Human Growth & Development Syllabus Resource & Lesson Plans

How It Works

You can use this human growth and development course as a template for designing and implementing your course. Here are the key components of the course and how you can use them:

• Chapters - Each chapter covers a unit of human growth and development, from prenatal cognitive development to changes in intelligence as we age and even the stages of dying. Use these chapters as mile markers as you map out your course. We recommend planning to spend a week on each chapter, but you can always allocate the chapters according to the length of your specific human growth and development course.
• Lessons - Within each chapter are video lessons that further break down topics into bite-sized chunks. These lessons cover single topics like applying Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory to instincts, motivation, personality and development. Each one is often appropriate for a single class.
• Key Terms - Within each lesson are key terms. These are emphasized on screen and in the transcript. As you develop your syllabus, these key terms help you focus on the most important learning objectives. For example, the lesson on Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development includes key terms like assimilation , accommodation and equilibrium.

Video Lessons

As you work on your human growth and development lesson plans, save time by incorporating video lessons from this resource. Here's how:

• Introduce Topics - Your students will be in the right mindset for understanding topics like sensory deprivation if you begin class with a short video. It can be a jumping-off point for a lecture, group activity or class discussion.
• Break Up Lectures - The video format, which often includes animation, helps students visualize topics like the difference between identical and fraternal twins and social development in infants.
• Assign For Homework - Each lesson in the course, from theories of moral development to the development of language in children, can be assigned to your students as homework.

Transcripts

Each video lesson includes a complete transcript. You can utilize these transcripts in several ways:

• Lecture Notes - Do you need a guide as you plan a lecture, such as one on true experimental research design or sexual development in adolescents? The transcripts cover each topic in depth, with key terms highlighted for quick reference.
• Student Reading - Perhaps you'd like your students to learn about autism and Asperger's syndrome, but you don't have class time available. Assign the transcript as extra reading.
• Study Tools - When it's time for a unit exam on cognition and cognitive development, you can point your students to the transcripts on types of attention, information processing, the role of play, Lev Vygotsky 's theory of cognitive development, memory and information processing as we age and related topics to help them study.

Quizzes

Each video lesson has a corresponding quiz. Here's how to use the quizzes:

• Homework - Assign a quiz to your students as homework. You'll receive an email with the results, which enables you to verify they've completed the assignment and that they've understood the material. Questions cover everything from the role of the nuclear family in human development to key facts, like the definition and causes of dementia.
• Tests - You can meld the material in the quizzes into your own student assessments, saving you valuable time. Need a few questions on social relationships? There are plenty!
• Discussions - Jump-start a discussion with questions like: Are common gender stereotypes genetic or influenced mainly by social conditioning?

Sample Syllabus

Below is a sketch of the human growth and development syllabus modeled on an 11-week course. This sample can be adapted based on your course schedule. Navigate the chapters and lessons for more detail.