|
Note: The calendar showing assignment due dates is available under this Calendar link or on the left menu.
Session 1: Introduction
Read: Mini-Orientation to screens and tools
Read: Instructor Bio and Welcome video
| Forum S1: Bios & Discussion |
1. Submit your biography
As your initial assignment please introduce yourself and tell us about you. Highlight the following points:
- Personal background
- Business background / experience
- Educational background
- Your background in online programs (for instance, is this your first online course?)
2. After you have posted your information, read through your classmate's bios and welcome them by responding to their postings.
3. Score yourself on the rubrics. Go to “Rubric (Pre)” and put a score as to where you feel you fall in each category. Email your total score to your instructor at dgibson@childally.org. You will do another rubric at the end of the class as well.
Session 2: Identify a Child
There is some preliminary work to do prior to beginning the lecture material.
There are two parts to the first assignment. First, as independent work, maintain a journal over the course of the class. This is yours to keep.
Read: Identify a Child for forum discussion
| Forum S2: Discuss Your Identified Child |
1. Describe a child or children that you know have experienced significant losses in their lives. Include the needs and behaviors of that child. You will be asked to reflect upon this identified child as you go through the course.
2. After you have posted your thoughts, respond to someone else's comments.
Session 3: Types of Loss
Reading & Video Assignment
The selected readings for this section are designed to give you a definition of loss and different types of losses that people experience.
1. Read the sections Defining Loss, Children, Parents, and Professionals.
2. View the video of children talking about their losses.
| Forum S3: Identifying Loss Assignment |
1. After reading through the sections and watching the video, please think of these questions: 1) What are some of the losses that the children in the video talked about? 2) How is this similar or different from the child you were asked to identify and describe? 3) What are some loses that you have experienced both personally and professionally?
2. Respond to at least one other student's Posting.
Session 4: Grief
Reading Assignment
The selected readings are designed to give you a basic understanding of the grief process, stages of grief, signs to look for, and ways to provide support to a person in each stage.
1. Read the sections on the Grief Process. These include Shock/Denial, Bargaining, Anger, Understanding, Coping, and Managing.
2. Read the Grief Scenarios for the forum that follows.
| Forum S4: Pathway of Grief Scenario Assignment |
1. Respond to at least one of the scenarios, addressing the loss the person is experiencing. Discuss where you think the person is in the pathway and what supports you see the person needing. In some cases, there may be more than one person who has needs to be addressed. Please also respond to at least two other student's postings. Try to select those who have chosen different scenarios than you.
Session 5: The Child in Us
Reading & Audio Assignment
The selected readings are designed to give you a basic understanding of what factors affect how a person processes their losses and how grief affects their behaviors. There is also a section that looks at what children need to know about their situations as well as an audio clip of a therapist relating personal and professional experiences.
1. Read the section Factors of Grief.
2. Listen to the audio clip "The Child In Us."
3. Read the sections on Developmental Grieving and Need to Know.
| Forum S5: The Child in Us Assignment |
Respond to the reading material and audio clip by reflecting upon what Mr. Benson has shared with us and compare to what you have experienced. If you are journaling during this class, then please take time to focus on how your childhood has directed your responses to losses and relationships.
Session 6: Child Development
Reading Assignment
This section is to help you understand basic child development stages and ways to help the grieving child during each stage.
1. Read the sections on Infancy, Toddlers, Grade School, Pre-teen, and Teenagers.
2. Read the poem "Innocence"
| Forum S6: Child Development Discussion |
Taking what you have learned in the sections of developmental grieving and child development stages, engage in a discussion using the following guidelines:
- Think about the child you identified earlier.
- Identify the stage of development they were in.
- What were the factors that affected how the child grieved and how did it affect them developmentally. Was there a time where you saw an earlier loss affect them as they entered another stage of life or even hindered their development?
- Identify times when developmental grieving affected their behaviors.
- What did you do to help that child?
Session 7:Attachment
Reading Assignment
This section will provide you with a definition of attachment and help you identify ways to help children build positive relationships.
1. Read the sections on Understanding Attachment I and II, Play Therapy, and Relationship Development.
2. Read the story "Only People Cry".
3. View the video clips of children and foster parents.
| Forum S7: Attachment Discussion |
During this discussion, I want you to reflect on your identified child. What were the factors that affected the way they attached to others and how did you overcome them? What strategies did you use? Please respond to at least two other student's discussions.
FINAL ACTIVITIES:
Class Assignments
1. Email your Post-course Rubric score as well as your thoughts and comments about the online course to Denise.
2. Read Final Steps as you finish the course.
2. Fill out the evaluation found on the Online Assignment menu.
Thank you for taking the time to participate in this course.
|