SFL 221 ADP #1

DAP #1
In an effort to enhance children’s early development and learning in the context of supplemental care and education settings as well as at home with parents and family, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) issued a position statement and carefully researched and reviewed information published as Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs, Revised Edition (Copple & Bredekamp, 2008 [hereinafter referred to as DAP].

OVERVIEW AND STATEMENT OF THE POSITION

Read pages viii-16 of the DAP Manual and respond to the following questions.

PART 1:
1. Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) is not a recipe-oriented approach to teaching. Rather, it empowers the professional teacher to make informed decisions. In the section, “Core considerations in developmentally appropriate practice,” three key questions will help you as you make teaching decisions. These 3 considerations should guide all your classroom decisions, so MEMORIZE them. What are these three questions? (4 points)
a. What is known about child development and learning- referring to knowledge of age-related characteristics that permits general predictions about what experiences are likely to best promote children’s learning and development?
b. What is known about each child as an individual-referring to what practitioners learn about each child that has implications for how best to adapt and be responsive to that individual variation?
c. What is known about the social and cultural contexts in which children live- referring to the values, expectations, and behavioral and linguistic conventions that shape children’s lives at home and in their communities that practitioners must strive to understand in order to ensure that learning experiences in the program or school are meaningful, relevant, and respectful for each child and family?
2. Identify 2 specifics points per question of what you have read in the preface and first nine pages which support why are these 3 questions important for you to remember. (6 points)
a. Children need to have opertunities to interact with other children and practice socially positive skills.
In the high-pressure classroom, children are less likely to develop a love of learning and a sense of their own competence and ability to make choices, and they miss much of the joy and expansive learning of childhood.
a. The concern over children learning in Pre-K to enjoy school or is it to much pressure for children at that young of an age.
Proponents also hope that a closer relationship between early-years education and the elementary gradew would lead to enchanced alignment and each sphere’s learning from the other, thus resulting in greater continuity and coherence across the preK-3 span. Many early childhood educators are already quite concerned about the current climate of increased high-stakes testing adversely affecting children in grades K-3, and they fear extension of these effects to even younger children.
b. The importance of knowing the children individually and catering the classroom setting to their learning.
Teachers who have studied how young children learn and develop and effective ways of teaching them are more likely to have this specialized knowledge. Moreover, it is the teacher who is in the classroom every day with children. So it is the teacher (not administrators or curriculum specialists) who is in the best position to know that particular children in the classroom- their interests and experiences, what they excel in and what they struggle with, what they are eager and ready to learn. Without the particular knowledge, determining what is best for those children’s learning, as a group and individually, is impossible.
b. The importance of making decisions to the set up of a student’s curriculum that addresses the administration requirements and the children’s needs.
Even well qualified teachers find it challenging to create from scratch a comprehensive curriculum that addresses all the required standards and important learning goals, as well as designing the assessment methods and learning experiences. The good teaching requires expert decision making means that teachers need solid professional preparation, as well as ongoing professional development and regular opportunities to work collaboratively.
c. The facts that support influence socioeconomic status has on students academic performance.
On starting kindergarten, children in the lowest socioeconomic group have average cognitive scores that are 60% below those of the most affluent group.
c. The facts that support influence ethnicity diversity has on students academic performance.
On starting kindergarten there is a difference among ethnic groups, average math achievement is 21% lower for African American children than for white children and 19% lower for Hispanic children than for non-Hispanic white children.


3. In the Editors’ Preface on pages ix-x, the authors identify 4 interrelated themes that can be seen throughout the remaining pages of the DAP book. As you continue to read the remaining pages for this assignment, identify 2 examples for each of the 4 themes. (8 points)
Excellence and equity

Intentionality and effectiveness
a. In mathematics, for example, children’s learning to count serves as an important foundation for their acquiring an understanding of numerals.
b. The importance of helping children enjoy reading at a young age is because prevention of reading difficulties, for example, is far less difficult and expensive than remediation.
Continuity and change
a. For example, when children begin to crawl or walk, they gain new possibilities for exploring the world, and their mobility affects both their cognitive development and sense of autonomy.
b. Children’s language development influences their ability to participate in social interaction with adults and other children; such interactions, in turn, support their further language development.
Joy and learning
a. It is important for early childhood educators to maintain high expectations and employ all their knowledge, ingenuity, and persistence to find ways to help every child succeed.
b. In the preschool years, teachers can help children develop self-regulation by scaffolding high-level dramatic play, helping children learn to express their emotions, and engaging children in planning and decision making.
PART 2:
The purpose of the assignment is to make sure you have a solid foundation in your understanding of the 12 principles of child development and learning that inform practice. List each principle from the book (to help you memorize the information for a future test!). Then write an original sentence applying the principle - not an example already included in the chapter. I want to see an original application idea so that I know you understand what the principle is trying to tell you. (1 point for each principle – 12 points total)
Principle 1: all the domains of development and learning-physical, social and emotional, and cognitive- are important, and they are closely interrelated. Children’s development and learning in one domain influence and are influenced by what takes place in other domains
Application: When children are physically mature enough to learn and improve in athletics and participate in young teams such as soccer, t-ball, or football they are also about to learn how to improve their social skills by working with team members and their emotional levels by learning how to manage their emotional levels while playing a sport.
Principle 2: Many aspects of children’s learning and development follow well documented sequences, with later abilities, skills, and knowledge building on those already acquired.
Application: A child’s age follows a sequence so it is important to know that mathematics for kindergarten should be organized to cater to the children’s level and not a 5th grade level.
Principle 3: Development and learning proceed at varying rates from child to child, as well as at uneven rates across different areas of a child’s individual functioning.
Application: Children have their own individual level that they learn at, and if a child is understanding the math concept very well than it is ok to let that student move on to another activity or to have that student help the other students in the group comprehend the concept.
Principle 4: Development and learning result from a dynamic and continuous interaction of biological maturation and experience.
Application: If there is a student in the classroom who naturally is particularly immature it is important to not isolate him from the class group, but to give him opportunities that help him to learn how to interact with his peers so that he can learn how to develop social skills using his own talents and strengths.
Principle 5: Early experiences have profound effects both cumulative and delayed, on a child’s development and learning; and optimal periods exist for certain types of development and learning occur.
Application: If English is a second language to a student in the classroom it is important to understand that they might have trouble expressing and understanding English, even if they are able to speak English, they may have fears that they are saying the wrong thing, or be embarrassed about their accent and this could cause them to not speak as often in the classroom.
Principle 6: Development proceeds toward greater complexity, self-regulation, and symbolic or representational capacities.
Application: setting up a kitchen or a baby room in the pre-k room gives children an opportunity to practice being the mom, or roll playing house so that they can learn important social skills and self-regulation skills that come from playing with other children.
Principle 7: children develop best when they have secure, consistent relationships with responsive adults and opportunities for positive relationships with peers.
Application: When children have a new babysitter it is important to trust the babysitter, and the babysitter’s family before leaving a child there, because you want to make sure that they child’s best interests will be protected and that they child will be able to have good relationships with adults.
Principle 8: development and learning occur in and are influenced by multiple social and cultural contexts.
Application: As a teacher I need to recognize that even if I am teaching in Provo Utah not all of my students are going to be members of the Church of Latter Day Saints and that I need to respect their religious beliefs and not preach while I am in class.
Principle 9: Always mentally active in seeking to understand the world around them, children learn in a variety of ways; a wide range of teaching strategies and interactions are effective in supporting all these kinds of learning.
Application: If I was talking about policemen I could invite an officer to the school, or we could visit the police station, and then we could watch videos about officers helping people, and I could ask my students to read a book about policemen or to draw a picture of something that a policeman would have on his uniform.
Principle 10: play is an important vehicle for developing self-regulation as well as for promoting language, cognition, and social competence.
Application: At recess I can make sure that there are different toys for the children to interact with, for example if there are blocks I can ask the children what they want to build and if they seem like they want my help I can help them build a castle, house, garage, or tower depending on what their imagination wants to construct.
Principle 11: Development and learning advance when children are challenged to achieve at a level just beyond their current mastery, and also when they have many opportunities to practice newly acquired skills.
Application: If the class is talking about nature then you could have the class schedule walking time in the daily routine, and learn to identify different plants in preparation for the class to go on a hike into the mountains to observe nature.
Principle 12: children’s experiences shape their motivation and approaches to learning, such as persistence, initiative, and flexibility; in turn, these dispositions and behaviors affect their learning and development.
Application: Teaching in the early grades gives the teacher a great responsibility to not simply teach the students how to read and write but more so how to enjoy learning. In order to help students learn how to enjoy learning I think that one of the things it to let them chose books that they like to read during reading time, or to let them color with the color of crayons that they like the best.
Part 3:
1. How do you think NAEYC defines an early childhood program? What components are important in an early childhood setting? Think back to your childhood learning. Were your early experiences effective according to this definition? (10 points)
I think that the National Association for the Education of Young Children defines an early childhood program as designed program that has learning outcomes and expectations that are set after by an educational professional, who draws on principles of child development and a learning outline, as well as the knowledge base on effective practices, and they apply the information in their practices.
There are a few key elements in establishing an early childhood setting. One of those components is structure, or a daily routine that helps students know what they are expected to do. Having math time, reading time, play time, singing time, and even snake time helps to establish what the expectations are at that particular time. When children have to know what reading time is before they can meet the expectations to sit quietly and listen to the story. Another key component is opportunities to try out the social and emotional skills and even physical skills that they are learning. It is important to have play time with other children so that a student can learn how to share when there is not an adult present, and how to take turns when the teacher is not telling them when it is the next person’s turn.
I had great early experiences in school. My mom was one of the mother helpers for my brother when he was in kindergarten and so I often times got to go with her. Most of the time I just sat in the back and played with the doll house while my mom helped at her group station, but by the time I turned five and was ready to go to school I was not afraid of the elementary school any more because I had been there so many times. My parents were really good to read with me growing up, and my mom would pick me up and ask me about my day. I always had friends at recess, and then my parents made sure to set up play dates with my friends from school so that I could learn how to make and keep friends.