Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP)

The author of this article is a professor in the Department of Special Education at San Diego University. In addition to his participation in the Department of Special Education at the University, Rena B. Lewis, PhD is a member of the faculty of the San Diego State University-Claremont Graduate University doctoral program. She focuses much of her research on the application of technology for individuals with learning disabilities. Her qualifications alone would make me feel confident in her writing and findings. The article was published in the Journal of Learning Disabilities in

Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) involves educators making informed decisions grounded in research to challenge and motivate children to meet attainable goals (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009). In the video, Morning Circle at Preschool, children appear eager to participate in the morning routine. DAP was noted, as well as some actions that are in contrast to DAP.

Developmentally appropriate practice is based on knowledge about how children develop and learn, what is known about the needs of individual children in a particular group, and on knowledge of both the social and cultural contexts in which children live. (Bredekamp & Copple, 1997, pp. 8–9)

al, 2016). ICT provide safe and controlled environments, motivation, high level of interactivity, immediate feedback, and contribute to the improvement of visual processing skills and short-term memory or working memory inadequacies (Kalyvioti et. al, 2012). They also help develop interactive experiences and optimistic learning surroundings, that can motivate and help children, thus helping them address their disability early on and possibly mitigate its various negative effects (Skiada et.al, 2014). The use of ICT offer support in several fields concerning learning difficulties (Kalyvioti et. al, 2016). Digital technologies can be used in order to train, assist and even enable the learning process (Skiada et.al, 2014). Specifically designed applications can stimulate students interest, but may also help students with disabilities fit into and progress within mainstream school environments (Skiada et.al, 2014). One of the main groups of people with special educational needs, such as dyslexia, could potentially gain many benefits from ICT (Skiada et.al, 2014). As an ICT, this Chrome Extension has the ability to be able to motivate and help children learn and improve their comprehension of the English

1. A developmentally appropriate practice to help and 18 month old to understand be safe rule is presenting a puppet show. For example I would present 3 puppets, One teacher puppet and two toddler puppets. One of the toddler puppets would demonstrate running back and forth in the classroom. The teacher puppet would then explain to the two children the basic ground rules of being safe. Teacher puppet would also mention to the toddler puppets that running in the classroom can give us ouchies. And now the toddler puppets would have a better understanding of being safe.

Several issues are discussed in the NAEYC position statement about Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP). The section points out three main areas that policymakers have addressed because they realize how important these areas are to an early elementary child.

The NAEYC statement on developmental practice indicates change and continuity and change in the early childhood education field is vital due to the fact that their main commitment is excellence and equity. Nevertheless, all new knowledge gained over time has been advanced and increased. This means that with understanding, it has allowed us to revise and refine ideas for promoting children's development and learning. With developmentally appropriate practice, meeting and enabling the children are required. This means that teachers should get to know them well and push them to reach goals that may be a challenge but are achievable for them.

Providing children with an environment that nurtures their social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development is the framework that will promote children’s optimal learning and development. Gaining knowledge about the child will help a teacher to develop and create programs that are suitable for the age and the stages of children’s development. Applying developmentally appropriate practices will support the excellence in early childhood education because it is based off of the knowledge of knowing each child as an individual and how they develop.

He focuses on how technology is supposed to significantly impact a student’s performance and completely forgets to mention how important technology may be for someone who cannot learn well without responsive instruction; for example, technology in the classroom can be beneficial to students that are physically or mentally impaired. On the contrary, the article ‘Technology and Literacy for Adolescents with disabilities’ describes how technology “can be universally beneficial for all students as a vehicle for learner engagement or conveyance of instructional content, and it can also promote participation, learning, and performance by students with disabilities”(King-Sears, Swanson, Mainzer, 569). The article then illustrates an example of how technology can specifically facilitate classroom learning by stating “For example, an electronic picture board with voice output might be considered assistive technology for a student whose disability included significant oral language deficits” (King-Sears, Swanson, Mainzer, 569). In this sense, technology does have a significant role in students’ life, not only making it important, but necessary. Also as mentioned above, the performance of these students have been affected in a significant way. Throughout the article, they describe how these new assistive technologies have changed the two specific students, Brian and Michelle. Brian has dysgraphia which prevents him from being able to transfer his thoughts onto paper and Michelle has Asperger’s Syndrome, which gives Michelle “genius-level intelligence” (King-Sears et al.). The technologically advanced tools that they have both been given are not only specialized to assist them, but also help them do tasks that

In order to respond this question, we must first review the history of Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) and Early Childhood Education (ECE). Although ECE has been around since the creation of kindergarten in the 1800’s, the decade of the 1980’s was an important period for ECE. “By the 1980’s, meta-analysis of the well-designed US projects offered compelling evidence on the positive outcomes of [early childhood education and intervention]” (Woodhead, 2007). Therefore, there was much pressure to improve the state of education, including ECE. “The decade of the 1980’s saw numerous calls for widespread school reform, with changes recommended in teacher education, graduation requirements, school structure, and accountability measures” (S. Bredekamp, R.A. Knuth, L.G. Kunesh, and D.D. Shulman, 1992). At this time, there was an increasing concern about the quality of early childhood education for the influx number of families that needed it. This led the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) to “begin planning a national voluntary accreditation system for early childhood programs”(NAEYC, 2014). With this planning came a need for a more specific description with regards to accreditation guidelines. Therefore, NAEYC issued a formal statement defining DAP.

Developmentally appropriate practice means that teachers need to take the decision based on the children’s need. Also, it is guidelines about what it is appropriate to teach the young children. The teacher who practices developmentally appropriate practice take into consideration all the developmental areas of the whole child (cognitive, socio-emotional, and physical development). According to the author of the Administration of Programs for Young Children” (Click, Karkos, & Robertson, 2014, p. 134) the developmentally appropriate practice is when the teachers understand that the children have different background, experiences, and interest. Each child is unique in what his capacities are, how he/she learns, and what she/he needs to help him

The way that developmentally appropriate practice will influence my career in working with children is by giving a child positive attention when they have done something or said something because children are always looking for that extra encouragement. Teachers need to pay close attention to see if a child is getting bored than they need to revise the curriculum or lesson plans to get the interested in what you are doing. Keeping the child challenged and engaged in what you are trying to teach them. Keeping in mind that all children progress, grow and learn differently so if you see a child that is not learning than change up your lesson plan and give them something that they are interested in. (Bredekamp, 2009). The families that I

The 2010 National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Initial and Advanced Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation Programs provides standards that set guidelines for what and how early childhood professionals prepare themselves to be efficient educators and caregivers. Professional development tools and strategies are critical assets for providing high quality early childhood education and care that meets the needs and interest of all learners. Today’s early childhood settings are filled with a diverse group of learners. Efficient educators must use a broad range of approaches, tools, and resources to ensure success for all learners. The NAEYC Initial and Advanced Standards demonstrates particular strategies for early childhood educators to prepare themselves to be successful and effective teachers. For this brief composition I chose to highlight the initial standard #4: using developmentally effective approaches.

I believe that as an early childhood educator my goal will be to promote the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of each child. I also believe that play should be the base of learning since children learn best by doing. I believe that a balance between teacher-directed and child-initiated activities is essential balance can be developed by using the developmentally appropriate practice approach, which means that activities should be “appropriate for each child and relevant to the child’s ability, needs and interests, also including the child’s family and being respectful to the child’s culture.

Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) is a method of teaching that is based on the research about how young children grow and learn and includes standards for high quality care and education for young children. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) established these guidelines more than 20 years ago. Authors Gordon and Browne state, “The DAP approach stresses the need for activity-based learning environments and is based on what we know about children through years of child development research and what we observe of their interests, abilities, and needs” (40). The three core components of DAP are: 1) what is known about child development and learning, 2) what is known about each child, and 3) what is known about social and cultural contexts in which children learn. A DAP classroom is a busy classroom where students are engaged and interacting physically with objects and persons. This classroom is full of materials, activities, and direct interactions that lead the student into active learning. The observations for this report were conducted at the Laredo Community College Camilo Prada Early Child Development Center in the blue classroom.