Running Head: DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE INSTRUCTION 1

Developmentally Appropriate Instruction

Christina Lewis

Regent University
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Introduction

Developmentally appropriate instruction addresses the nuances of teaching as teachers

focus on certain ages in their classrooms. The development of a student will impact classroom

discipline, constructivism, social-emotional development, and many others (Bergin & Bergin,

2012). While the concept of differing instruction for different stages of development seems

straightforward, it can be hard to precisely, because theories on how students develop and what

factors are involved are many and varied. Additionally, Bergin and Bergin (2012) point out that

diversity of students in the same age groups and grade varies greatly. There is no fixed formula

for assessing and responding to each students unique pace of growth; however, a skilled teacher

can become an expert on the most effective ways to encourage further development in secondary

learners.

Rationale for Artifacts

The first artifact is a lesson plan for the work “The Myth of Sisyphus” by Albert Camu.

This lesson plan address the level of thinking that challenges the student’s comprehension of a

text but also forces them to consider philosophical approach to life’s meaning. This lesson was

implemented to a class of students who were between the ages of 15-16 years old. Using Piaget’s

theory of development “the exploration of meaning and purpose during this life stage is an

essential task of identity development” (qtd. in Schwarz, 2016, p. 87). This lesson looks at the

philosophy of existentialism and the perspective that life is ultimately devoid of meaning except

that which people form for themselves. This lesson was part of a unit of philosophical ideologies,

which also included Christian, Hindu, and Platonism. Interestingly enough, in the class I taught

this to contained an Indian student with a Hindu background as well as large groups of Christians

and atheists. Students’ philosophies often coincide with their cultural identity and knowing the
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prevailing ideologies of cultures helped me to make the material more relevant to them and

additionally help expand their worldview to other cultures.

My second artifact is a picture of the chalkboard after an AP seminar. This chalkboard

was a result of collaboration on a research stimulus package. The goal of the stimulus was to

present students with different articles to find common themes and perspectives. This activity

was used to inspire a research topic for the students’ final paper. The rationale for this is simple:

this class engaged critical and abstract thinking skills at an extremely high level. The chalkboard

represents collaboration between the students as they break down the materials and find

connections between seemingly disparate topics. The purpose is to reveal the fully develop

cognitive function of the students. Truly, this course is designed to be the most challenging and

intellectually stimulating of any that the students will take during their high school careers. From

the course designers, the students will “design, plan, and manage a research project, analyze

information, and communicate their findings” (Adams, 2012, p. 4). All of these skills push

students to high-level thinking and is the pinnacle of their cognitive development.

Reflection on Theory and Practice

For secondary education, I have two primary focuses when addressing the students’

development through instruction. The first is their social behavior and the second is the

complexity of the material being taught. The social development of teenagers is very

multifaceted. Reiter, O'Doherty, and Eppinger (2019) shared “adolescence has been shown to be

a period of enhanced susceptibility to social influence” (p. 1). This susceptibility can be used to a

teacher’s advantage if they capture social influencers’ academic engagement in a classroom.

However, more often, the social pressure in adolescence creates negative behaviors that must be

managed. Teachers must recognize that social spheres are critical to secondary students and
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develop instruction that encourages positive interactions between peers. Techniques such as

Socratic seminars activate respectful discourse and channel peer interaction into a learning

experience

The second focus for adolescent learners is the material complexity. High school is an

opportune time to introduce students to different ways of looking at and interpreting the world.

This goes beyond peer interaction, but challenges students to form their own opinions after being

exposed to diverse perspectives. Schwarz (2016) wrote, “Recently, researchers have advocated

that adolescence is an optimal time… to explore issues of meaning and purpose” (p. 87).

Students need to be introduced to material with varied shades of interpretation, especially in

English classrooms. A secondary teacher’s goal should be to elevate the students’ thinking and

allow them to join the conversation about whatever content they are learning.
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References

Adams, C. (2012). Two New AP Courses Stress Research Skills. Education Week, 31(24), 4.

Retrieved from

http://eres.regent.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true

&db=ehh&AN=73466566&site=ehost-live

Bergin, C. C., Bergin, D. A. (2012). Child and adolescent development in your classroom. 2nd

ed. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning

Reiter, A. M. F., Suzuki, S., O'Doherty, J. P., Li, S.-C., & Eppinger, B. (2019). Risk contagion

by peers affects learning and decision-making in adolescents. Journal of Experimental

Psychology: General. Advance online publication.

http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.regent.edu:2048/10.1037/xge0000512

Schwarz, J. E. (2016). Meaning-Making in Early Adolescence: Practices and Perspectives of

School Counselors. Journal of Counselor Preparation & Supervision, 8(2), 86–111.

https://doi-org.ezproxy.regent.edu/10.7729/82.1174