
– 5:30 pm
and by appointment
|
Required
Text Book:
Crain, W. (2005). Theories
of development: Concepts and applications <(Fifth
Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Available
for purchase in the bookstore.
Other
Readings/Materials (in order of assignment date)
:
These readings are available on Blackboard or on the internet with a
link on Blackboard.
Hunt,
M. (1993).
The
story of psychology.
New York: Doubleday/Anchor Books.
Miller,
P. H. (2002). Theories
of developmental psychology
(Fourth Edition). New York: Worth Publishers. Excerpt available on
Blackboard.
Hock,
R. R. (2002). Forty
studies that changed psychology: Eplorations into the history of
psychological research.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. (Excerpts available on
Blackboard)
Piaget,
J. (1952). The
origins of intelligence in children.
New York: International Universities Press. Excerpt
available on Blackboard.
Miller,
G. A. (1981). Language
and speech. New
York: W. H. Freeman and Company. Excerpt
available on Blackboard.
Gee
(1996). Social
linguistics and literacies: Ideology and discourses.
London: Taylor and Francis. Excerpt
available on Blackboard.
Short,
L. J.
(Producer/Director/Writer). Temperament as a behavioral style with
Alex Thomas and Stella Chess. Video available at
http://www.temperament.com/home_video.html
@Health.com
(n.d.). Parenting
styles and its correlates. Available at
http://www.athealth.com/Practitioner/ceduc/parentingstyles.html.
Gilligan,
C. (1982). In
a different voice: Psychological theory and women’s
development.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Excerpt
available on Blackboard.
Carey,
B. (2008, September 15).
Training young brains to behave. New
York Times. Available
at NewYorkTimes.com & on Blackboard.
Tough,
P. (2006, November, 26).
What it takes to make a student. New
York Times (New York).
Available at
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/magazine/26tough.html?_r=1
and on Blackboard with a response by Bracey.
Morgan,
R. K. (1999). Case
studies in child and adolescent psychopathology.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Recommended:
Bukatko,
D., & Daehler, M. W.
(2004). Child
development: A thematic approach
(Fifth Edition). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. OR OTHER CHILD
DEVELOPMENT TEXTBOOK AS A REFERENCE BOOK. This book is on reserve in
the library.
Course
Description
This
course examines learning principles in development from birth through
adolescence, and explores how children's growth and development
impact learning. Students
will examine how cognitive,
emotional, and social learning processes underlie education. The
role of culture, family, race, class and environment will serve as
the framework for understanding the nature of intelligence and its
implications for how children learn in school.
Course
Objectives
- To
explore theory as a
tool for understanding development
- To connect theory to
“data”
- To develop our own
theories of how children develop based on research and the dominant
theories in the field
All
students
are expected to:
- Complete
all reading
before the class in which it is discussed.
The purpose of class is
NOT to repeat what was in the book but to draw connections and explore
issues in more detail. Not reading severely limits a
student’s ability to participate in class.
- PARTICIPATE
in class
activities.
- TAKE
NOTES during
discussions as well as during lectures.
- RESPECT
ALL members of
the class at all times.Behave
appropriately at
all times in the classroom. Failure to do so will result in a
student’s dismissal from the class.
- Turn
off or silence
cell phones. A cell phone ringing during an exam will result in five
points deducted from the exam grade, and phones cannot be used for any
purpose during an exam.
- Spend
an average of 3 hours work for every hour spent in class. This can be
distributed throughout the week, but if you really don’t have
three hours per class available, it is extremely hard to really master
course material.
Course
Guidelines
- Late
assignments will
NOT be accepted unless arrangements are made with the professor prior
to the due date.
- Make-up
exams are NOT
given except in the case of documented emergencies.
- Students
are encouraged
to review grades on Blackboard and bring concerns to the instructor.
- Departures
from the
classroom must be kept to a minimum because they can distract other
students, but students should leave quietly when necessary. During
exams, no more than one person may leave at a time.
- Powerpoint
presentations will be posted on Blackboard. When possible, they will be
posted before class. Note, that if you intend to print them, some small
formatting adjustments will make them more readable (and use less ink)
because they are designed for presentations rather than printing.
- Use
of office hours is
encouraged to address any course-related concerns or to seek
advisement.
- Late
students should
sign the attendance sheet left for late students.
ASSIGNMENTS
AND GRADES
The
following table indicates how
grades are assigned:
|
A-
= 90.0 to 92.5
|
A
= 93.0 to 100
|
|
|
B-
= 80.0 to 82.5
|
B
= 83.0 to 96.5
|
B+
= 87.0 to 89.5
|
|
C-
= 70.0 to 72.5
|
C
= 73.0 to 76.5
|
C+
= 77.0 to 79.5
|
|
D-
= 60.0 to 62.5
|
B
= 63.0 to 66.5
|
B+
= 67.0 to 69.5
|
|
F
= Below 59.5
|
|
|
Course
Requirements and
Grading Policy
All
assignments are required
unless students discuss modifications with the professor. Failure to
complete assignments results in zeros, which severely impact course
averages. Assignments will affect your overall grade as indicated
below. This table can be used to calculate your grade.
-
|
Unit Discussions (5%
per each)
|
25%
|
_____ x .25 =
|
_____
|
|
Discussion Leadership
|
10%
|
_____ x .10 =
|
_____
|
|
Final Examination
|
20%
|
_____ x .20 =
|
_____
|
|
Group presentations
|
10%
|
_____ x .10 =
|
_____
|
|
Research Paper
|
15%
|
_____ x .15 =
|
_____
|
|
School Experiences Paper
|
10%
|
_____ x .10 =
|
_____
|
|
Class Participation
|
10%
|
_____ x .10 =
|
_____
|
|
|
|
Total =
|
_____
|
Grades
will be posted on Blackboard.
Unit
Discussions
Instead
of having in-class examinations throughout the semester, students
will be required to write at least 50
words per week on Blackboard's Discussion Board. Each unit will receive
a separate
grade, and the average will be used in calculating the final grade.
Writing must respond to the questions and comments in the discussion
and will be graded on the relevance, use of theory, research, and
vocabulary, and the displayed level of understanding of the topics
and problems under discussion. Failing to write enough will result in
a failing grade for that unit. The professor will comment and prompt
more elaborate answers as needed.
Discussion
Leadership
Students
will be assigned to
groups and, as a group, will be required to lead the discussion for a
particular unit of the course. The instructor will lead the first
unit as an example. Leadership requires the group to pose questions
and discussion topics related to the assigned unit as well as
offering comments and guidance to fellow students. Students are
expected and will be graded on participation in addition to
leadership. Evaluation of leadership will consider the quantity and
quality of questions and guidance. Individuals are graded on their
personal performance but are encouraged to work together.
Final
Examination
There
will be a final examination
at the end of the semester. Students will be required to answer six
out of ten short-essay questions. Notes
are permitted to be used on the exam, but books or copies of
published material may NOT be used. Submitting notes
can earn up to five points bonus toward the exam. Un-graded writing
assignments and unit discussions are intended as preparation for the
final examination.
Group
Presentations
Students
will be required to
complete two group presentations, each worth 5% of the overall grade.
The presentations are intended to share student work while helping to
prepare for the papers students must write. Groups will be assigned
during the first class. Students are encouraged to speak with the
professor as necessary for guidance on these projects.
Research Paper
Students
will be assigned to
complete an activity and to report on it as a group. Two weeks after
the group presentation is given, a 7-9 page research paper will be
due that examines the activity and the questions posed for the
assignment through additional research. A handout will detail what is
required as well as due dates.
School Experiences Paper
School
experiences shape a
person's development in many ways. As groups, students will videotape
interviews and/or activities that document people's experiences. Half
of the class will first do some reading and plan out how they will
proceed with the project, and half the class will more spontaneously
seek events to videotape and then seek reading that will further the
topic that emerged from the project. These approaches will be
assigned during the first class, and we will explore the differences
in these two approaches. The group will work together to edit their
video and present a 10 minute video that reflects something about
school experiences and their significance for development. Each
individual will then seek additional reading as necessary and write a
5-7 page paper using APA format.
Class Participation
Regular
attendance and participation in classroom activities is essential for
success in this course. A grade will be given based on observations of
participation in class
discussions, small group work, and in-class writing assignments. Some
of these writing assignments will be collected and handed back during
the semester.
Extra Credit
Opportunities
may appear throughout the semester to earn extra credit, which can be
applied to a particular assignment or to the final grade as agreed
upon with the professor. One such assignment is to contribute ideas
for rewriting the article on Wikipedia about Developmental Psychology
that is assigned in the first week of the class. This and other
optional assignment are due the final class. Attending and writing
about Psychology Club events is another option. For details, contact
the professor.
COLLEGE POLICIES AND
INFORMATION
Incomplete Grades
Please note that incomplete
grades are only possible when students meet with
the professor and they agree that—due to a specific
situation—more
time is needed to meet course requirements. Incomplete grades are
only permissible where students are already passing the course, have
legitimate reasons for not completing all the work of the class, have
furnished appropriate documentation, and have agreed to a deadline by
which all unfinished work must be completed. Failure to submit all
assigned course work or to appear for a final exam are NOT legitimate
reasons for granting an incomplete grade.
Attendance
The College’s
attendance policy reads as follows:
“Attendance in class is a requirement and will be considered
in the evaluation of
student performance. Instructors are required to keep an official
record of student attendance. The maximum number of unexcused
absences is limited to 15% of the number of class hours [5.4 hours in
a 3-credit course]. Note: Absences are counted from the first day
of class even if they are a result of late registration or change of
program” (2005-06 catalog, p. 114). Keep in mind that
students are
held responsible for material discussed in class that is not in the
reading, thus regular attendance is essential. Attendance
will not have a direct impact on grades, but poor attendance prevents
participation. Frequent tardiness or early departures similarly
reduces participation and can interfere with fellow students’
learning. It is recommended that if students miss more than 3
classes, they should speak with the professor and that if students
miss mor
Academic Integrity
Please
refer to the College Catalog (pg. 114).
Cheating and Plagiarism: This class will be conducted in compliance
with
LaGuardia Community College’s academic integrity policy. All
cases of cheating or plagiarism will be penalized by a failure on the
examination or paper at a minimum and may result in failure in the
course. All violations will be reported to the College. Please refer
to the handout on APA formatting for additional information about
plagiarism.
Student Support Information
The Student Information Center:
Welcome Center
M-Building Lobby
e-mail:
callcenter@lagcc.cuny.edu
Library
Media Resources Center (E-101)
(718)
482 5426
Website:
http://www.lagcc.cuny.edu/library/
Writing
Center (Rm. E-111)
Website:
http://www.lagcc.cuny.edu/english/writingcenter/
Counseling
Department, Division of Academic Affairs (C 239)
(718)
482 5250
Website:
http://www.lagcc.cuny.edu/counseling/services.htm
Office
for Students with Disabilities (M102)
(718)
482-5279
Women’s
Center (MB10)
(718)
482-5188
Early
Childhood Learning Center (MB09)
(718)
482-5295