|
CDFS offers courses that cover the life span of individual and
family development as well as particular areas or stages of development.
These include infancy, adolescence, and aging and the family. Special
courses on critical issues such as adolescent pregnancy also are
offered periodically. All courses strive to give careful attention
to diversity in a variety of forms, including differences in social
class, economic status, race, ethnicity, ability, gender, religious
preferences, and sexual orientation.
Complete
list of CDFS courses and descriptions
Professional Skill Development
Many undergraduate courses focus on the development of professional
skills for effective work with infants, children, youth, and families.
For example, students enrolled in CDFS 431 (Skills for Helping Professionals)
develop and practice basic helping skills, such as listening and
questioning, in a variety of situations, including client goal-setting
and crisis intervention. There is weekly videotaping in a CDFS laboratory
for purposes of providing constructive feedback to students.
Hands-on Learning
Students focused on early childhood education and exceptional
needs spend time in classrooms at the Child Development
Laboratory School and the Purdue Child Care Program. These two children's
programs are operated by the department on the West Lafayette
campus.
During a typical day in the children's classroom, students plan
and carry out developmentally appropriate activities with young
children. Courses that provide hands-on learning in the children's
classrooms include:
- CDFS 405 (Curriculum Applications of Language, Literacy, and
Social Development in Early Childhood Education)
- CDFS 406 (Curriculum Applications of Math/Science Concept Development
in Early Childhood Education)
- CDFS 408 (Curriculum Applications of Atypical Development)
|