IFST 236:  INFANTS AND TODDLERS:
DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRAMS
 

Fall, 1999        Penny L. Deiner

 Course information

    This course focuses on the development of infants and toddlers from birth until age 3.   The emphasis is on interrelated growth patterns and processes.  It provides information on prenatal and perinatal conditions which impact a child’s future development. It includes information on developmentally appropriate practices for infants and toddlers, and curriculum based on the perceptual, motor, language, cognitive, social, and emotional needs of children in this age range.  It views infants and toddlers in the context of their families, early education and care settings, and the social policies of the state and nation.

Instructor Information

    I believe that this is one of the most important courses you will have at the University of Delaware.  I feel that it holds the potential to shape both your professional and personal life.  Based on new research, the years from birth until 3 are seen as a pivotal time that has the potential for enhancing future growth and development or impeding it. The knowledge and skills you acquire will make a difference in children’s lives.  I believe that infants are amazing and I want to share my amazement with you and help you discover this in yourself.

  I believe that you cannot learn about infants and toddlers solely through textbooks, videos, or even observations.  You have to get down on the floor and play with them.  You have to give a few bottles and change a few diapers as well as learn to speak “Motherese,” and sway while talking and holding a distressed infant.  I want you to learn to be respectful of infants and toddlers and their families and to feel the obligation that we have as adults to care for this new generation.  And, I want you to become advocate for young children.
 

Course Description

    Catalog description: Study of the infant and toddler with emphasis on interrelated growth patterns and        process, appropriate curriculum and stimulation, and the effects of prenatal and perinatal conditions on future development.

    Developmental Course:  IFST 236 is one of several developmental courses in the Department of Individual and Family Studies such as IFST 221 (Child Development), IFST 329 (Adolescent Development), and IFST 339 (Adult Development and Aging) which focuses individuals in a specific age range.  Its only prerequisite is IFST 221: Child Development.  Some of the initial content overlaps with IFST 221 however, in IFST 236 we build on this developmental information by looking at it  in greater depth and in a different format.  As children develop within the context of their families infants and toddlers are viewed in this context.

    Curriculum Course: Like IFST 222 (Early Childhood Curriculum I) and IFST 340 (Early Childhood Curriculum II) IFST 236 is a curriculum course.  It includes information about infant stimulation as well as selecting and using appropriate materials with infants and toddlers.  It looks at appropriate planning and developmentally appropriate practices for infants and toddlers.  Infants and toddlers experience learning experiences in their home and neighborhood.  Many infants and toddlers also attend early care and education settings as part of their early life.  One aspect of the course focuses on these early learning environments.

    Practicium Course: Like IFST 224 (Early Childhood Curriculum I: Practicium) IFST 236 includes a required practicium working with infants and toddlers in a child care setting.  Students are required to spend 15 hours working with infants during one half of the semester and 15 hours working with toddlers during the other half of the semester.  Practicium sites are arranged to fit student’s schedules as well as their available transportation. This is a skill based component of the course.

    Course Structure: The course uses both a chronological and topical approach.  Initially, the course looks at conception, prenatal development, birth, and the neonate.  The remainder of the course has a topical organization which addresses developmental areas such as cognitive or motor development in the context of the home and child care learning environment The field placement is an integral part of class and serves as the basis for discussion as well as the laboratory in which to try out information discussed in class.
 
 

Course Objectives

Developmental

Students will
· describe and evaluate prenatal conditions and their implications for later development (PBL).
· demonstrate an understanding of the patterns of  infants and toddler development in the areas of physical and motor, sensory and perceptual, cognitive and intellectual, communication and language, social and emotional development  (Personal Philosophy Paper , Field logs).
· refine observational skills (Field logs, Infant labs).
· apply knowledge of the developing brain to program planning (Personal Philosophy Paper, Field logs).

    Program Planning
Students will
· observe, describe, and reflect on developmentally appropriate practices in early care and education settings for infant and toddler (Personal Philosophy Paper, Field log).
· plan, implement, and evaluate activities for infants and toddlers (Field log).
· design a developmentally appropriate program for infants and toddlers (Personal Philosophy Paper, PBL).
· observe, describe, and evaluate developmentally appropriate environments for infants and toddlers (I/TERS,  PBL).
· develop an awareness of cultural diversity in families with infants and toddlers and the implication of this diversity for their growth and development (Personal Philosophy Paper).

    Computer skills
Students will
· develop skills for using the Internet to communicate with faculty and peers and to gain information (Field log, e-groups).
· submit Field logs using the Internet and respond to faculty feedback in a timely fashion (Field log).
· use Internet links to obtain additional information with the support of faculty and independently (Field log).
· independently identify useful sources of information that can be obtained from the Internet and share this with their peers (PBL).

    Process objectives
Students will
· increase their competencies in reflection and self-evaluation relative to their teaching and planning skills (Field log).
· evaluate and modify their interactions with young children (Field log).
· will set goals and develop a plan for their personal growth and development (Field log).

    Values Objectives
Students will
· feel comfortable and supported in diverse field placements (Field log).
· develop an appreciation for the importance of the first three years and their impact on later development (Personal Philosophy Paper).
· develop a personal philosophy of working with infants and toddlers (Personal Philosophy Paper).

Course Requirements

• Field experience                                                    250

Each student is required to complete two fifteen-hour field placements.  One of the placements will be with infants (birth to approximately 1 year) and the one placement will be with toddlers (1- to 3-year-olds).  The general expectation is that you will be at a setting once a week for 5 weeks for 3 hours each time.  The first placement begins Week 3 (about September 14) and should be completed by Week 7 (about October 15).  The second placement begins Week 8 (about October 19) and should be completed by Week 12 or 13 (November 23 or 30).

Written time sheets will be given for each placement. Each placement is worth 125 points with 25 from the placement itself, and 100 from your field log .
 

• Adoption Project                                                   50
• Planning and Activities for Toddlers                        50
• Infant/Toddler Environmental Rating Scale              50
• Infant Labs                                                             20

            Each lab is worth 10 points

• Personal Philosophy Paper                                   100

This paper is seen as a culminating experience for the course which requires you to articulate your philosophy of working with infants, toddlers, and twos as well as making decisions about implementing such a philosophy (at least on paper).

• Personal Action Plan                                              50

This is a plan to be developed based on your field experience and personal philosophy which looks at where you currently see yourself relative to the profession of early childhood development and education and the action you plan to take to move in the direction of your philosophy.

• Participation and quizzes                                         50

Instructional Approaches

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

    The class format is a combination of mini-lectures, discussion, pair and small group participation and multimedia. Mimi-lectures will be used to up-date information from print sources and to provide additional information as well as answer questions. Class participation and discussion is an ongoing part of the course and students are encouraged to ask questions during class, e-mail questions or concerns, or to use the anonymous e-mail suggestion box to deal with concerns they feel uncomfortable addressing in other ways.  At times we will have large group discussion, other times discussion will take place in small groups who report back to the larger ones.  Sometimes there will be a quick sharing of information with a talk-partner and other times each student will respond on paper to a question or concern.  Class will be active with role playing and other types of simulations.
 

Course Policies

    Completion of assigned work is due on the date indicated and at the beginning of the designated class unless approved in advance and in writing by the professor.  If approved, the approval needs to be included with the assignment when it is submitted.  Work submitted late is subject to a 10% penalty for the first day and 5% for each day thereafter.  If submitting late work and I am not available take it to the IFS secretary and ask her to date and initial it.

    Class attendance, preparation, and participation are integral to this course.  Absences in excess of 10% of the class meeting time (3 classes or consistent lateness) -- whether excused or unexcused -- may jeopardize your grade.  I encourage you make arrangements with someone in class to obtain notes if you miss a class.  You are responsible for obtaining information about what happened in class.
 

Student Handbook

 Grading, Evaluation Policies and Procedures

 
 

Project	Due Date	Points	Grade
Adoption Project	9/28	50
Infant Lab	10/7	10
Infant Lab	11/11	10
I/TERS	11/23	50
Personal Philosophy Paper	12/2	100
Personal Action Plan	12/2	50
Planning & Activities for I & T	12/7	50
Field Experience
Field Log #1	Week 3	20
Field Log #2	Week 4	20
Field Log #3	Week 5	20
Field Log #4	Week 6	20
Field Log #5	Week 7	20
Field Log #6	Week 8	20
Field Log #7	Week 9	20
Field Log #8	Week 10	20
Field Log #9	Week 11	20
Field Log #10	Week 12	20
Time Sheet	Week 5	25
Time Sheet	Week 10	25
Participation		50
Total		520

Week 1

August 31 Introduction, course requirements, Why study infants and toddlers?
September 2 Text:   Chapter 1
How and Why we study infants and toddlers.
Video “The First Year of Life” VHS 282 (20 minutes)
Schedule field placement, discuss field log

Week 2

September 7 Text: Chapter 2
Which infant should I adopt? (PBL) (Adoption Project)
Field placement assignments
September 9 Development during Pregnancy:
Which infant should I adopt?

Week 3  Field log #1

September 14 Text: Chapter 3   Birth and the birthing process
Which infant should I adopt?
September 16  Text: Chapter 4   The newborn
“Normal Infant Reflexes and Development” VHS 5344 (20 minutes)
Which infant should I adopt?

Week 4 Field log #2

September 21 Text: Chapter 5;  HELP Charts; Motor
Patterns of physical and motor development
“Amazing babies: Moving in the first year” VHS 5345 (47 minutes)
September 23 Text:  Chapter 6
  Sensory and perceptual development and the brain

Week 5 Field log #3

September 28 Text: Chapter 7; HELP Charts: Cognitive
Cognitive and intellectual development
September 30 Infant Lab #1 (Class meets in Alumni room in Alison Hall)

Week 6  Field log #4

October 5 Text: Chapter 8; HELP Charts: Language
  Early communication and language development
October 7 Early communication and language development and activities to promote these

Week 7 Field log #5

October 12 Text: Chapter 9;  HELP Chart: Social and Adaptive
Social development
October 14 Emotional development
“Flexible, Fearful, or Feisty: The different temperaments of Infants and Toddler” (27 minutes)
Text: Chapter 10

Week 8  Field log #6

October 19 Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Infants and Toddlers
Text: Chapters 13 and  Bredekamp, S. & Copple, C.   Read Part 3
October 21 Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Infants and Toddlers
Text: Chapters 13 and  Bredekamp, S. & Copple, C.   Read Part 3

Week 9 Field log #7

October 26  Text; Chapter 13
Harms & Cryer:  Infant/Toddler Environmental Rating Scale
Video Observations for the Infant/Toddler Environmental Rating Scale

October 28 Text: Chapter 13
Early care and education for infants, toddlers, and twos

Week 10  Field log #8

November 2 Harms & Cryer:  Infant/Toddler Environmental Rating Scale (PBL)
November 4 Infant Lab (Note: Class meets in the alumni room in Alison Hall)

Week 11 Field log #9

November 9 Text: Chapter 13
Early care and education for infants, toddlers, and twos
November 11 Harms & Cryer:  Infant/Toddler Environmental Rating Scale (PBL)

Week 12 Field log #10

November 16 Text: Chapters 14, 15
Planning and Activities for Infants and Toddlers (PBL)
November 18 Text: Chapters 14, 15
Planning and Activities for Infants and Toddlers (PBL)

Week 13  Field log Makeup-holiday

November 23 Text: Chapters 16, 17
Planning and activities for Infants and Toddlers (PBL)
November 25 No Classes - Thanksgiving

Week 14

November 30 Text: Chapters 18, 19
Planning and activities Infants and Toddlers (PBL)
December 2 Text: Chapters 11
  Infants and toddlers and their families

Week 15

December 7 Text: Chapters 11
  Future Pacing

· CLASS ATTENDANCE
 

Texts:

Bredekamp, S., & Copple. C. (Eds.).  (1997).  Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood  programs (Rev. ed.). Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young children.
Deiner, P. L. (1997) Infants and toddlers: Development and program planning.  Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace.
HELP Charts
Advice for Success
    Come to class eager to learn and participate.  Believe that this course can and will make a difference in your life and in the lives of young children.  This is not a rehearsal.  What you o is important.  Read the assigned material before class.  If you have questions, ask them.  If you have concerns, express them.  If you are having problems or any aspect of the course come and see me during my office hours or make an appointment to see me.