The study of the development patterns in physical growth, intellectual abilities, emotional stability and social skills of humans. The impact of biological, psychological, and cultural factors are considered from conception through old age with emphasis on adolescence. The goal of this course is to foster a comprehensive understanding of the behavior and minds of adolescents by exploring the effects of multiple factors on normal development.

Prerequisites: Admission to MAT Program

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

Lerner, R. (2002). Adolescence Development, Diversity, Context and Application New York: Prentice Hall.

The textbook will be used as the foundational textbook for the comprehensive study, and for future reference to a multifaceted perspective of our human behavior.  Critical thinking, technology and communication skills will be used to enhance the Fast Track experience.

Learning Activities

Students will log on the Message Board and respond to the question of the week, respond to at least 1 other student’s comments. Student is required to make a minimum of 5 responses for an A during class - EDU 520.

Student will complete a Research Paper for one of the areas of Lifespan Development with emphasis on adolescence. The research will include appropriate in-depth findings for one significant age group of interest. The Research Study must be a minimum of 5-7 pages including graph/s and chart/s if appropriate, and a title page in APA format.

This course will consist of interactive experiences and attendance is necessary for learning and meeting the objectives.  Missing one class is equivalent to missing 5 weeks of a regular semester class and will jeopardize your grade.  Each tardy or leaving early for any reason will lower your grade by 10%.  Each absence for any reason will lower your grade by one letter.  Exceptions may be made at the discretion of the instructor.

Student Evaluation and Grading

20% = Message Board responses

20% = Participation in class

10% = on time for class and staying for the entire time

20% = Group Presentation with outline and activities which will enhance the chapter being presented, everyone demonstrates involvement in the presentation

10% = Application to teaching, support of peers, interaction and constructive feedback given to peers following presentations, possible field trip to local high school classroom

20%=Research Paper on Life Span Development

Total = 100% 

Use of APA format is required for all assignments and materials for presentations.

Please arrive on time and practice courteous behavior in the classroom. Please do not engage in conversations while someone else is talking or otherwise disrupt class lecture, discussions or activities. Cell phone ringers should be turned off to avoid disruptions and verbal or text communications should not occur during class.

Students should come to class ready to be actively engaged in learning. This includes bringing textbooks, assigned articles, writing materials, notebooks or PowerPoint presentation printouts (if available for the course). Class assignments MUST be submitted on the due date indicated on the course syllabus. Late assignments WILL NOT be graded. Exceptions to this policy will be rare and will be handled on an individual basis.

Courtesy, good time management and collaborative skills are important to success in the work world and should be practiced in the classroom as well. You will be expected to participate in small group activities and be an active team member when working with other students in class.

Professionals must be able to express themselves adequately in oral and written form. All written work will be evaluated for quality of content and appropriate syntactical structures. Written work that evidences limitations in these areas will be returned for editing and resubmission. Oral expression will also be evaluated and addressed within individual conferences.

Laptop use in classrooms creates new and exciting possibilities for teachers and students when used appropriately.  Please use your laptop ethically and for educational purposes and activities permitted by the instructor.  Unacceptable uses include: instant messaging, e-mailing, unassigned Internet browsing, game-playing and completing homework for other classes.  Violations of this request will result in withdrawal of permission to use the laptop in this class and may affect your grade in the course.

Plagiarism, defined as the use of another’s words and ideas as one’s own, does not benefit students. It creates dependencies that are non-productive. References must be cited and quotation marks used in direct quotes. Crediting authors with ideas in paraphrasing and rearranging is effective writing. Academic dishonesty includes cheating on exams or quizzes, representing someone else’s work as your own work or working jointly on a project that is expected to represent only one student’s original and individual work.

Evidence of plagiarism or academic dishonesty in all institutions carries serious consequences, such as loss of grade and standing. These are serious offenses and will not be tolerated. If a student is guilty of academic dishonesty, it is noted in the student information data base and becomes a part of her academic record and is available to advisors and faculty. The complete Academic Honesty Policy is available on the Teacher Education website and in the Teacher Education Handbook.

In the spirit of intellectual inquiry, College of Saint Mary is committed to the exchange of diverse ideas and viewpoints. In this environment, honest discourse is valued; demeaning remarks are not tolerated. Each member of the campus community is encouraged to:

B = Completion of Research Paper with no graphs/charts, 4 responses to each question on the Message Board, participation in class, on time and staying for most all of the classes all three Saturdays, presentation with outline, activities which will enhance the chapter being presented and application to teaching, support of peers presenting, interaction and constructive feedback to peers following presentations.

 C = Completion of Research Paper with no graphs/charts or title page, 3 response to each question on the Message Board, participation in class, missing some of the class time, complete a presentation with an outline, activity which will enhance the chapter being presented and application to teaching, support of peers presenting, interaction and constructive feedback to peers following presentations.

D = Completion of Research Paper with no graphs/charts or title page and less than 5 pages, 2 responses to questions on the Message Board, no participation in class, not on time and not staying for the entire class, missing Saturdays, very short presentation with outline, activity which will enhance the chapter being presented and application to teaching, support of peers presenting, interaction and constructive feedback to peers following presentations.

 Failure = No research paper, no responses to questions on Message Board, little participation in class, not on time or staying for the entire class all Saturdays or missing  classes, short presentation with outline, no activity to enhance the chapter being presented or application to teaching, little support of peers presenting, or interaction and constructive feedback to peers following presentations.

 Failures and Incomplete/Withdrawals will be reported to Dr. Merryellen Towey Schulz, Education Department Program Director.  She along with Mrs. Lenz will make the final decision regarding Fast Track participation.