EMU ECE 601 Course Outline

Eastern Michigan University

2002 North Central Accreditation

Course Title: ECE 601:Helping Children in Crisis: Through Curricular Activities

Credit Hours: 2

Catalog Description:

Examination of crisis situations that affect young children's lives. Consideration will be made of situations involving neglect, abuse, alcohol or substance abuse in the home; abandonment, separation, or divorce, and death or dying: applications will be made to curricular activities and materials to help young children with these crises.

Prerequisite/corequisites: EDPS 600 Human Development, graduate student status

Goals:

1. Investigate selected theoretical models which help to understand the cause and effects of crisis and stress.

2. Examine and evaluate intervention programs designed to help children deal with crisis and stress.

3. Analyze current research to learn how children deal with specific stressors.

4. Explore the influence of culture, age, gender and race on coping abilities of children.

Objectives:

1. Compare and contrast selected crisis models used in the investigation of stress and crisis.

2. Demonstrate an understanding of the differences between crisis and stress.

3. Recognize the behavioral characteristics children show when they are experiencing stress.

4. Investigate current research which describes types of crisis and the coping styles of African-American, Hispanic, Asian, European-American, and Native American families.

5. Examine the reaction of children to selected stressers:

*substance abuse

*neglect and abuse

*loss, fear, anger and grief caused by abandonment, separation, homelessness, death, or divorce

*family or community violence

*short term, chronic or terminal health problems

*loss of economic support.

6. Understand the Michigan Child Protection Law, the legal rights and obligation of teachers to report suspected child abuse/neglect.

7. Use internet technology to identify, programs, activities and/or materials which help children cope with stress and crisis.

Topical Outline:

I. Analysis and assessment of crisis and stress.

A. Research and Theory

B. Reactions to stress and crisis

1. Coping patterns and strategies

2. Intervention models/programs

3. Influence of origin, race, culture, gender, age

II.. Reaction of children to varied types of stressers

A. Separation, divorce, loss and grief

B. Substance abuse: drugs and/or alcohol

C. Homelessness

D. Discrimination

E. Child abuse/neglect

F. Terminal illness: HIV/AIDS, cancer

G. Death and bereavement

H. Violence

Assessment/Evaluation Procedures:

I. Written Assessment:

A. Program Assessments

B. Action Research Paper

C. Book Review

II. Oral Assessments:

A. Class discussions and reports

B. Oral Research Report (may replace I.B.)

Assignments:

GUIDELINES FOR ACTION RESEARCH PAPER

To complete the action research paper for this class, follow the steps listed below.

I. Identify a crisis topic that you are interested in.

II. Assess the needs of the children in your classroom or the school where you teach.

III. Collect information about the school population, research data on the selected topic (literature review), which will provide the basis for your curriculum module or professional development presentation.

IV. Select the topic/area for the intervention/prevention you have decided to develop into a professional development instructional module or an instructional module for children of a certain age/ grade.

V. Design of the curriculum module.

A. Review relevant research articles and curriculum materials