Course Content (Syllabus)
The general objective of the module is to present in a critical way, an understanding of the “normal” child development and the processes involved; these are presented in relation to the dynamic changes in the cognitive, emotional, social and moral process. Issues of continuity versus discontinuities are discussed in relation to the main psychosocial systems of children, namely the family, the school, and the community. More specifically, we deal with a) the basic theoretical /applied psychological models that interpret human development and its “deviations”, focusing upon the school age b) examples of research findings that inform school policies in relation to the cognitive, emotional and social-moral child development and c) psychosocial contexts of development, such as the family and the school. Children are acknowledged as competent agents of social interaction since their birth. The concepts of adequacy, resilience, protective and risk factors are explained as mediators or moderators of children’s well being. Finally, we end by highlighting the conditions of good-enough schools working as communities and good-enough, resilient future teachers for their students’ well being.
Keywords
Development, Psychological health, learning, cognitive mechanisms, social and emotional processes