Child Development

Students enroll in this internship to gain additional experience working with children. Students identify a site of interest in collaboration with a child development faculty member and develop learning goals and assignments. Various placement sites are possible and depend on student interest; these include, but are not limited to, child-care centers, hospitals, schools, social service agencies and special education programs. Graded Pass/Fail.

This course uses a family systems approach to introduce the research, applied, and ethical aspects of working with  children and families from diverse backgrounds. Students will apply several theoretical frameworks to explore the nested and multi-layered interactions between the child, family, community and society and policies and services available to them. Special attention will be devoted to applied skills in working with children and families.

This course addresses issues of exceptionality in children, including both developmental disabilities and giftedness. The focus is on those issues that affect children’s success in school, effective services and ways to adapt the environment to maximize learning. High incidence disabilities, such as learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, intellectual and developmental disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders and communication disorders are emphasized. Student, teacher, parent and administrative involvement are examined.

This course introduces students to theories of language, literacy, and creative expression in children. Emphasis is placed on understanding how children develop in these areas and the relationship between development and appropriate evidence‐based practices.  Students learn how to observe and document growth and diversity in language and creative expression, as well as plan, implement, and assess learning activities that support the language and literacy development of the individual child.

This course will consider coaching as a process used to facilitate desirable and sustainable change for the benefit of the person being coached. This process contains specific elements that can be paired with different content areas in human services, such as early intervention, early childhood education, teaching, home visiting, counseling, and social work. Both theory and practice will be explored.

This course applies mathematical concepts through national/local standards using problem solving and scientific inquiry to develop integrated, technology rich multi-disciplinary units for children. Students will be introduced to concepts in elementary school math as well a variety of science areas.

The internship is composed of a seminar and internship in a setting serving children and/or families. The seminar focuses on exploring evidence based practice, self-reflection, application of child development knowledge to applied settings and deepening knowledge of development in areas of focus associated with internship work. Professional development and preparation is also a focus of the class.

Students design, carry out and present the results of original research projects, including library research, data collection and statistical analyses. Ethical considerations and interpretation of results are emphasized. This Capstone experience must be completed at Colby-Sawyer College.