Learning objectives
The course aims to favour students' knowledge of the psychological processes of development and adjustment of individuals in life span, with a specific focus on the period from the early infancy to adolescence. In addition, students will be able to develop knowledge about the main characteristics and phases of cognitive, affective and social development. Moreover, the course will offer students a deepening of the observational methods both in the research field and in the real life contexts.
Through the discussion of some research-intervention projects, the course also aims to offer students opportunities for learning the practical implications of developmental psychology in different life contexts.
Finally, the course aims to provide students some relevant competences: the skills to learning, the ability of independent judgment with respect to theoretical and methodological issues and the ability to communicate about the aspects they have discussed and learned.
Prerequisites
Because it is a basic first year course, there are no specific pre-requisites concerning the psychology disciplines.
Course unit content
The course includes the following parts:
1. The presentation of the main theoretical models of the developmental psychology, with a particular attention on the developmental factors e processes
2. The presentation of the characteristics and the main phases of the cognitive, emotive and social development
3. The deepening of observation as one of the main methods of developmental psychology
4. From theory to practice and vice versa: research-intervention paths in ECEC centers
Full programme
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Bibliography
Caravita, S., Milani, L., Traficante, D. (2018). Psicologia dello sviluppo e dell'educazione.
Bologna: Il Mulino.
Maida, S., Molteni, L., Nuzzo, A. (2009). Educazione e osservazione: teorie, metodologie e tecniche. Roma: Carocci.
Teaching methods
The lessons will be organized as follows:
Lessons in the presence of the teacher and distance
- lessons in the presence of the teacher (face to face lessons) with the possibility of using the lessons also remotely in synchronous mode (via Teams); slides and some materials will be available to the students on the Elly learning platform.
- to promote active participation in the course, various individual and small group activities will be proposed, through the use of the resources available in Elly platform, such as discussion forums.
- lessons in asynchronous mode will also be carried out loaded on the Elly page of the course.
These methodologies will be very useful to encourage the acquisition of the ability to learning, to apply this knowledge in real life, independent judgment and communication skills.
Assessment methods and criteria
The final test consists of an oral interview conducted or in presence, or in remote mode on the Teams platform. The choice of which mode to use (in presence/ at a distance) will depend on the situation related to the emergency Covid 19. The oral exam will start from the discussion of a topic of your choice addressed in the course and will continue with 3 further questions on other topics provided by the course program.
The questions are aimed to assess the knowledge, skills and competence acquired, the autonomy of judgment, and the ability to communicate and apply the knowledge to the context. The answer to each question is evaluated in 30ths according to the criteria presented, and the final vote derives from the average of the scores achieved in the 4 questions. The exam is passed if the student reaches an overall scoring of at least 18.
Other information
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2030 agenda goals for sustainable development
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