Course credit
3 credit hours
Course description
The Development of the Middle School Aged Child class is an important course for teachers who teach or plan to teach middle school or junior high and other individuals who coach or interact with early adolescents in any way.
Delivery
This course is available in a web-based format, utilizing web pages and WebCT, a computer conferencing program. WebCT requires Internet access and a web browser — no additional software is required. Students may need access to someone who can assist with computer set-up.
This course is available in a print-based format. Mail completed assignments to the GIS Office. We will forward them to the instructor for grading.
Prerequisites
UNI students: junior standing
Instructor
Suzanne Freedman, Associate Professor
Evaluation
15 assignments
Overview
Early adolescence begins at about age 10 and lasts until age 14. We think of the stage of early adolescence as encompassing 5th or 6th through 9th grades. It is important to note that more changes occur during early adolescence than at any other stage of development (Vernon & Al-Mabuk, 1995). Although parents and individuals who work with early adolescents often feel like they do not have much influence on kids this age, Stepp (2000) points out that adults do have influence on early adolescent development and states that “Biology is not destiny” Stepp (2000) also emphasizes the fact that parents, teachers, coaches, etc. must board early to be the most help to adolescents. It is also true that the majority of early adolescents navigate through adolescence without resorting to drug abuse, delinquency, school failure, sexual acting out, or other self -destructive behaviors (Vernon & Al-Maubk, 2005).
According to a recent article in the New York Times (January 3, 2007), educators across the nation are struggling to rethink middle school and how best to teach early adolescents at this transitional time where they are experiencing changes in all areas and are beginning to develop their identity (Gootman, 2007). Well-documented slumps in learning among early adolescents as well as middle school crime rates and increasing high school drop out rates have made this a serious concern for educators across the country (Gootman, 2007). What they have found is that teachers in the middle school often lack expertise both in subject matter and early adolescent development. According to Stepp (2000), a good middle school teacher has to know both his or her content area as well as a great deal of information about early adolescent development. Unfortunately, the preparation for teaching middle school is often lacking.
My primary goal for this course is to provide up-to-date information on selected aspects of the middle school child’s life, suggestions for understanding these early adolescents and their problems, and ideas for making their lives more meaningful in a time when societal difficulties and too many options are sources of stress. We will focus part of our time exploring how adolescents in middle school negotiate their worlds including family, peers, and school. We will explore how the study of early adolescent development is important for middle school teachers and how it can inform their understanding of human beings. Considerable attention will be given to the implications current research has for educational practice. The second goal is to help students develop and refine some of the skills necessary for successful graduate and professional careers.
Course goals
1. Students will understand basic developmental principles and the manner in which genetic and environmental factors interact.
2. Students will identify and describe the behavioral characteristics that are associated with physical, cognitive, social and emotional development of the middle school aged child.
3. Students will understand how factors such as the family, peer group, school, and mass media act as facilitators or inhibitors of the development of early adolescents.
4. Students will develop an appreciation for individual differences in human development.
5. Students will gain an understanding of the ways in which development is influenced by historical and cultural contexts.
6. Students will explore a topic of their choice related to early adolescent development.
Assignments
Introduction Section Written Assignments:
As noted above there are 15 Assignments in this course; for 5 of the 15 Assignments I would like you to answer the questions in the body of the Introduction section of the Assignment. The questions will be denoted in the assignments so you know which questions to specifically address. Some assignments have more than one question to answer. Please answer all the questions for the assignment that you have chosen. You have a choice of which five assignments you want to respond to and each Introduction Section Written Assignment is worth 10 points for a total of 50 points.
Not all of the 15 Assignments have questions to answer. The following assignments have questions in the Introduction section that you may respond to and turn in for the 5 required Introduction Section Assignments: Assignment 1, Assignment 3, Assignment 4, Assignment 7, Assignment 8, Assignment 9, Assignment 10, Assignment 11, Assignment 12, Assignment 13, Assignment 14, and Assignment 15. Please choose only 5 assignments to respond to and respond to all the questions in the Introduction section for that assignment. Please identify the Assignment # in your response.
Required Written Assignments:
Five Assignments (Assignment 1, Assignment 2, Assignment 3, Assignment 6, and Assignment 7) have 25-point Required Written Assignments to complete. Type these assignments using a word processing program and save as files. If you are using a word processing program other than Microsoft Word, then please save the files as Rich Text Format. Submit these assignments to the Assignments tool.
Additional Required Written Assignments:
The following three assignments are not attached to any specific Assignment and can be turned any time during your time working on the course. You can choose to save them until you are done with the 15 Assignments and other assignments or you can work on them at the same time.
Brief Annotated Bibliography – 50 points
Book or Movie Review and Analysis – 50 points
Interview of a Middle School Aged Child – 50 points
Grading
Grades will be based on the number of points earned.
| Five Introduction Section Written Assignments (10 pts each) | 50 points |
| Five Required Written Assignments (25 pts each) | 125 points |
| Brief Annotated Bibliography | 50 points |
| Book or Movie Review and Analysis | 50 points |
| Interview of a Middle School Aged Child | 50 points |
| Total | 325 points |
Textbook(s)
Stepp, L. (2000). Our last best shot: Guiding our children through early adolescence. New York: Riverhead Books.
Stickle, F. E. (2007). Annual Editions: Adolescent Psychology: Fifth Edition. Dubuque, Iowa: McGraw Hill-Contemporary Books.
Book of Readings. Selected articles and chapters which will be mailed to you from the Office of Continuing and Distance Education upon enrollment (an additional fee for this will be charged with course enrollment).
Texts are available from www.bookfinder.com
University Book and Supply carries most books used in guided independent study.
To search for textbooks by course, click on "Select a Campus Term" and select Univ.Northern Iowa - Guided Independent Study
Visit the store at 1009 West 23rd Street, Cedar Falls, IA 50613
Phone: 319-266-7581 or 800-728-7581
Fax: 319-277-1266
E-mail: bookstore@panthersupply.com
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