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The Institute of Child Study
45 Walmer Road, Toronto, Ontario
Canada M5R 2X2
Tel. 416.934.4526
Fax. 416.978.6485



The MA in Child Study and Education: Course Descriptions

  • HDP2200H: Child Study: Observation, Evaluation and Reporting
  • HDP2201Y: Childhood Education Seminar
  • HDP2210Y: Introduction to Curriculum
  • HDP2220Y: Teaching Practicum
  • HDP1201H: Child and Adolescent Development
  • HDP2202H: Childhood Education Seminar II: Advanced Teaching
  • HDP2211H: Theory and Curriculum I: Language and Literacy
  • HDP2212H: Theory and Curriculum II: Children's Epistemologies in Mathematics
  • HDP2221H: Advanced Teaching Practicum I
  • HDP2222H: Advanced Teaching Practicum II
  • HDP2230H: Designing Educational Programs
  • HDP2280H: Introduction to Special Education and Adaptive Instruction
  • HDP1285H: Psychology and Education of Children with Learning Disabilities
  • HDP1209H: Research Methods and Thesis Preparation in Human Development and Applied Psychology


Course Descriptions

HDP2200H
Child Study: Observation, Evaluation and Reporting

A course designed for students to learn the skills and knowledge fundamental to a developmentally oriented systematic study of children. This is done through observing, recording, interpreting, and reporting in a professional manner the behaviour and development of children in diverse practice and research settings. A range of methods from direct observation to standardized testing will be surveyed. The role of the practitioner as critical inquirer will be emphasized.

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HDP2201Y
Childhood Education Seminar

A seminar examining the teaching-learning interaction between adults and children in preschool, primary, and junior educational settings. Emphasis is on the integration of teaching practice with principles of child development and learning theory. This seminar draws on the students' experiences from practicum placements.

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HDP2210Y
Introduction to Curriculum

A study of education techniques, and the role of the teacher in designing, evaluating, and implementing curricula for children aged three to twelve. Basic areas of the elementary curriculum will be introduced, including arts (drama, music, physical education, and visual arts), communications, mathematics, and science.

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HDP2220Y
Teaching Practicum

Students are placed in classrooms in the Institute's Laboratory School, in public and separate schools, and in other settings. Students are under the joint supervision of an associate teacher on site and an academic staff member at the Institute of Child Study. There are two practicum sessions, each providing 144 hours of practicum experience in 2, six-week, half-day blocks. For further information, please check on the Practicum web page.

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HDP1201H (half course)
Child and Adolescent Development

This course addresses factors involved in child development (preschool period, early school years, intermediate years, adolescence) and the problems of each period. As well, preventive and remedial phases of mental health are examined.

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HDP2202H (half course)
Childhood Education Seminar II: Advanced Teaching

This seminar will provide for discussion of topics and issues that emerge during students' internships (Advanced Teaching Practica I and II).

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HDP2211H (half course)
Theory and Curriculum I: Language and Literacy

A detailed study of the design, implementation, and evaluation of the elementary curriculum in the area of communications (speaking, listening, reading, writing). The practical problems of curriculum design are informed by theoretical considerations of children's linguistic development from infancy onwards, and of the differences between oral and written language.

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HDP2212H (half course)
Theory and Curriculum II: Children's Epistemologies in Mathematics

A detailed study of the design, implementation, and evaluation of the elementary curriculum in the area of science and mathematics. The practical issues are informed by theoretical considerations of children's cognitive development from infancy onwards, particularly in the ways in which implicit knowledge becomes explicit, and naive theories become formalized.

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HDP2221H (half course)
Advanced Teaching Practicum I

Second year Child Study and Education students carry out two internship placements each lasting eight weeks. Internships may be in classes from preschool through grade six. Through these internships students consolidate teaching skills under the supervision of a mentor teacher on site and a staff member from the Institute of Child Study. Each internship provides a total of 176 practicum hours. For further information, please check on the Practicum web page.

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HDP2222H (half course)
Advanced Teaching Practicum II

Description as for HDP2221H. For further information, please check on the Practicum web page.

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HDP2230H (half course)
Designing Educational Programs

An educational program consists of a sequence of learning activities carried out over an extended period of time to accomplish a number of long-term learning goals. The main goal of this course is to help students learn how to plan educational programs that can accommodate a variety of children and achieve a variety of learning goals.

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HDP2280H (half course)
Introduction to Special Education and Adaptive Instruction

A critical analysis of current issues related to philosophy, practice, administration, integration and inclusion, and instructional and classroom adaptations.

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HDP1285H (half course)
Psychology and Education of Children with Learning Disabilities

Characteristics of children with learning difficulties, their identification, and suggested remedial programs. Emphasis is placed on the concept of learning disability and on the educational implications of the research literature in the field.

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HDP1209H (half course)
Research Methods and Thesis Preparation in Human Development and Applied Psychology

This course focuses on the four quantitative research methods most frequently used in psychology (observation, experiments, questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews) as well as their rationales and the implications of their use. The four main statistical methods of analysis - chi square, analysis of variance, correlation, and regression - will be reviewed and applied to specific pieces of research. The preparation and writing of a dissertation proposal will be addressed.

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