Running head: APPROPRIATE INSTRUCTION

Developmentally-Appropriate Instruction

Amanda Clay

Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 496 Field Experience ePortfolio, Fall 2019

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Introduction

Developmentally-appropriate instruction is vital to the learning success of all students.

While this is something that was not often taught in my classes at Regent University, it is

something that I came to understand very well while actually spending time teaching in the

classroom. I can think of a handful of occasions where the instruction that took place in the class

did not work with the students. A few of those times, it has been because the instruction was not

developmentally-appropriate. In the same way, there have been countless times where I have

participated in instruction that went over very well with the students because it was appropriate

for their developmental stage. It is important for teachers to understand the developmental stage

of their students in order to ensure they are providing their students with a targeted, effective,

valuable education. The first artifact is a picture of an activity in our citizenship unit that

required students to be hands-on while coming up with traits of a good citizen. The second

artifact is from an activity called a shared inquiry discussion where one group of students had a

discussion while the other took notes on the discussion.

Rationale for Selection of Artifacts

First Artifact

The first artifact I have included in this competency is a photo of an activity my class

participated in while studying citizenship. The students were put into groups, and asked to each

come up with traits of a good citizen, and write them on an index card. Then, they would use the

index cards to build a tower. The group’s goal was to come up with the most traits and

responsibilities of a good citizen in order to build the tallest tower of the class. The purpose of

this activity was to have the students recall what they had learned about being a good citizen.

This portrays my ability to use developmentally appropriate practices because this is an active,
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engaging activity that gets students moving on a flexible timeline to learn and work together to

succeed. Working together to succeed encourages students on a social development level and

teaches them the importance of team building and working together. This activity also allows

children to “play” in a sense and gives them an outlet for creativity as they attempt to build the

tallest tower out of index cards. The picture shows engaged students who are having fun learning

as a group in a developmentally appropriate manner.

Shared Inquiry Discussion

The second artifact included in this competency are slides that were used to facilitate our

class shared inquiry discussion. We spent an entire week focused on one book called “Boundless

Grace.” Two days out of the week were spent reading and rereading the book and each student

had their own copy to refer to and take notes on. During the first two days, the students simply

focused on coming up with strong questions that could not be answered in the book. During

small group reading time throughout the week, there were activities that focused on our skills

and objectives as well as instruction tying in “Boundless Grace.” The shared inquiry discussion

was we brought our unit on “Boundless Grace” to an end. During the discussion, the class was

split into two groups. The first group sat in a circle and discussed a question I prompted them

while the second group sat in a circle around the first group and took notes on the discussion the

first group was having. After the discussion, the two groups switched roles. Each member of the

discussion group had a talking chip that they had to use to ensure each student participated in the

discussion. After each student had participated, anyone was welcome to This artifacts portrays

my ability to use developmentally appropriate practices because it promotes active student

engagement by allowing students to control the discussion and learning process. Additionally, it
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allows students to initiate and choose what happens in the classroom. By allowing students to

lead, you ensure that they are understanding and growing from the experience.

Reflection

Developmentally-appropriate instruction is vital for student success in the classroom. If

students are given activities and instruction that is above their development level, they are less

likely to learn or retain the information they are presented. In her article titled “Developmentally

appropriate practice is for everyone” (1998), Rosalind Charlesworth discusses the importance of

developmentally-appropriate instructions and its benefits to the classroom. She explains that

“development” in itself is simply “changes in individuals across the lifespan” (p. 274). The

developmentally appropriate practice, or DAP, is a “child-centered approach that views the child

as the primary source of curriculum and recognizes young children’s unique characteristics” (p.

275). This practice “provides children with choices that allow for individual differences and

ensure success for all” (p. 275). Charlesworth reports that research has shown that classrooms

with “less developmentally appropriate experiences are linked to...poorer academic achievement,

lower conduct and work-study habit grades, more distractibility, and less prosocial, conforming

behavior during the early grade-school years” (p. 276).

Audra Parker and Stacey Neuharth-Pritchett explain in their article titled

“Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Kindergarten: Factors Shaping Teacher Beliefs and

Practices” (2006) that more traditional “didactic or teacher-centered practices” in the classroom

tend to rely on “passive forms of instruction” and “drill-and-practice approaches” (p. 65). They

report that, while these practices are beneficial for some students, “developmentally appropriate

practices...emphasize the development level and learning style of the whole child in terms of

physical, social, emotional, and cognitive needs” (p. 66). Authors Sue Bredekamp and Carol
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Copple list those practices that are developmentally appropriate and those which are

inappropriate in their article titled “Getting Clear About Developmentally Appropriate Practices”

(2008.. Those which are appropriate focus on engaging “curriculum and experiences,” “teacher-

supported play,” and adaptive strategies that “help individual children make optimal progress”

(p. 54). Inappropriate practices focus on instruction based on an “inflexible timeline,” “heavy

reliance on whole group instruction,” and adherence to a “packaged, ‘one size fits all’

curriculum” (p. 54). What’s clear in these years of research is that as a child develops, their

education should as well. It not only isn’t appropriate practice, it’s impractical to believe that we,

as teachers, are giving our students a fair chance to succeed by offering each student the exact

same activities, curriculum, and practices. Each child is different, and each child may be in a

different stage of development, so it only makes sense to focus on each child individually.
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References

Charlesworth, R. (1998). Developmentally appropriate practice is for everyone. Childhood

Education, 74(5), 274-282. Retrieved from

http://eres.regent.edu:2048/login?url=https://search-proquest-

com.ezproxy.regent.edu/docview/210387261?accountid=13479

Copple, C., & Bredekamp, S. (2008). Getting clear about developmentally appropriate practice.

YC Young Children, 63(1), 54-55. Retrieved from

http://eres.regent.edu:2048/login?url=https://search-proquest-

com.ezproxy.regent.edu/docview/197647128?accountid=13479

Parker, A., & Neuharth-Pritchett, S. (2006). Developmentally appropriate practice in

kindergarten: Factors shaping teacher beliefs and practice: JRCE JRCE. Journal of

Research in Childhood Education, 21(1), 65-78. Retrieved from

http://eres.regent.edu:2048/login?url=https://search-proquest-

com.ezproxy.regent.edu/docview/203863654?accountid=13479