SYLLABUS FOR PERSPECTIVES IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT (ANU)

Perspectives in Child Development

Objectives

• Compare relative merits and applications of different approaches of Human Development.
• Recognize that childhood is a period of socialization and how socialization practices affect development.
• Critically analyze developmental variations among children placed and exposed to different socio-cultural contexts.
• Appreciate the process of development with special focus on childhood and adolescence.
• Recognize adolescence as a period of transition and threshold of adulthood.
• Examine characteristics of adolescents and reflect on how their needs act as the genesis of certain unique problems.
• Illustrate different factors influencing child development and their applications to education.
• Examine different theories of development and their relevance to understanding the nature of a child.

Course Content

Unit 1: Approaches of Human Development

• Concept of Growth, Development, and Maturation.
• Principles of Development.
• Stages of Growth and Development (Infancy, Childhood, Adolescence).
• Dimensions of Growth and Development (Physical, Cognitive, Emotional, Social, Moral, Language).
• Longitudinal and Cross-sectional Approaches to Understanding Development.

Unit 2: Theories of Development

• Cognitive Theory of Development (Piaget).
• Psycho-social Theory of Development (Erikson).
• Theory of Moral Development (Kohlberg).
• Theory of Psycho-sexual Development (Freud).
• Theory of Emotional Development (Goldstein).

Unit 3: Childhood as a Period of Socialization

• Characteristics of Childhood — Developmental Tasks.
• Child Development — Physical, Cognitive, Social, Emotional, Moral, and Language Development during Childhood.
• Child in Different Socio-cultural Contexts.
• Process of Socialization — Conflict Resolution and Social Development.
• Stages of Social Development — Isolated Play, Parallel Play, and Social Play.

Unit 4: Adolescence as a Period of Transition

• Characteristics and Needs in Adolescence.
• Genesis of Problems during Adolescence — Physical, Cognitive, Emotional, Social, Moral, and Language Development.
• Adolescent Groups — Gangs.
• Mechanisms of Adjustment with Special Reference to Defense Mechanisms and Holistic Development.
• Leadership: Types of Leadership, Development of Leadership Qualities in Adolescents and their Educational Implications.

Unit 5: Individual Differences

• Dimensions of Individual Differences — Cognitive Abilities, Interests, Aptitude, Creativity, Personality, and Values.
• Theory of Multiple Intelligence (Gardner) — Implications for Understanding Differences in Children.
• Differences in Children Based on Learning Styles and Socio-cultural Context (Home Language and Instructional Language).
• Individual Differences Based on Cognitive Abilities — Learning Difficulties, Slow Learners, Intellectually Challenged, Intellectually Gifted.
• Fostering Creativity among Children.

Activities

• Visit a Balwadi Centre/NGO Centers for Orphans/Street Children Homes and Prepare a Detailed Report on the Care Taken by these Centers.
• Describe Cases:
  • A child with any type of disability.
  • A child from a disadvantaged section of society.