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Professor in charge:

Eunsook Hyun, Ph.D.

Modular C #103

Tel: 590-7798

E-mail: ehyun @fgcu.edu

Office hours:

Monday, 9:00 -11:00 a.m.

Wednesday, 9:00 -10:00 a.m.

Thursday, 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. (On-line office hour)

Course Description:

This course will include theoretical and practical aspects of cognitive development for children ages three to eight with emphasis on planning developmentally and culturally appropriate teaching-learning experiences and determining appropriate curriculum content in language arts, science, mathematics, and social studies with an emphasis on integrated experiences. Understanding of course content knowledge will be demonstrated in the accompanying field assignment.

 

Course Goals (Outcomes)

Student will be able to;

- explain theoretical aspects of young children's cognitive growth and change

- describe how young children use mental tools in their problem-solving and play-based/child-initiated learning experiences

- design and develop developmentally and culturally appropriate play-based learning experiences (including various forms of lesson plans) that focus on young children's process of self-discovery

- create inquiry-based teaching and learning procedures to promote young children's problem-solving skills and higher order thinking

-promote children's multiple perspective-taking as a critical resource to maintain construtivistic teaching and learning

- develop age appropriate assessment approaches that would nurture children's sense of self-discipline, self-monitoring, and self-assessment

 

 

Teaching Philosophy:

I believe, thus I practice that;

Teaching is caring. Trust is the process of teaching. Self-motivated, self-empowered, self-initiated, critical, and creative learners are the products of that teaching practice. When the teacher teaches centered around caring, she may become a nurturer to her students and so enables the learners to construct their own knowledge with an intellectual safety. Teaching--caring--implies a continuous search for the learner's process of change, self-growth, hidden potential, and competencies. It demonstrates respect for the full range of ALL individual human talents that are unique to each other. Caring (and loving for the students' growth) is not anti-intellectual. Rather, it generates the learner's higher level of intellectual self-motivated thinking and meaningful learning experiences. An Inquiry-based Socratic Dialogue, which is a teacher guided journey of discovery, is my main pedagogical approach to nurture each learner's process of becoming a self-learner as well as to support my teaching philosophy.

Grading System:

Assignments
Points

Autobiography -

10

Weekly participation

100

11 entries of academic journal

44

5 integrated lesson plans

25

A set of instructional materials

25

Total

204

The course grade is determined as follows:

Points
Grade

194+

A

185-193

B

175-184

C

100-165

D

0-100

F
 

Individual self-assessment interview:

April 29 1998, 12:30 - 3:15 p.m, Room 103, Modular C, FGCU.
Individual student should come to Dr. E. Hyun's office during the time for the final exit interview. You should bring your Course Performance Folder, which contains your:

1) final autobiography;

2) eleven academic journal entries;

3) five integrated lesson plans;

4) a set of instructional material and;

5) articles have read and reflective notes

6) one page (but, in-depth and analytical) reflective statement on self-assessment of the learning experience.

The reflective statement is the key for you to get the final grade. Without the high quality statement, I will not be able to give you an appropriate and fair grade. So, please put your in-depth and analytical thoughts into your reflective self-assessment of the course learning experiences.

Required Texts:

Bodrova, E., & Leong, D. (1996). Tools of the Mind: The Vygotskian approach to early childhood education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall.

Optional Texts:
Wadsworth, B. J. (1996). Piaget's Theory of cognitive and affective development: Foundations of constructivism. White Plains, NY: Longman.

Other References:
Bredekamp, S., & Copple, C. (1997). Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) in early childhood programs. Washington, D. C: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

DeVries, R., & Kohlberg, L. (1990). Constructivist early education: Overview and comparison with other programs. Washington, DC.: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Gestwicki, C. (1999). Developmentally apprproiate practice: Curriculum and Development in early education. Albany, NY: Delmar.

Hyun, E. (1998). Making sense of developmentally and culturally appropriate practice (DCAP) in early childhood education. New York: Peter Lang.

Junn, E., & Boyatzis, (Eds.) (1998-1999). Child growth and development 98/99. Guilford, CT: Dushkin.

Pressley, M., & McCormick, C. (1995). Cognition, teaching, and assessment. NY: HarperCollins.

Siegler, R. S. (1998). Children's thinking. Upper Saddle river, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Small, M. Y. (1990). Cognitive development. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace.

Tertell, E., Klein, S., Jewett, J. (Eds.) (1998). When teachers reflect. Washington, D. C: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Calvin, W. (1996). How brain think: Evolving intelligence then and now. New York: Basic Books.

Checkley, K. (1997). The first seven…and the eighth: A conversation with Haward Gardner. Educational Leadership, 55 (1), 8-13.

Chugani, H. T. (1997). Neuroimaging of developmental non-linearity and developmental pathologies. In R. W. Thatcher, G. R. Lyon, J. Rumsey, and N. Krasnegor, eds. Developmental Neuroimaging: Mapping the Development of Brain and Behavior. San Diago: Academic Press.

Diamond, M., & Hopson, J. (1998). Magic trees of the mind: How to nurture your child's intelligence, creativity, and healthy emotions from birth through adolescence. New York: Penguin Putnam.

Gardner, H. (1998). "Are there additional intelligences?" in J. Jane (Ed.), Education, Information, and Transformation. Engelwood, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. New York: Bantam.

Greenspan, S. I. (1997). The growth of the mind and the endangered origins of intelligence. Reading, MA: Addison Wesley.

Gunnar, M. R. (1996). Quality of care and the buffering of stress physiology: Its potential in protecting the developing human brain. Unversity of Minnesota Insitutte of Child Development.

LeDoux, J. (1996). The emotional brain: The mysterious underpinnings of emotional life. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Pool, C. (1997). Maximizing learning: A conversation with Renate Nummela Caine. Educational Leadership, 54 (6), 11-15.

Sebba, R. (1991) The landscapes of childhood-The reflection of childhood's environment in adult memories and in children's attitudes. Environment and Behavior, 23 (4), 395-422.

Shore, B. (1996). Culture in mind: Cognition, culture, and the problem of meaning. New York: Oxford University Press. (Reprinted with the permission of Oxford University Press.

Shore, R. (1997). Rethinking the brain: New insights into early development. New York: Families and Work Institute.

Sylwester, R. (1995). A celebration of neurons; An educator's guide to the human brain. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Wilson, R. (1997). The wonder of nature: Honoring children's way of knowing. Journal of Professional Development: Earlychildhood News, March/April, p.6.

Wilson, R. (1995). Nature and young children: A natural connection. Young Children, 50 (6), 4-11.

Wolfe, P., & Brandt, R. (1998). What do we know from brain research? Educational Leadership, 56 (3), 8-13.

Astington, J. (1998). Theory of mind goes to school. Educational Leadership, 56 (3), 46-48.

 

 Other Recommended Readings

Flavell, J. H. (1971). Stage-related properties of cognitive development. Cognitive Psychology 2, 421-453. [A classic analysis of stage theories of development.]

Johnson, M. H. (Ed.). (1993). Brain development and cognition: A reader. Oxford, UK: Blackwell. [This book includes a large number of the most important recent articles about the relation between development of the brain and children's thinking.]

Meltzoff, A. (1990). Toward a developmental cognitive science. Annals of the New York academy of Science, 608, 1-31. [Infants in their first month out of the womb show some ability to imitate the actions of their people; this article summarizes of the evidence for this surprising capability.]

Tomasello, M., Kruger, A. C., & Ratner, H. H. (1993). Cultural learning. Brain and Behavioral Sciences, 16, 495-511. [This article explores the fascinating issue of why people's thinking differs so much from that of even our closest primate relatives, apes and chimpanzees. It identifies people's propensity to teach and learn as critical sources of the differences.]

Educational Leadership, Vol. 56, No.3, November 1998. (Vol. theme: "How the Brain Learns")

Educational Leadrship, Vol. 54, No. 6, March, 1997. (Vol. theme: "How Children Learn")

Educational Leadership, Vol. 55, No.1, September 1997. (Vol. theme: "Teaching for Multiple Intelligences")

 

Journals:

Child Development
Childhood Education
Cognitive Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Early Education & Development
Early Childhood Education Journal
Educational Psychology review
Early Childhood Research Quarterly
Young Children

 

Requirements Information and Course Policy :

  • Late completion of assignments will not be accepted unless prior approval is granted.
  • No deferred grades will be given.
  • All requirements must be completed to earn a passing grade.
  • Written work must be typed.
  • The instructor reserves the right to change the schedule in the syllabus as needed.
  • The instructor will always give a great value on each individual student's self-doubt of his/her own learning and reflective self-questions. Please feel free to share your concerns in the class.

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