Running head: DEVELOPMENTALLY-APPROPRIATE INSTRUCTION 1

Developmentally-Appropriate Instruction

Sarah Kretzer

Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 496 Field Experience ePortfolio, Fall 2017

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Introduction

Creating lessons and using activities that are developmentally appropriate is very

important. Every age is at a different place developmentally, which means there may be certain

things that they are not quite able to do yet. As a teacher, you must know where your students are

developmentally so that you can tailor your lessons to be appropriate for your students.

Rationale for Selection of Artifacts

My first artifact is a picture of a part-part-whole board that I used with the students for an

addition lesson. When I was first introducing addition, some of the students had never had any

practice with single digit addition yet so I had to be sure to make it basic and a way that I could

show them exactly what addition is. I used this part-part-whole board to show them that addition

is taking two parts and combining them to make a whole. I used counting cubes to model

addition problems for them. For example, the one pictured in the artifact is 5+1. I counted out 1

counting cube in one part section and 5 counting cubes in the other part section. Then I took

them all and combined them into the whole section. We counted together all of the cubes in the

whole section and that was our sum. After I modeled this for them a few times, I had them each

with their own part-part-whole board and counting cubes working out addition problems on their

own. Throughout this math unit, I allowed for the students to use manipulatives and hands on

activities in several different ways. This concrete demonstration is what allows for the first

graders to grasp an understanding and then be able to move on to the representational and then to

the abstract.

My second artifact is a cut-out picture sort that they did for science. We were learning

about force and motion, specifically focusing on pushing and pulling in this lesson. After I gave

my instruction, we went out to the playground and looked at the kids playing and all of the
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different equipment that was out there. They brought paper and a clipboard and wrote things they

saw that represented pushing such as someone pushing another student on the swings. They also

wrote things they saw that represented pulling such as someone pulling themselves up on the pull

up bar. After we did that, we came back inside and the students completed the cut out picture sort

on which pictures showed pulling and which pictures showed pushing. We went over them

together once everyone was finished.

Reflection on Theory and Practice

I have learned a lot about developmentally-appropriate instruction throughout my student

teaching experience. My first placement was in a third grade classroom and my second

placement was in a first grade classroom and although they are only two grades apart they are

significantly different developmentally and what they are capable to do at their age. I was able to

see that instruction and activities really had to be altered to fit the students developmentally.

When it comes to instruction there are three dimensions of appropriateness that must be

considered: age appropriateness, individual appropriateness, and appropriateness for the cultural

and social context of the child (Morrison, 1991). I have found this to be very helpful when

creating lesson plans for students. A teacher should think about the age of the students and their

grade level and what they are capable of developmentally and cognitively and also what will

stick most with them to help them really have an understanding of the material. A teacher should

consider the child individually as well. The students may all be the same age but they are on

different levels. Each child is different and you should consider each childs individual

capabilities, learning styles, and interests. Thirdly, the teacher should think about the social and

cultural context of the child. By considering this, you can tailor a lesson to resonate more with

the students and relate it to them personally.

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A teacher should spend some time online looking into the stages of development and

learning and cognitive abilities at whatever age level they are teaching. This will make things

much easier when planning lessons and it will make your lessons appropriate for the audience. It

is important to think about each student developmentally, their individual needs, and their

cultural and social context.

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References

Morrison, G. S. (1991). Early childhood education today (5th edition). New York, NY:

McMillan Publishing Company.