OVERVIEW

The course introduces students to the study of psychological development; it will include both theoretical aspects and methods and techniques used.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

a) Providing a theoretical and methodological framework of reference for the study of developmental processes; b) promoting knowledge of psychological development, of the processes and mechanisms underlying it, of the causes determining it.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

As for the specific objectives relating to prepare teachers for preschool, the course aims to make to acquire knowledge and skills related to the main stages of development in preschool and some useful observational tools for educational settings.

As for the specific objectives relating to prepare teachers for primary school, the course aims the students acquire knowledge and skills related to the main stages of the development of pre-school and school age, in order to facilitate understanding of school-age learning processes, useful for teaching and educational planning. The course is also aimed to provide an in-depth picture of the main processes involved in school learning.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding: Students must acquire adequate knowledge and an effective ability to understand psychological development from birth to adolescence.
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: Students must be able to apply the acquired knowledge and to understand any problematic situations for learning
Making judgments: Students must be able to use, on a conceptual and operational level, in school contexts the acquired knowledge.
Communication skills: Students must acquire the technical language to communicate clearly and unambiguously with specialist and non-specialist interlocutors.
Learning skills: Students must develop adequate learning skills that allow them to continue to deepen independently the main topics of the discipline, especially in the working contexts in which they will operate.

TEACHING METHODS

Lectures and group exercises following the Team Based Learning  will be provided.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The main stages of development will be discussed, with particular reference to the development of perceptual skills, cognitive, linguistic and relational in infancy and childhood. A reflection on the educational challenges to aspects of the development will be carried out. Monographic part of the course will consist of two texts specifically aimed at deepening the preparation for primary school and preschool: the key features that characterize the learning process are presented in the textbook "Processi cognitivi e apprendimento scolastico" and an intervention - aimed at strengthening the control processes to be carried out in the kindergarten - is included in the text " Diamoci una regolata".

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Attending and non-attending students have to prepare the exam on these texts:
J. W. Santrock, Psicologia dello sviluppo, Milano, McGraw-Hill Education, 2017.
G.F. Amoretti, S. Morra, M.C. Usai  e  P. Viterbori (2020). Processi cognitivi e apprendimento scolastico. Carocci, Roma.
M.C. Usai, L. Traverso, P. Viterbori, V. De Franchis, Diamoci una regolata! Guida pratica per promuovere l’autoregolazione a casa e a scuola, Milano, Angeli, 2012.

Non-attending students will also have to prepare on this text:
K. Asbury, R. Plomin, G come geni. L’impatto della genetica sull’apprendimento, Milano, Raffaello Cortina, 2015.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

MARIA CARMEN USAI (President)

PAOLA VITERBORI

LESSONS

Class schedule

DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Written and oral exam.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

For all students the exam includes a written test and, after passing that, in a oral exam. The written test is divided into multiple-choice questions on the manual and is intended to assess understanding of the topics covered in class, the acquired knowledge and the ability to use this information in the developmental observation. The oral exam aims to explore the acquisition of knowledge about monographs and possible complementary text (mandatory for non-attending students).

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students with certified learning disabilities can contact the teacher for any measures aimed at supporting the learning process.
Foreign students may contact the teacher to substitute the suggested bibliography in Italian with books or articles in English.