Lesson 2: Developmentally Appropriate Practice Attention
Developmentally Appropriate Practice Learning Outcomes Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to
Teaching Children are: Active learners, movers and shakers, wigglers, doers, they express their feelings through behaviors, they use their bodies to communicate and they offer many opportunities for adults to learn from them. Curriculum is: Everything that goes on in a program, from the moment he arrives until he leaves. The experiences throughout the time he is there impacts all learning and success. Educators need to be: Planners, observers, involved, able to make adjustments, reflective, thoughtful, intentional, flexible, and have humor What is Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP)?
Best practice is based on knowledge of how children learn and develop. (For more information on developmental milestones check the following link - http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/ ) What is the Achievement Gap? Children’s learning opportunities differ greatly
All these elements create a sizable achievement gap These differences begin in a child’s early years and persist throughout his school years and can have serious consequences. As teacher’s we must develop environments and curriculum to support these children’s social, emotional and cognitive growth. We must provide extended, enriched and intensive learning experiences for children on the lower end of the achievement gap. That is why it is important to really consider true emergence in a particular theme one prepares for children’s learning. By considering all domains of learning (personal and social, creative arts, early language and literature, health and physical education, mathematics, science and social studies) and all the areas within an environment (blocks, dramatic play, woodworking, sensory, science, math, manipulatives, art, literacy), educators can foster a child’s growth. Something to consider……Is it better to offer a new learning topic/theme weekly to give children a larger overview of many focus areas or is it better to delve deep into a topic/theme for extended periods of time? For more information on the achievement gap go to the following link http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/achievement-gap/ Comprehensive Effective Curriculum Children come from varied backgrounds. Each child as a unique way of learning. We know that the cognitive domain influences the social domain. (Children living in a higher socioeconomic home have heard a larger number of words used, hence have a larger vocabulary to call upon to socialize with peers). As educators we must foster cognitive and social development, yet we can’t forget to teach emotional and physical growth also. Developmentally appropriate curriculum takes into consideration ones interpersonal relationships and building a firm foundation of information so children can build stronger connections as they hear/learn more facts. (Think about Piaget accommodation and assimilation). Educators must take into consideration children’s previous knowledge and experiences, maintain high expectations, set challenging and achievable goals, and provide scaffolding for each child. How is this done? Let’s look at a cutting activity – Think about the scissors available for children – do you have Loop handle scissors? Small snip scissors? Hand over hand scissors? Regular child size scissors? Have you considered which hand a child uses –right handed scissors and left handed scissors? Do you have different thicknesses of paper available? What about a child who has no prior experience using scissors? Do you have paper available to tear so a child can begin to understand how both hands have to work together (scissors in one hand, helping hand holds and moves the paper). What about a child whose hands work in tandem – (when one opens the other opens), do you have mounted scissors available for her use? Improving Teaching and Learning Teacher’s moment by moment actions and interactions with children are powerful. They help guide learning outcomes and development. Educators need to read the signals of children’s interest and end or extend the time for learning throughout the day. (It is difficult to watch a teacher make an activity go too long, just as it is heart wrenching to watch a child deflate when told to end an activity before she is ready.) By setting up an entire environment rich in choices, teachers allow children to learn at their pace with peers and adults support. Teacher‘s write their plans with clear goals that can be communicated with families. Classrooms need teacher guided experiences; however these experiences need to be of children’s interests to be effective. These planned interactive activities can occur in small or large groups. Educators plan open-ended questions and suggestions that will sustain children’s engagement in what they are doing. For sustained play to take place educators must introduce the possibilities of play materials; how materials are used, how materials can adapt with different types of use, how many can play at a time, and where materials are stored for easy access and clean-up. Child-directed times are essential in developmentally appropriate classrooms. Play promotes key abilities that enable children to learn successfully. Play Play needs to be focused and have time to develop. It is vital to provide opportunities for sustained high-level play and for teachers to actively support children’s progress towards play. It is also important to know the stages of children’s play. It is important to recognize that depending on a child’s experience, opportunities and health concerns, these age expectations may vary.
Let’s look at the block area. A child is sitting in the block area thinking about what to build. She ponders for quite a while and then begins to build. She feels like she has just begun when an adult says it will be pick-up time in five minutes or time to rotate areas. This girl is now frustrated/angry/gives-up her hopes of finishing her structure. What behaviors may manifest from this scenario? What has this child learned about her own creative ability? Has she had time to experience trial and error as she builds? Has she had the opportunity to invite a peer to play with her or to solve a conflict as a peer tries to “wreck” her work? What other options were available to this teacher? Effective teachers are intentional in their use of approaches and strategies to support children’s interests and abilities in each learning domain. Educators see light bulbs go off in children’s heads and see their frustrations. Teachers take notes or observations to use later when assessing children, curriculum, interactions or environments. Teachers embed learning throughout all aspects of a child’s day – transitions, daily life skills, daily schedule, individual, small and large group activities. Educators reflect on things that went well throughout the day as well as on parts of the day that did not go so well. These reflections are essential to providing quality early childhood education. Teachers need to be able to adapt curriculum on the fly as they see the information they are sharing isn’t being received. This adaptation may be for the entire group or one individual to promote optimal learning and development. All of these adjustments and accommodations are based on teacher’s deep knowledge of the children in their care, careful observations, and thoughtful reflection about the daily happenings in a classroom. Learning goals are the core of preschool curriculum. Everything a teacher does with a child is based on clearly defined, age-appropriate, developmentally appropriate, learning goals. Learning goals must be based on reasonable expectations for groups of and individual children. Goals must be based on all domains that will support the healthy development of all children. For children with special needs goals can be individualized and still incorporated into the curriculum. Teachers must also focus on their own professional development. By taking classes/trainings and reading scholarly articles, educators stay informed about current best practice. Core Considerations of Developmentally Appropriate Practice In order to embed developmentally appropriate practice into a classroom, an educator needs to know something about children. Educators must know:
This background information helps teachers provide meaningful, relevant, and respectful learning experiences for each child and family Principles of Child Development and Learning Educators are often decision makers. Educators must decide the best way to meet the needs of young children and their families. Each child and family may have a variety of needs and wants. Teachers must determine how best to help this child without interfering with the family dynamics, overstep boundaries, or using personal bias, cultural beliefs or unfounded conclusions sway their decisions. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has compiled twelve Core Considerations to help guide educators decision making skills. The list can be found on page 5 in Developmentally Appropriate Practice Focus on Preschoolers by Copple et al.
For complete NAEYC Position Statement go to the following link Elements of the Curriculum Process
Planning for Play Areas Gronlund provides a variety of planning and reflection forms. Many educators use these forms to help plan for activities in all areas as well as for large and small group activities. These forms may be shared with families. The observation sheets are often put in individual children’s folders for later use when compiling portfolios. Additional materials or focus helps educators prepare for extended learning or “tangents” children may take us on. Vocabulary Words This section is essential! Children need to hear new words daily. They need to hear the same word as many as seven times to understand its true meaning. Listing vocabulary words that could be part of the conversations with children as they play in that area guarantees children will hear and possibly see the word to get a true understanding of its meaning. Let’s go back to the book The Doorbell Rang. With another group every time I read the book a boy looked very perplexed. One day I asked him why. He replied, “I don’t understand why they eat off the bathroom floor.” I explained the table had a blue and white checked tablecloth, I then asked if anyone used tablecloths in their homes. None of the twelve children knew what a tablecloth was so I brought one for our dramatic play area. This was a great way for children to hear and see what a word meant. Now, back to the young man – I asked him why he thought it looked like the bathroom floor. He responded, “Because that is what my bathroom floor looks like.” When I went on a home visit the first thing he showed me was his bathroom floor. It surely looked like the tablecloth in the book! To hear The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins Transitions, Meal Times, Community Building, and Outside Play These four important parts of a day are often overlooked when completing weekly planning and reflection. However they are an important part of a child’s day. Educators need to identify multiple ways to work with individuals, small groups and large groups throughout the week to build communities, plan outdoor activities, and strategies to enhance meals and transitions Observations Observation is a key part to planning children’s activities. Observation allows educators to determine children’s skills and abilities. It allows teachers to learn about social skills and peers interactions. Observation allows a teacher to determine if the environment is working or changes need to be made. Observing is great; however the next step is documentation. Make sure you intentionally set aside time to write down all your observations. Set up a system that works for you –use sticky notes, have clipboards all around the environment, keep index cards in your back pocket – and use it! Reflection Reflection is an ongoing process. Reflection allows one to determine what worked, what didn’t work, what was engaging for children, what was over before it really started, and did all children participate in the activity – Why? Why not? Teachers need to be honest when assessing activities, goals, and different parts of the day. They need to look at the area/activity thinking about individual children as well as the entire group. Is it working for all or does it need to be modified to meet each child’s needs or goals. What would happen if…. Is a great question to use when reflecting. Assessment Lesson 2 Quiz
Lesson 2 Discussion How do you see developmentally appropriate practice taking place at your work environment or in your personal life? How are the twelve principals of child development and learning part of a child’s day? (Copple et al. p.5)
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