Early Childhood Development: Birth to Age 8

Course Number:
ECE 126
Transcript Title:
Early Childhood Development: Birth to Age 8
Created:
Aug 09, 2022
Updated:
Jul 11, 2023
Total Credits:
3
Lecture Hours:
30
Lecture / Lab Hours:
0
Lab Hours:
0
Satisfies Cultural Literacy requirement:
No
Satisfies General Education requirement:
No
Grading Options
A-F, P/NP, Audit
Default Grading Options
A-F
Repeats available for credit:
0
Prerequisites

Placement into IRW 115 or WR 115

Recommended 
CAS 103W or equivalent computer skills

Course Description

Covers the principles of theory and development for children from birth through eight years of age, and emphasizes the physical, cognitive, social-emotional, and linguistic domains of child development. Explores how child development and learning processes occur within multiple contexts. Focuses on environmental and instructional practices that support development. Prerequisites: placement into IRW 115 or WR 115. Recommended: CAS 103W or equivalent computer skills. Audit available.

Course Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Describe the developmental period of early childhood from birth through age eight across physical, cognitive, social-emotional, and linguistic domains.
  2. Explain how children learn and develop within relationships and within multiple contexts, including families, cultures, languages, communities, and society.
  3. List the basic premises of various child development theorists.
  4. Identify elements of learning environments and instructional practices that are healthy, respectful, culturally and linguistically responsive, developmentally appropriate, supportive and challenging for each child.

Suggested Outcome Assessment Strategies

Assessments may include written observations, journal reflections, self-assessments, interviews, projects, research papers, quizzes, tests, and portfolio artifacts.

Course Activities and Design

The determination of teaching strategies used in the delivery of outcomes is generally left to the discretion of the instructor. Here are some strategies that you might consider when designing your course: lecture, small group/forum discussion, flipped classroom, dyads, oral presentation, role play, simulation scenarios, group projects, service learning projects, hands-on lab, peer review/workshops, cooperative learning (jigsaw, fishbowl), inquiry based instruction, differentiated instruction (learning centers), graphic organizers, etc.

Course Content

Outcome #1: Describe the developmental period of early childhood from birth through age 8 across physical, cognitive, social-emotional, and linguistic domains.
  1. Stages of brain development
  2. Developmental domains:
    • Perceptual, motor, and physical development
    • Language and literacy development
    • Social-emotional development
    • Cognitive development
  3. Developmental milestones
  4. Early Learning Guidelines
    • Oregon’s Early Learning Guidelines
    • Washington State Early Learning and Development Guidelines
    • Head Start Early Learning Framework
Outcome #2: Explain how children learn and develop within relationships and within multiple contexts, including families, cultures, languages, communities, and society.
  1. Identity
  2. The roles of biology and environment
  3. Diversity of families and patterns of child-rearing
  4. Linguistic and cultural influences
  5. Effects of poverty and trauma on child development
  6. Neighborhood and community conditions
  7. Societal influences and structural inequities
Outcome #3: List the basic premises of various child development theorists.
  1. Theories of development and learning
    • Psychoanalytic Theory
    • Behaviorism
    • Cognitive Theory
    • Sociocultural Theory
    • Ecological Theory
    • Multiple Intelligences Theory
    • Maturation Theory
    • Humanistic Theory
Outcome #4: Identify elements of learning environments and instructional practices that are healthy, respectful, culturally and linguistically responsive, developmentally appropriate, supportive and challenging for each child.
  1. Supporting development through play
  2. Building supportive relationships with children
  3. Promoting healthy lifestyles
  4. Developmentally appropriate practices and learning environments
  5. Culturally and linguistically responsive practices and learning environments
    • Strategies for supporting dual language learners
  6. Anti-bias and inclusive practices
  7. Family and community engagement practices
  8. Trauma-informed practices
    • Strategies for building resilience in young children

Suggested Texts and Materials

Textbooks

  • Copple, C. & Bredekamp, S. (2008). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs: Serving children from birth through age 8 (3rd ed.). NAEYC.
  • Gordon, A.M., & Browne, K.W. (2016). Beginning essentials in early childhood education (3rd ed.). Cengage Learning.

Materials

Department Notes

NAEYC Professional Standards & Competencies for Early Childhood Educators:

#1 – Child Development and Learning in Context

Oregon Registry Core Knowledge Categories:

HGD - Human Growth & Development (30 hours)