To participate in the following discussions, go to this week's Discussion link in the left navigation.
Changing Family Structure
Knowing that you will encounter many different family dynamics when you are working with children, it is important to know in advance how you will support different types of family structures (single parent, divorced, same sex, etc.). For this discussion, you will need to choose one of the articles below to read that focuses on a family structure that you will likely encounter in your career when working with children.
After reading your chosen article, you will need to discuss the following:
What is the family structure that is discussed in the article? Summarize the article in three to four sentences.
How does the text support or refute the ideas shared in this article regarding children in this type of family structure?
How would this family structure influence a child's development according to Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory?
What would you do as a child development professional to help support children and their families from the family structure described in the article?
Make sure that the ideas you share are relatable to the age of children you intend to work with (i.e. Prenatal, Infancy and Toddlerhood, Early Childhood, Middle childhood and Adolescence).
To complete the following journal entry, go to this week's Journal link in the left navigation.
Parenting Styles
Take a few minutes, to watch this video on Developmental Psychology.
After watching the video, reflect back to your own childhood.
How would you classify your parents' parenting styles?
What factors might have influenced their approach to parenting?
How will the approach that your parents used when raising you impact your work with children and their families?
Assignment
To complete the following assignment, go to this week's Assignment link in the left navigation.
Parent Presentation
Without a doubt, in your role as a child development professional, you will be working with children, their families, and the community. Throughout this learning week, we have focused on different types of family structures and strategies for engaging with those unique family structures to support a child's learning and development. Now, we want to take that idea and expand it to working with families and the community in general. Imagine you have been contacted by a school to put together a presentation for the next Parent Teacher Organization. They have asked for your presentation to focus on two main ideas: how to create and sustain partnerships with families and the community and how these partnerships influence the learning and development of children.
Step One: Choose one of the schools below to use as the basis for your presentation:
Lincoln Elementary School: Lincoln Elementary School is located in Gilbert, Arizona. Gilbert is a relatively large city with a strong sense of family and community. The school has a population of 765 students from PreK to sixth grade. At Lincoln Elementary School, 94% of the students are eligible for free and/or reduced lunch, and 58% of the students are second language learners. The majority of the students at Lincoln Elementary School are Hispanic (93%). Five percent of the student population is white, and 2% is American Indian.
Higley High School: Higley High School is located in Elmhurst, Illinois. Elmhurst is a medium-sized city with a strong farming community. The school has a population of 1,500 students in the 9th through 12th grades. At Higley High School, 22% of the students are eligible for free and/or reduced lunch, and 1% of the students are second language learners. The majority of the students at Higley High School are white (63%). Twenty-two percent of students are Hispanic, 6% Black, 5% Asian, and 4% American Indian.
Step Two: Now that you know the audience for your presentation, write a document presentatin thay has
At least one paragraph that describes the period of development this presentation focuses on.
At least two paragraph that explains your role as a child development professional.
At least one paragraph with a rationale for your presentation that is supported by either the class text or an additional scholarly source. Make sure that you properly format your in-text citations according to APA style.
At least two paragraphs that explains the Mesosystem from Bronfenbrenner's Ecological System for parents to understand how families, schools, and the community are connected.
At least one paragrpahs that introduces Epstein's Types of Involvement.
At least one paragraph for each of Epstein's Types of Involvement that describes:
The name of the type of involvement.
How this type of involvement influences a child's learning and development.
One idea the school or community could implement right away that aligns with the cultures represented at the school.
At least five graphics that enhance visual appeal.