Transcript Agenda- 9/8/05

Developmentally
Appropriate Practices
(DAP)
9/4/07
Agenda- 9/4/07
• Finish presenting Case Studies
• Developmentally Appropriate
Practices (DAP’s) PowerPoint
• Class map of the “Big Ideas”
History
• Due to the result of Sputnik in the late
1950’s curriculum was revised to focus on
having children do more sophisticated work
earlier in their school careers.
• Decisions about curriculum were made by
individuals that had little knowledge of
young children’s learning.
History
• Parents became more concerned with
scores and “achievement” than they
were with their child’s becoming a
successful learner.
• Many inappropriate programs
resulted.
Developmentally
Appropriate Practice-Origin
• National Association for the Education of
Young Children (NAEYC) developed a
document that defined Developmentally
Appropriate Practice from birth-age 8.
• These practices seem to reflect the
consensus of early childhood professionals.
DAP’s
• Definition- “Developmentally
appropriate programs are those that
reflect children’s natural learning
abilities and interests, and assist
them in growing socially, emotionally,
physically, and intellectually.”
DAP’s
• Emphasizes stages of child growth
and development and focuses on:
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Rates that children learn
Ways that children learn
Hands-on, active learning
Conceptual learning that leads to
understanding along with acquisition of
basic skills
DAP’s focus on: (cont.)
• Meaningful, relevant learning experiences
• Interactive teaching and cooperative learning
• Broad range of relevant content, integrated
across subjects
• Development of learning processes such as
reading, writing, thinking, and problem solving
• Continuous progress
• Assessment that is on-going and authentic
DAP’s Discourage:
• Rote memorization
• Drill and practice on isolated
academic skills
• Teacher lecture
• Repetitive seatwork
• Testing skills in isolation
What does a DAP
classroom look like?
• Recognizes and accepts individual
differences in children’s growth
patterns and rates by setting
realistic curriculum goals that are
appropriate to their developmental
levels.
What does a DAP
classroom look like?
• Educates the whole child—with attention
to physical, social/emotional and
intellectual developmental needs and
interests
• Responds to the needs of children as
developing, thinking individuals by focusing
on the processes of learning rather than
skills, content and products.
What does a DAP
classroom look like?
• Provides multiple opportunities for
learning with concrete, manipulative
materials that
– Are relevant to children's experiential
background
– Keep them actively engaged in learning and
discovering through use of all the senses,
leading to more input upon which thought is
constructed
What does a DAP
classroom look like?
• Provides a variety of activities and materials by
incorporating
– Learning activities that encourage active participation
through “hands-on” activity, communication and dialogue
– Large blocks of time to pursue interests
– Time to ask questions and receive answers that develop
concepts and ideas for use at varying levels of difficulty
and complexity
– Time to reflect upon and abstract information when
encountering different viewpoints from peers.
What does a DAP
classroom look like?
• Views play as fundamental to children’s learning,
growth and development, enabling them to develop
and clarify concepts, roles and ideas by testing
and evaluating them through use of open-ended
materials and role-enactment
• Play further enables children to:
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develop fine and gross motor skills
learn to share with others
see others’ points of view
be in control of their thoughts and feelings
What does a DAP
classroom look like?
• Provides opportunities for the use of
multicultural and nonsexist
experiences, materials and equipment
that enhance children’s acceptance
of self and others and enables them
to accept differences and similarities
among people, including those with
disabilities.
What does a DAP
classroom look like?
• Embraces the teaching of all content
areas, presented as integrated
experiences that develop and extend
concepts, strengthen skills and
provide a solid foundation for
learning in: language, literacy, math,
science, health, art and music.
What does a DAP
classroom look like?
• Allows children to make choices and
decisions within the limits of the
materials provided, resulting in
increased independence, attention,
joy in learning and feelings of
success necessary for growth and
development.