Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Play, Creativity, & Learning

Catalog description

This course prepares pre-service educators to implement developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate teaching approaches that enhance young children’s development and creative expression, with an emphasis on the nature and functions of play. Students explore current trends through the lens of established educational theory and research-based best practices. Topics such as planning and assessment, emergent curriculum, early childhood environments, and the use of centers are considered from a whole child development perspective. In this class, students explore, observe, and develop strategies to meet the social, emotional, physical, cognitive, spiritual, literacy, and executive functioning needs of diverse learners at each stage of development. Special emphasis is placed on the study of creativity as a central force in early childhood learning and development. This course prepares pre-service educators to consider how young children use various forms of creative expression including visual art, music, movement, storytelling, and dramatic play; and to provide developmentally appropriate classrooms and integrated play-based opportunities for young learners.