EDEC 538 - Cognitive and Language Development in Early and Middle Childhood

Unit(s): 3

This course addresses the development of children from birth through middle childhood with emphasis on the relationships between language development and cognitive development. We will study the ideas of major theorists – Piaget, Erikson, Bruner, Vygotsky, Mead, and others – who address the development of children’s representational thinking, language, and cross-cultural and family influences on development and learning. We will also explore current research on brain development in the first five years of life from a critical perspective and with an emphasis on practical implications. We will study current research and theories of cognitive, social, and emotional development as related to oral, written, and spoken language development in home and in school/care environments, including in environments where children are learning more than one language.

Grading: Grade only.
Prerequisite(s): graduate student in Education or permission of instructor.
Teaching Mode: Taught spring semester of even years.