HomeMy WebLinkAboutEDU-120 1
Bergen Community College
Division of Business and Social Sciences
Department of Education
Course Syllabus
EDU120: Foundations of Early Childhood Education
Semester/Year: Fall 2025
Section Number: EDU120-
Meeting Times:
Location:
Instructor:
Office Location:
Phone:
Email:
Office Hours:
Department Secretary:
Office: A306
Email:
Credits: 3 credits (Lecture)
Pre-requisites: None
Co-requisites: None
Course Description:
This course presents information on the growth and development and education of young
children aged 0-8 years old. Coursework examines developmental milestones, working with
families, meeting students’ diverse needs, positive guidance strategies, and the developmentally
appropriate practices advancing children’s academic, social, emotional, and physical skills
development. Emphasis is placed on fostering literacy/language arts development, including
emergent reading and writing processes. A feature of this course is five hours of observation in
an early childhood setting.
Student Learning Outcomes: As a result of meeting the requirements in this course, students
will be able to:
Student Learning Outcomes: Means of Assessment:
1. Examine children’s growth and
development from birth to age
eight
Discussions/Activities/Written Assignments
2
2. Create developmentally appropriate learning
experiences for children in the following areas:
Physical, Cognitive, Language,
Emotional/Social and Physical development,
with an emphasis on fostering
literacy/language arts development and
emergent reading and writing skills
Discussions/Lesson Plan/Read Aloud
Presentation, Thematic Unit
3. Recognize the necessity of
advancing children’s social and
emotional development using
positive guidance principles and
appropriate classroom
management strategies
Discussions/Management System
Presentation/Agenda
4. Describe and evaluate safe and
healthy classroom environments
Lesson Plan/Thematic Unit
5. Observe, record and assess
children’s behaviors by applying
various observational and
assessment techniques
Journal Essay/Role Play
6. Examine the best ways to advance the
development of students with special needs
and demonstrate cultural sensitivity and
attention to diversity when working with
young children and their families
Discussions/Current Event Presentation
7. Demonstrate critical thinking skills when
comparing a variety of classroom
environments, teaching approaches, and
careers in early childhood education.
Discussions/Thematic Unit
Course Content: Students will learn content through lecture, hands-on learning activities, class
discussions, role-playing video-clips, and students’ presentation projects. Students will examine
elements of working with young learners from different cultural, socio-economic, linguistic
backgrounds, and skills levels. Course topics include exploration of current topics, working with
families and the community, and practical applications of theory for classroom instruction. The
investigation of developmental milestones of neuro-typical and neuro-diverse student
populations aim to prepare students for serving the needs of learners in inclusive environments.
This course presents intentional strategies to develop cultural awareness and responsiveness
toward the outcome of creating civic-minded students. Students will be offered experiential
learning opportunities via classroom observation and service learning experiences.
Required Textbook: Gonzalez-Mena, J. & Shavazian, A. (2024). Foundations of early
childhood education: Teaching children in a diverse society. (8th Ed.) McGraw Hill. ISBN 978-
1-264-42236-4
Research, Writing, and/or Examination Requirement(s):
3
Students will
• conduct a Read Aloud presentation
• develop a culturally responsive literacy lesson plan
• plan an integrated, thematic curriculum unit
• create a classroom management system
• present a report on a societal issue or current event related to early childhood education
• write an academic Journal Essay based on information learned via face-to-face or video
observations.
Grading Policy:
Discussions 20%
Classroom Observation/Journal Essay/Current Event 20%
Read Aloud/Lesson Project 20%
Final Thematic Unit Presentation 20%
Classroom Management System/Agenda 10%
Participation/Attendance 10%
Grading Scale:
A 90-100
B+ 85-89
B 80-84
C+ 75-79
C 70-74
D 60-69
F below 60
Class Conduct: As this is a professional studies course, it is expected that students will
demonstrate characteristics and behaviors expected in a postsecondary classroom. Respectful,
collegial, and professional relationships between peers and with the instructor is expected.
Punctuality and Late Assignments: Timely participation in discussions and class activities are
expected as these activities are interactive, cumulative, and require collaboration. Each student is
held responsible for all material presented.
Assignments are expected by the stated due date, with points deducted for lateness, as per the
instructor’s stated policy. The following is a sample of how points will be deducted for late
assignments: One week late: 10 points deducted; Two weeks late: 15 points deducted; Three
weeks late: 20 points deducted, etc. Late assignments should be emailed separately to the
instructor, with the title of the assignment stated in the subject line.
No late discussions will be accepted.
Attendance Policy:
4
All students are expected to attend every scheduled meeting of the course. Attendance will be
kept by the instructor for administrative and counseling purposes.
For face-to-face class meetings, punctuality and attendance are expected. Repetitive lateness
and/or absence from class will impact your participation grade.
Minimum Required Technology Skills: Students’ ability to upload documents and
presentations and participate in discussions on the online learning platform are required
technological skills. For support with any technological questions or issues, please reach out to
the following resources:
• The Help Desk: When you realize you have an issue with technology, contact them by
telephone: 201-447-7109, or by email: helpdesk@bergen.edu
• The Tutoring Center: tutoring@bergen.edu Tutors are available to help you improve your
written and presentation assignments. Tutors can also assist you with American
Psychological Association (APA) formatting, which is expected in all writing
assignments for Education courses. Examples of APA formatting are: Times New Roman
font, size 12, double-spaced, in-text citations, reference page, and upper right hand page
numbers. Headings, running heads, and abstracts are encouraged.
Other College, Divisional, and/or Departmental Policy Statements:
Plagiarism and Academic Policies: Academic Matters - Bergen Community College - Acalog
ACMS™
AI-Generated Policy:
In addition to the College’s guidelines on plagiarism and academic dishonesty, academic
dishonesty is also any written work that was technologically created without proper citation, such
as content created by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Submitting AI-generated content, without
providing a citation for where the content was located, is plagiarism.
If a student uses AI-generated writing, they must paraphrase the content and provide a citation to
identify the source of where the content originated. Use and inclusion of AI-generated content in
students’ work means each student is accountable for verifying that the Artificial Intelligence
outputs are accurate. Please consult your course instructor to ensure they will accept AI-
generated text for specific assignments. Here is the link to APA guidelines on the
topic: https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/how-to-cite-chatgpt Some examples: For in-text AI
citation/parenthetical citations: (OpenAI, personal communication, January 16, 2023) or
(ChatGPT, personal communication, 2023). Do not include reference to AI-generated text on the
Reference Page. Since APA recommends that text generated from AI be formatted as “Personal
Communication.” As such, it receives an in-text citation but not an entry on the References list.
ADA statement:
Disability Services (Office of Specialized Services) | Bergen Community College
Sexual Harassment statement:
HR-003-001.2018-Policy-Prohibiting-Sexual-Harassment.pdf (bergen.edu)
5
Statement on acceptable use of BCC technology:
Acceptable-Use-Policy.pdf (bergen.edu)
Any student who feels that he or she may need an accommodation because of a disability
(learning disability, attention deficit disorder, psychological, physical, etc.), please make an
appointment with the Office of Specialized Services. You can reach them in room L115 in the
Pitkin Building, by calling 201-612-5269, or via email ossinfo@bergen.edu.
Office Hours:
All students are welcome to visit the instructor during their posted office hours, but if this is not
possible due to scheduling conflicts, the instructor will arrange for a time to meet which is
mutually convenient for both student and instructor. The faculty office hours are valuable
because they provide a setting for the instructor and student to interact on a one-to-one basis to
focus on specific individualized concerns.
Student and Faculty Support Services:
Bergen Community College provides exemplary support to its students and offers a broad variety
of opportunities and services. A comprehensive array of student support services including
advising, tutoring, academic coaching, and more are available online at
https://bergen.edu/currentstudents/.
Sidney Silverman Library Online Resources: Guides BY SUBJECT - LibGuides at Bergen Community College General Search and Databases: Library | Bergen Community College
Academic Advising Center [Pitkin Education Center, Room A-122; (201) 612-5480,
aadvising@bergen.edu
Center for Student Success-Transfer and Career [Pitkin Education Center, Room A-118,
doconnor@bergen.edu
Child Development Center [Ender Hall]: jblundo@bergen.edu
Office of Specialized Services [Pitkin Education Center, L-115; (201) 612-5270, oss@bergen.edu
Public Safety [Pitkin Education Center; Room L-154; (201) 447-9200
6
Accessibility Statement
Bergen Community College is committed to ensuring the full participation of all students in its
programs. If you have a documented disability (or think you may have a disability) and, as a
result, need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this class, complete course
requirements, or benefit from the College’s programs or services, contact the Office of Special
Services (OSS) as soon as possible at 201-612-5270 or www.bergen.edu/oss. To receive any
academic accommodation, you must be appropriately registered with OSS. The OSS works with
students confidentially and does not disclose any disability-related information without their
permission. The OSS serves as a clearinghouse on disability issues and works in partnership with
faculty and all other student service offices.
Tentative Course Outline and Calendar:
Date: Topic/Activity: Learning
Outcomes: Assignments/Events:
Week 1 Course Overview
Careers in Early Childhood
Ed.
Demonstrate
critical thinking
skills when
comparing a
variety of
classroom
environments,
teaching
approaches, and
careers in early
childhood
education.
Chapter 1 Discussion
Week 2 Building Relationships with
Colleagues and Families
Examine the best
ways to advance
the development of
students with
special needs and
demonstrate
cultural sensitivity
and attention to
diversity when
working with
young children and
their families.
Demonstrate
critical thinking
skills when
comparing a
variety of
Chapter 7 Discussion,
Written Assignment
7
classroom
environments,
teaching
approaches, and
careers in early
childhood
education.
Week 3 Health and Safety Describe and
evaluate safe and
healthy classroom
environments.
Chapter 2
Discussion/Written
Assignment
Week 4 Positive Social-Emotional
Environment
Recognize the
necessity of
advancing
children’s social
and emotional
development using
positive guidance
principles and
appropriate
classroom
management
strategies.
Chapter 3
Discussion/Written
Assignment/Role Play
Week 5 Working with Families and
the Community
Examine the best
ways to advance
the development of
students with
special needs and
demonstrate
cultural sensitivity
and attention to
diversity when
working with
young children and
their families.
Demonstrate
critical thinking
skills when
comparing a
variety of
classroom
environments,
teaching
approaches, and
careers in early
Chapter 10
Discussion/Written
Assignment
8
childhood
education.
Week 6 Guiding Children’s
Learning and Fostering
Development
Examine children’s
growth and
development from
birth to age eight.
Chapter 4
Discussion/Written
Assignment/Project
Week 7 Literacy Development Examine children’s
growth and
development from
birth to age eight.
Chapter 13
Read Aloud Preparation
Week 8 Integrating Language Arts
Throughout the Curriculum
Create
developmentally
appropriate
learning
experiences for
children in the
following areas:
Physical,
Cognitive,
Language,
Emotional/Social
and Physical
development, with
an emphasis on
fostering
literacy/language
arts development
and emergent
reading and writing
skills.
Chapter 10
Read Aloud Presentations
Week 9 Lesson Planning Create
developmentally
appropriate
learning
experiences for
children in the
following areas:
Physical,
Cognitive,
Language,
Emotional/Social
and Physical
development, with
an emphasis on
fostering
literacy/language
Chapter 14
Activity/Thematic Unit
Project
9
arts development
and emergent
reading and writing
skills.
Week 10 Lesson Planning Create
developmentally
appropriate
learning
experiences for
children in the
following areas:
Physical,
Cognitive,
Language,
Emotional/Social
and Physical
development, with
an emphasis on
fostering
literacy/language
arts development
and emergent
reading and writing
skills.
Chapter 15
Thematic Unit
Project/Presentation
Week 11 Classroom Management Recognize the
necessity of
advancing
children’s social
and emotional
development using
positive guidance
principles and
appropriate
classroom
management
strategies.
Chapter 5
Discussion/Project
Week 12 Mathematical Thinking Create
developmentally
appropriate
learning
experiences for
children in the
following areas:
Physical,
Cognitive,
Language,
Chapter 14
Role Play/Activities
10
Emotional/Social
and Physical
development, with
an emphasis on
fostering
literacy/language
arts development
and emergent
reading and writing
skills.
Week 13 Observation as Assessment Examine children’s
growth and
development from
birth to age eight.
Describe and
evaluate safe and
healthy classroom
environments.
Observe, record
and assess
children’s
behaviors by
applying various
observational and
assessment
techniques.
Chapter 12
Journal Essay/Time Sheet
Week 14
The Integrated, Thematic
Unit
Create
developmentally
appropriate
learning
experiences for
children in the
following areas:
Physical,
Cognitive,
Language,
Emotional/Social
and Physical
development, with
an emphasis on
fostering
literacy/language
arts development
and emergent
Chapter 6
Journal Essay and Time
Sheet/Final Presentations
11
reading and writing
skills.
Week 15 The Integrated, Thematic
Unit
Create
developmentally
appropriate
learning
experiences for
children in the
following areas:
Physical,
Cognitive,
Language,
Emotional/Social
and Physical
development, with
an emphasis on
fostering
literacy/language
arts development
and emergent
reading and writing
skills.
Final Presentations