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Educational
Background:
I hold a bachelor’s degree in elementary/early childhood education,
a master’s degree in child development and family studies,
and a Ph.D. in child development with an emphasis on infant/toddler
development. I completed my graduate work at Syracuse University
under the direction of Dr. Alice Honig. I am also a certified infant
massage instructor, and enjoy teaching classes to parents from time
to time. I joined the faculty at Michigan State University in 1996.
Teaching:
I have taught and currently teach a variety of courses at MSU at both the undergraduate and graduate
level.
Undergraduate courses
FCE 322 - Infant Development and Programming
FCE 411 - Developmental Study of a Child
FCE 414 - Parenting
FCE 424 - Student Teaching in an ECE setting
Graduate Courses
FCE 810 - Theories of Human Development
FCE 820 - Infancy: The Contexts of Family, Community, and Culture
FCE 823 - Infant Programs and Practices
FCE 892 - Special Topics Course (such as the development of social
competence in young, prosocial and moral development, and practices
to “teach peace").
Current course offerings may be found on the MSU Schedule
of Courses.
Research: Social-emotional development of infants
and toddlers. Specifically,
I am interested in the development of social competence. Social
competence is comprised of a constellation of skills, and I am investigating
characteristics of children, patterns of family interactions, and characteristics of early childhood settings
that facilitate the development of these skills. Likewise, I have
a great interest in qualities of caregiver-infant/parent-infant
relationships that result in healthy socio- emotional development.
Specifically, I am interested in the ways in which infants/toddlers
and their significant adults communicate and respond to each other
in emotionally healthy ways. Pursuant with my research interests,
I am involved in several research
projects.
Interdepartmental Specialization in Infancy and Early Childhood (IGSIEC)
The IGSIEC program provides graduate students with an interdisciplinary specialization in infant and early childhood developmental studies. The specialization appears on the degree transcript with completion of the program. IGSIEC students come from a variety of units across campus, and more than a dozen academic units participate in the IGSIEC program. IGSIEC students attain core competencies in infant/toddler and early childhood development, research and evaluation, programs and practices in serving very young children and their families, assessment, and other key areas. Core competencies are attained through completing course work, participating in colloquiums and discussions with faculty across campus, assigned readings, and field experiences. The IGSIEC program provides a unique opportunity for students to engage in scholarly dialogue and
study with faculty and peers across campus and across the community.
Please contact me for more information.
Organizations
Related to Infant/Toddler Research & Practices
Society for Research in Child
Development
International Society on Infant
Studies
World Association for Infant Mental
Health
Zero to Three
National Association for the Education
of Young Children
National Council on Family Relations |
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