Course Topics
1) Developmental Psychology in Children and Pre-Adolescents This section covers multiple dimensions: physical, cognitive, affective, social, and moral, with particular attention to school contexts and inclusion processes. General Aspects and Definitions Developmental Stages: Early Childhood (approximately 5-7 years), Middle School Age (8-11), Pre-Adolescence (11-13/14). Individual Differences: Variability in Typical Development, Genetic, Environmental, and Sociocultural Factors. Cognitive Development Classical theories (Piaget: concrete operational stage; neo-Piagetians; Vygotsky: zone of proximal development, mediation; constructivism) Cognitive functions: attention, memory (working memory, long-term memory), processing speed, executive functions (inhibition, cognitive flexibility, planning) Metacognition: awareness of mental processes, learning strategies, self-regulation Language and logical thinking: syntactic and lexical development, reasoning skills, classification, seriation, concrete mental operations Social and emotional development Identity, self-esteem, self-efficacy Emotions: recognition, regulation, empathy Friendships, peer relationships: social skills, cooperation, conflict, bullying, cooperative and competitive play Family and attachment: how family relationships influence academic development, behavior, emotional security Social norms, moral sense: development of moral judgment, understanding of rules, conscience, concepts of Justice Aspects of physical and psychomotor growth Bodily changes, gross and fine motor development Interaction between physical and cognitive development (e.g., coordination, motor skills in games, sports) Precocious puberty / individual variations in maturation time and their psychological implications Typical and atypical development: ADHD, intellectual disability, autism Developmental and inclusion contexts School: physical and social environment, lessons, groups, implicit norms Culture, socioeconomic class, linguistic diversity, disabilities, minorities Educational inclusion: special educational needs, curricular adaptations, inclusive school models, tools and strategies (e.g., Individualized Education Plan, cooperative learning, peer tutoring) Prevention and intervention: early identification of difficulties, psychopedagogical support, school-family collaboration Transition to pre-adolescence Changes in relationships with authority figures and adults, progressive autonomy New awareness of the "I," the social self, the body, and one's identity Influences of the media, peer groups, and social networks Regarding Educational and Learning Psychology: This section focuses on how to teach/learn, how to motivate, how to assess, and how to design environments conducive to learning, with particular attention to the 5-14 age group. Social constructivism: learning as active construction, the role of social context, mediation (Vygotsky, Bruner) Situated learning, cooperative and collaborative learning Teaching support: scaffolding, feedback, tutoring, peer learning Classroom relationships and group dynamics Bullying and cyberbullying Learning processes and effectiveness theories Interest, curiosity, engagement, flow as optimal experiences Metacognition and reading comprehension Study methods Learning disabilities and interventions at school Learning environment Physical and social structure of the classroom: layout, resources, materials, environmental stimuli

Teaching format
See the individual course content

Educational objectives
Knowledge and understanding Students: - know the methodological, theoretical and conceptual foundations of Developmental Psychology, Educational Psychology and Learning Psychology with a focus on education in second childhood and school age (5-12 years); - they know the phases of physical, cognitive, emotional and social development that characterise second childhood and the corresponding theories; - they know the forms and methods of systematic observation and documentation; - know the relevant theories of learning, motivation, cognition and memory in later childhood; - they know the conditions and criteria for the establishment of learning-promoting environments; Ability to apply knowledge and understanding Students - know how to use the theories of Developmental Psychology and Educational Psychology to develop action strategies to solve problems in the classroom; - can use knowledge of developmental stages in childhood and adolescence for scientifically based educational action; - are able to use observations for team and parent interviews; - are able to construct and evaluate learning-friendly environments; - are able to recognise and modify the emotional, social and cognitive limitations of learning processes using strategies for the promotion of well-being Autonomy of judgement Students - are able to use the disciplinary foundations of Developmental Psychology and Educational Psychology to assess changes and progress in education during school age; - can use observations and documentation to evaluate learning processes in children and the quality of teaching processes (e.g. evaluation of the effectiveness of intervention projects) - can expertly evaluate the role of motivation, cooperation, strategy development and feedback in the learning process. Communication skills Students - are able to use the fundamentals of Developmental Psychology and Educational Psychology to communicate in teams and to conduct process- and outcome-oriented evaluations; - They are able to use psychological knowledge to establish a constructive dialogue with pupils' families; - are able to document, report and interpret the results of observations; - are able to use specialised and scientific disciplinary vocabulary for communication and cooperation in teams as well as with social and health service personnel. Learning skills Students - are able to use learning theories and strategies for personal and professional development; - are able to use the disciplinary foundations for further education, and to incorporate them independently into other areas of research; - are able to employ learning strategies as an experienced and scientifically trained person knows how to do.

Assessment
There will be ongoing assessments in both courses and workshops. Final written examination with open-ended questions and/or critical case discussion

Evaluation criteria
The examination is a single examination, but partial assessments are provided for the individual examinations of the module itself. In the case of a negative mark for the entire module, any partial examinations successfully passed will be considered as already passed in the next attempt to sit the entire module examination. It should be noted that, even in this case, a negative mark for the entire module will be counted towards the number of attempts available to take an examination. According to the Examinations Regulations, if a student fails an examination in three consecutive attempts, he/she may not sit the same examination in the three sessions following the last attempt (Art. 6(4) of the current Regulations for Proficiency Examinations). The subjects covered, the expected learning outcomes and the specific learning objectives (Syllabus) will be assessed. The assessment criteria are as follows: relevance of the answer with respect to the proposed question, clarity of presentation and argument with reference to the literature, ability to analyse and reflect critically on the knowledge and content proposed, use of the scientific disciplinary vocabulary, autonomy of judgement.