Course aims:

To explain the main theories of human development
To analyze continuity and discontinuity in development
To compare the main theories that have contributed to the understanding of human development
To analyze real situations and cases and explain them from the perspective of certain theories of development
To exemplify how a particular theory of development can contribute to the understanding of the cognitive, emotional and socio-moral development of the individual

Course Entry Requirements:

N/A

Course contents:

1. General principles and controversial issues in child development 2. Critical periods versus sensitive periods of development; neuroplasticity and cognitive stimulation in early childhood 3. Prenatal development 4. Cognitive development. Models of cognitive development 5. Socio-emotional development. Attachment theories 6. Moral development

Teaching methods:

Lecture, conversation, exemplification, learning through discovery, debate, case studies

Learning outcomes:

• conducting the teaching and learning process in preschool and primary school • counseling and psycho-pedagogical support for various educational groups • cooperation in interdisciplinary teams in order to carry out programs and projects in education • life-long learning

Learning outcomes verification and assessment criteria:

Written paper – 60%; Continuous assessment – 40%.

Recommended reading:

R. M. Lerner & W. Damon (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Theoretical models of human development, John Wiley & Sons Inc., Hoboken, NJ, USA, 2006, xx.
Doherty, J., Hughes, M., Child development – Theory and Practice,, Pearson Education, New York, 2009, xx.
Kail, Robert V, Children and Their Development (6th Edition):, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J, 2011, xx.
Neil J. Salkind, Child development, Macmillan, New York, 2002, xx.
Zeanah, C. H., Gunnar, M. R., McCall, R. B., Kreppner, J. M. & Fox, N. A., Sensitive Periods, Monographies of Social Research and Child Development, 76, 4, 2011, 147-162.