ABSTRACT
This chapter explicates signature pedagogies for the field of human development. It focuses on pedagogical literature that deals specifically with courses defined as human development and/or family studies in an attempt to identify their traditional and signature pedagogies. A closer examination of the existing literature, along with the course offerings and objectives of several undergraduate programs, reveals at least five common guiding themes that describe human development: a lifespan perspective, interdisciplinarity, critical thinking and reflexivity, diverse contexts, and application. The field of human development takes a lifespan perspective, emphasizing human growth and change as a lifelong process. Human development as a field clearly presents unique obstacles for building a body of SoTL literature and creating and implementing signature pedagogies. Students, on the other hand, are asked, at the very least, to appreciate the mental operations required of experts in multiple disciplines.
