Children, Curriculum, and Counting: Psychology and Education

How do children learn? How do educators decide what children are ready to learn and when they are ready to learn it?

This program will explore how schools make decisions about children’s learning. Our focus will be on child development from biological, cognitive, and social perspectives. We will examine key theories that educators use to understand and study the developing human from in-utero to the teenage years, exploring each stage of development. We will highlight current issues in the field of education and their impact on development. We will also address how teachers and other education professionals create structures and support systems to maximize opportunities for student success. In other words, we will inquire into how children develop, how the educational system responds to their development, and how scientific, evidence-based research informs both of these contexts.

Students can expect to gain an introduction to psychology and education, and to learn how to think critically about research and data by studying texts by psychology and education researchers, as well as current events.

This program will benefit students who are interested in child development, education, and building skills in drawing conclusions from quantitative data.

To successfully participate in this program, students should have access to reliable internet during synchronous class meetings, an internet-enabled device (computer, tablet, or smart phone),  the required texts (online and/or hard copy), and writing and note-taking supplies.  Students should expect our remote teaching to be a 70%/30% blend of asynchronous (self-paced) and synchronous (real-time) work using Canvas and Zoom.  Students will have access to alternatives to synchronous participation if conditions require.