How can a teacher apply developmentally appropriate practice in teaching process?

Quality early childhood education programs are grounded in well-researched and evidence-based frameworks. One such framework is developmentally appropriate practice (DAP), which includes educational processes and guidelines espoused by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). DAP aims to provide young children with the highest quality education by the inclusion of accepted child development theory relating to learning, the acceptance that each child has individual traits and learning styles, the use of play as an educational tool and the understanding that cultures, communities and families influence the child's development.

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1 Using DAP

2 Read NAEYC's

Read NAEYC's current edition of "Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through age 8." This is available in book form from NAEYC, as a complete position statement on NAEYC's website or as a summary position statement also on NAEYC's website. Supplements , frequently asked questions (with answers) and more information on DAP is also available in the DAP section of NAEYC's website.

3 Use your knowledge

Use your knowledge of child development and early childhood learning. DAP relies heavily on what is accepted in terms of well-researched child development and educational theory. Integrate this knowledge into curriculum planning and activities for the specific age group. For example, 4 year olds should be able to draw simple shapes. Teachers can take this knowledge and create math or art activities that encourage the students to make their own squares and triangles.

4 Adjust classroom curriculum and content and for individual students

Adjust classroom curriculum and content for individual students. This includes special needs, as well as cultural contexts such as spoken language, accepted norms and family values/behaviors. Observe the students to better understand these variations. Make changes according to what you see. This may mean choosing picture books that include children of different races or ethnicities, better understanding a different language or making activities easier or more difficult.

5 Create classroom/lesson goals

Create classroom/lesson goals. These should challenge the students, yet remain attainable. Start with lessons and activities that you know the children can master. Base this on what you know about child development, as well as where the children currently are in terms of their skills. Increase the difficulty of the lessons and activities as the children progress.

6 Be intentional in your teaching

Be intentional in your teaching. This includes every aspect of your classroom, from room set-up to the actual lessons. Examples include creatin a learning center set-up, visual materials/posters on the walls, class activities, books, projects, discussions and even outdoor play. Each aspect of your teaching should be based on the goals that you have set as well as evidence-based practices.

7 Take into account

Take into account the DAP "caring community of learners" concept. Respect the children and ask them to respect each other. Use appropriate and polite language, act in a friendly and warm manner and provide opportunities for social play.

About the Author

Based in Pittsburgh, Erica Loop has been writing education, child development and parenting articles since 2009. Her articles have appeared in "Pittsburgh Parent Magazine" and the website PBS Parents. She has a Master of Science in applied developmental psychology from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Education.

You may be differentiating by reading level, interest, and learning style, but are you differentiating based on student development?

Teachers use “developmentally appropriate practice” — a method praised by psychologists and education researchers alike — to personalize instruction based on cognition, social-emotional development, and each student’s approach to learning. While traditionally thought of as an early childhood education practice, the concept has implications for middle and high school students too. As former high school English teacher Kristen Singer explains, “Developmentally appropriate teaching is important for middle and high school students. A student can be 17 years old chronologically, but may have experienced a trauma that stunted their emotional or cognitive growth in ways that aren’t always obvious at first glance. If teachers are able to assess developmental delays early on, they can catch them and adjust their teaching.”

But how to integrate DAP® into a 21st century classroom? Using research from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the folks at Albert developed a checklist to monitor student development along with a chart full of developmentally appropriate lesson hacks.

Student Development Checklist

The following checklist was designed to help you identify student growth in terms of cognition, approach to learning, and social-emotional development. Gauge individual development at the beginning of the year by observing each learner and translating the checklist below into student-friendly statements to track and support student growth.

aCDC, n.d.; bCrain, 1985; cDenham, Wyatt, Bassett & Knox 2009; dMedlinePlus, Adolescent Development, 2018; eMedLinePlus, School-age Children Development, 2018; fWood, Yardsticks: Children in the Classroom Ages 4-14

Developmentally Aligned Modifications Table

Once you characterize each learner, you can begin to tweak your lessons and adapt assignments accordingly. Our chart below provides modifications by growth stage; these can be used to make adjustments based on student development.

Applying the Practice

You identified which developmental milestones your students demonstrate and glanced over the developmentally aligned modifications table — now what? Based on where your students are, you can begin to adapt your lessons and assignments, both formally and informally. If you notice a group of eighth-grade students demonstrate middle childhood (9-11 years) social-emotional characteristics or struggle to complete work in groups, you may want to assign each student a role (e.g., scribe, timekeeper, etc.).

You may also want to differentiate assignments based on class period, depending on where each class falls. Let’s say you have three sections. If students in your first section demonstrate teenage social-emotional development, have them lead a Socratic seminar. Alternatively, if students in your second hour display characteristics of young-teen social-emotional development, have them participate in 8-10-student discussions.

There are many other creative approaches to support your students in developmentally appropriate ways. Use these as guidelines, but tweak and modify based on what your students need. Ultimately, it is at the discretion of the teacher to adapt lessons and assignments to each learner’s unique needs.

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