EDU 321 Urban Infant-Toddler Curriculum and Practicum

Developmentally appropriate curriculum, materials, and environmental design for infants and toddlers are the focus of this course. Students will review infant and toddler development and connect development to the practices used to design programs for infants and toddlers in urban early childhood settings. The importance of integrating the values, language, and cultural practices of the child's family into the daily curriculum will be a topic. The course will focus on strategies for communication with urban families and the current issues around infant and toddler care. Students will consider the appropriate practices for a program serving infants and toddlers in a diverse urban community. This course requires a practicum designed to provide urban field experiences for students to practice meeting the individual developmental needs of infants and toddlers. Using the basic strategies and techniques of child study, the student will learn to critically observe and assess the general developmental levels and learning needs of two urban children (one infant and one toddler) and report their findings. The student will spend at least five hours observing and minimally interacting with each of the two children in a diverse urban setting, using knowledge gained from textbook readings and class discussion.

Prerequisites

• EDU 200: Introduction to Urban Education and Reflective Teaching and EDU 203: Multicultural Education

Special information

Note: Admission to Urban Teacher Program or Department approval required to register. Clinical field experience hours are part of the course requirements.