5 credits

Education professionals in this course gain a fundamental understanding of how school-age children and adolescents develop and learn. They examine typical and atypical cognitive, physical, and social-emotional development as well as the relationship among these developmental domains. They also compare theories of development; develop a presentation that identifies and explains specific strategies, methods, or activities for the promotion of health and well-being in middle childhood; engage in a field study to gain real-world insight on the affective and social development of children between the ages of 6 and 12; and complete an integrative research paper on critical, topical issues related to school-age and adolescent development.