2008 Professional Development Institutes
-
Annual Dialogue on Early Education and Care: New Realities, New Initiatives
Non-credit; PDP’s available
May 22, 2008 -
Environmental Education for Children: Going Beyond the Hype
Non-credit; PDP’s available
June 5-6, 2008 -
International Froebel Society Conference
July 9-11, 2008
PDI 523: Media Madness: The Impact of Sex, Violence, & Commercial Culture on Adults, Children, & Society
Dates: July 8-10, 2008: 9:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. w/ Optional
Sections 7:00p.m. to 9:00p.m.
July 11, 2008: 9:00a.m. to 3:00p.m.
Faculty: Dr. Gail Dines, Chair and Professor of American
Studies, & Dr. Diane Levin, Professor of Early Childhood Education
Earnings: Non-credit or 3 Graduate Credits; PDPs/CEUs
available
Tuition: Non-credit/Audit: $475; For-credit: $2,025
Course Description:
For the 14th consecutive year, Wheelock College is offering the very popular summer institute on the role that the media (television, movies, magazines, video games, advertising and pornography) plays in shaping children’s development and behavior, as well as our overall cultural attitudes. The institute will be held on Wheelock’s Boston Campus.
By focusing on the onslaught of violent, sexist and commercial images that bombard us daily, participants will: understand harm caused by this onslaught; build skills to educate and support children, youth and adults to resist the dangers; and integrate broad-based media literacy curricula and activism into classrooms and everyday life.
Who Should Attend
Human service providers, educators, anti-violence activists, parents, media educators, producers, and graduate and undergraduate students.
Why Now
Media touches almost all aspects of our lives and shapes the way
we think about our culture, our world and ourselves. Children spend
more time in front of a TV screen than in school. By age 18, they have
witnessed more than 100,000 violent acts and more than 300,000 commercials.
The majority of children’s toys are linked to TV programs and
movies (many of which are violent) as are the clothing they wear and
the food they eat.
Emotional immaturity, narrow media-linked
play; violent and sexualized behavior; childhood obesity; rampant consumerism;
difficulty communicating; and poor literacy, math, and science skills
have all been associated with media consumption.
Banning media from our lives is rarely
a viable solution. Children and adults must become more critical consumers
of media to combat the harmful culture created by the media.
What You’ll Learn
- How media violence affects behavior and contributes to violence in society;
- How media influences children’s ideas about sexual behavior and relationships with others;
- How media affects children’s cognitive and emotional development;
- How media messages perpetrate and legitimize sexism, racism, classism, and homophobia;
- How political and economic forces shape and control the media;
- To analyze a wide range of media, including movies, cartoons, sitcoms, MTV and advertisements for important messages about race, gender, class and violence;
- Strategies and resources for combating the hazards of media culture with children using age-appropriate approaches to media literacy, violence prevention, and conflict resolution;
- To become active in advocacy, community building and policy around media issues.
Institute Faculty
Dr. Gail Dines, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, Chair of Women’s and American Studies, author of Pornography: The Production and Consumption of Inequality and co-editor of Gender, Race and Class in the Media, a featured speaker in the videos The Strength to Resist and Mickey Mouse Monopoly, and a nationally acclaimed lecturer.
Dr. Diane Levin, Ph.D., Professor of Education, author or co-author of So Sexy So Soon (in press) The War Play Dilemma, Remote Control Childhood?, Teaching Young Children in Violent Times, Who’s Calling the Shots? and Before Push Comes to Shove, a featured speaker in the videos Beyond Good and Evil and Mickey Mouse Monopoly, and a founding member of Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment (TRUCE) and Stop Commercial Exploitation of Children (CCFC).
Register Now:
If you are currently a student at Wheelock College, click here to register. (This functionality is coming soon.)
PDI 554: Supporting Children’s Emotional Development in Schools and Communities
Dates: Thursday July 17 – Saturday July 19,
2008: 9:00a.m. to 5:00p.m.
Faculty: Dr. Petra Hesse, Ph.D., Associate Professor of
Psychology & Christine Morton, M.S., Elementary Educator
Earnings: Non-credit or 2 Graduate Credits; PDP’s/CEU’s
available
Tuition: Non-credit/Audit: $395; For-credit: $1,350
Course Description:
This three-day institute has been developed in response to concerns voiced by many teachers and other human service professionals and reports by the Surgeon General, the American Psychological Association and other organizations indicating that 20 to 25% of children in the U.S. suffer from emotional problems, but frequently do not receive any professional help. This institute has been designed to support teachers, parents, and counselors in their efforts to strengthen children’s emotional development in schools and communities.
Goals of the Institute:
- To review the incidence and causes of US children’s emotional problems.
- To introduce participants to emotional curricula and therapeutic games.
- To train participants in basic meditation, yoga and bibliotherapy techniques.
- To explore where emotions “fit” in the curriculum framework.
- To discuss interventions that address children’s emotional needs in individual classrooms, therapy offices and socials service agencies.
- To introduce broader interventions that address emotional issues on a school-wide or community scale. Collaborations by schools, hospitals, the police and other community organizations will be discussed.
- To provide participants with an opportunity to develop their own agenda for supporting children’s and families’ emotional health in greater depth.
Course Requirements:
- To review the incidence and causes of US children’s emotional problems.
- To introduce participants to emotional curricula and therapeutic games.
Register Now:
If you are currently a student at Wheelock College, click here to register. (This functionality is coming soon.)
PDI 521: Children’s Racial and Cultural Identities
Dates: Wednesday July 9 – Friday July 11,
2008;
Times: 4:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Faculty: Dr. Shirley Malone-Fenner, Wheelock College Dean
of Arts and Sciences
Earnings: Non-credit or 1 Graduate Credit; PDPs/CEUs
available
Tuition: Non-credit/Audit: $350; For-credit: $675
Course Description:
This institute will explore children’s racial and ethnic identity development. We will examine how children learn about and assimilate racial & ethnic distinctions to define self and others and examine research on children’s beliefs, assumptions and understandings about their race, culture, and identity. Participants will examine theories of racial development and discuss what impact family racial and cultural values and practices have on children’s developmental functioning. Research done on young children’s awareness and attitudes related to race will be discussed. Participants will also be involved in field experiences.
Audience:
Teachers, Social Workers, Counselors, Parents, Head Start Providers, School Administrators
Register Now:
If you are currently a student at Wheelock College, click here to register. (This functionality is coming soon.)
RDG 558: Multicultural Children’s Literature
Dates: Monday July 7 & Tuesday
July 8, 2008: 9:00a.m.-5:00p.m.
Faculty: To Be Determined
Earnings: Non-credit or 1 Graduate Credit; PDPs/CEUs
available
Tuition: Non-credit/Audit: $350; For-credit: $675
Course Description:
This institute will introduce a range of multicultural literature. There will be discussions about the criteria for making appropriate book selections. An examination of literary themes and genre will be explored and a discussion of strategies for using children’s literature to promote literacy development.
Audience:
Teachers, Social Workers, Counselors, Parents, Head Start Providers, School Administrators
Register Now:
If you are currently a student at Wheelock College, click here to register. (This functionality is coming soon.)
PDI 546: Boys: More at Risk Than We Think?
Dates: June 13-14 & June 27-28, 2008: 9:00a.m.-4:00a.m.
Faculty: Dr. Eric Silverman, Instructor of American
Studies and Human Development
Earnings: Non-credit or 2 Graduate Credits, PDPs/CEUs
available
Tuition: Non-credit/Audit: $395; For-credit: $1,350
Course Description:
A growing chorus of educators and advocates now raise alarm about the plight of boys in America. Boys, it is increasingly said, not girls, are the children truly in need of revised educational practices, novel therapeutic modalities, changing parental guidance, and increased overall sensitivity by society at large. Major childhood institutions such as public schools, so goes this argument, have made great strides in addressing the needs of girls. But, as a consequence, the emotional and developmental needs of boys are often neglected. But are these claims valid? Is there truth in whole, or in part, to the growing chorus of voices that that boys are now suffering more than girls. The goal of this institute is to explore the growing literature on the plight of boys through books, articles, websites, and film. We will evaluate this literature, and see what practical relevance the findings pose for re-thinking how early childhood professionals teach, counsel, and supervise boys and girls. Participants will gain critical familiarity with these debates, and also consider how these debates can enhance their own professional practices.
I will divide the class into two groups. Each group, prior to the Institute, will read either Michael Gurian and Kathy Stevens, The Minds of Boys: Saving Our Sons From Falling Behind in School and Life (2005) or Michael Gurian, Boys and Girls Learn Differently!: A Guide for Teachers and Parents (2001). The groups will then each discuss the books during the Institute, and present important material to the entire class. Additionally, I will assign each of you a scholarly article about multicultural perspectives on boys; you will present the material briefly to the class. We will also read and discuss the Real Boys Workbook. I will also present material about specific programs tailored to the needs of boys. Finally, we will view the films “Raising Cain: Boys in Focus” and “Tough Guise: Violence, Media & the Crisis in Masculinity.”
The class will appeal to a broad range of professionals, graduate students, and parents who raise or work with boys (and girls), including teachers, social workers, mental health professionals, guidance counselors, school administrators, child and family advocates, health service delivery professionals, and public policy makers.
Each student will also conduct a research paper (if you are taking the course for credit) or formulate a strategy for revising your current professional practices (if you are auditing the course).
Throughout the class, the goal is for you to identify what practical concepts and suggestions the material offers for your own professional practices.
Register Now:
If you are currently a student at Wheelock College, click here to register. (This functionality is coming soon.)
PDI 533: Fathers: Their Impact on the Lives of Children
Dates: August 1-2 & 8-9, 2008: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Faculty: Dr. Eric Silverman, Instructor of American
Studies and Human Development
Earnings: Non-credit or 2 Graduate Credits, PDPs/CEUs
available
Tuition: Non-credit/Audit: $395; For-credit: $1,350
Course Description:
Few aspects of the American family today provoke more debate than the role and relevance of fathers. In one way or another, fatherhood is linked to many of the pressing issues that often beset American families today, including violence, educational success, crime, relationship problems, and so forth. A quick glance at the parenting section in any major bookstore in the United States (something you will do for the class) attests to the extraordinary popular interest in fostering men to become engaged fathers. Fatherhood organizations abound, reflecting a broad spectrum of political, religious, and ethnic affiliations. These groups often respond, sometimes quite aggressively, to feminism and the changing position of women in society. This institute will seek to make sense of this debate and to explore practical interventions. We will identify some main issues, voices, and movements in the current debates over fatherhood. We are particularly keen to survey, first, different recommendations for encouraging fathers to become more engaged in the lives of their children and families, and, second, ways that schools, communities, agencies, and businesses can better reach out to fathers.
The format of the institute will consist of common readings from books and scholarly articles, individual presentations on specific aspects of fatherhood (from on-line organizations, scholarly essays, and/or practical guidebooks), and films. Readings may be drawn from some of the following books: Working Fathers: New Strategies for Balancing Work and Family; Getting Men Involved: Strategies for Early Childhood Programs; New Expectations: Community Strategies For Responsible Fatherhood; A Guide to Strengthening Fatherhood in Your Community; Redefining Fatherhood; Be a Father to Your Child: Real Talk from Black Men on Family, Love, and Fatherhood. We will also view some of the 3-part film, Fatherhood USA.
Additionally, students will do a mini-research project in a major bookstore (e.g., Barnes & Noble, Borders) to survey the issues and styles of popular fatherhood books.
Each student will also conduct a research paper (if you are taking the course for credit) or formulate a strategy for revising your current professional practices (if you are auditing the course).
Register Now:
If you are currently a student at Wheelock College, click here to register. (This functionality is coming soon.)
RDG 530: Language and Literacy: Teaching Literacy to English Language Learners
Dates: June 30-August 7, 2008, Tuesdays and Thursdays:
9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Faculty: Dr. Jane Yedlin, Ed.D., Visiting Assistant Professor
of Language and Literacy
Earnings: Non-credit or 3 Graduate Credits; PDPs/CEUs
available
Tuition: Non-credit/Audit: $475; For-credit: $2,025
Course Description:
With the English Language Learner (ELL) population of our schools increasing, all teachers need knowledge and strategies for supporting the literacy development and academic achievement of children at different levels of English proficiency and prior education.
This course introduces key factors affecting the literacy development of English Language Learners (ELLs) in Sheltered English Immersion, ESL, regular education classrooms and other grade PreK- grade 6 instructional settings. Participants will develop skills in: assessing and teaching early and later reading skills, promoting vocabulary development, planning and implementing well-scaffolded reading and writing lessons, and adapting content reading and writing instruction for children at different ages and levels of English proficiency. The course addresses the strong relationships between oral language development and literacy, with attention to the development of children’s academic language.
The many hands-on and small group activities will include watching and discussing classroom videos; examining, evaluating, selecting and adapting texts; designing lessons, projects, and teaching materials; analyzing case studies and classroom transcripts, participating in microteaching and demonstrations, examining student writing, reading and discussing articles, and playing games that develop academic language. Some local field trips and guest speakers are planned.
This course also meets pedagogical course content for two of Wheelock's advanced course clusters for professional licensure. Click here for more information on Wheelock’s professional licensure course clusters.
RDG 531 has been approved by the MA Department of Education for SEI (Sheltered English Immersion) Category 4, Teaching Reading and Writing for English Language Learners.
Register Now:
If you are currently a student at Wheelock College, click here to register. (This functionality is coming soon.)
