DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE PRACTICES DAP

1
DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE PRACTICES (DAP)
2
WHAT ARE DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE PRACTICES ?

• 1 These are practices which are deliberately
  planned for young children. They are proposed by
  professionals who make decisions
  about the well-being and education of young
  children.

3
2 DAP refer to a philosophical
orientation that involves a
constructivist approach to the teaching of
young children.

• 3 Responsive care and education that is
  mindful of the development of the whole child.

4
ORIGIN OF TERM (DAP)

• 1987 National Association for the Education
  of Young Children (NAEYC) developed a document
  using this term.
• The document was developed in response to
  historical observations and records about how
  young children were learning.

5
ORIGIN OF TERM

• The document addressed concerns about the
  emphasis placed on rote learning and whole group
  interaction instead of active learning
  approaches. It also addressed concerns about
  testing, placement and retention practices.

6
PRINCIPLES OF DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE
PRACTICES

• 1 DOMAINS OF CHILDRENS DEVELOPMENT-
• PHYSICAL, SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND
  COGNITIVE ARE CLOSELY RELATED.
• DEVELOPMENT IN ONE DOMAIN
  INFLUENCES, AND IS INFUENCED BY DEVELOPMENT IN
  OTHER DOMAINS.

7

• Development in one domain can limit or
  facilitate development in other domains.
• e.g. Baby begins to walk or crawl they explore
  the world mobility affects cognitive
  development.
• Since domains are interrelated educators should
  be aware of and use these interrelationships to
  organize learning experiences in ways that will
  aid development and help children to make
  connections across domains.

8

• 2 DEVELOPMENT OCCURS IN A RELATIVELY ORDERLY
  SEQUENCE WITH LATER ABILITIES, SKILLS AND
  KNOWLEDGE BUILDING ON THOSE ALREADY ACQUIRED.

9

• Predictable sequences of growth and change occur
  in the first nine years of the childs life.
• Knowledge of typical development of children
  within the age span served by the programme
  provides a general framework to guide how
  teachers prepare the learning environment and
  plan realistic curriculum goals and objectives
  and appropriate practices.

10

• 3 DEVELOPMENT PROCEEDS AT VARYING RATES FROM
  CHILD TO CHILD AS WELL AS UNEVENLY WITHIN
  DIFFERENT AREAS OF EACH CHILDS FUNCTIONING.

11

• Each child is unique with his/her own individual
  pattern and timing of growth as well as
  individual temperament, learning styles,
  experiences, family background, needs and
  strengths. Because there are variations among
  children of the same chronological age, a childs
  age must be recognized as only a crude index of
  developmental maturity.

12

• 4 EARLY EXPERIENCES HAVE BOTH CUMULATIVE AND
  DELAYED EFFECTS ON INDIVIDUAL CHILDRENS
  DEVELOPMENT. OPTIMAL PERIODS EXIST FOR CERTAIN
  TYPES OF DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING.

13

• Early experiences, either positive or negative,
  can have lasting effects on children.
• Children exposed to occasional negative or
  positive experiences may only be affected
  minimally.
• However frequent positive or negative
  experiences may have powerful and lasting
  effects.
• e.g. Social experiences in school settings at
  an early age may result in the development of
  social skills, self-confidence and positive
  self- esteem. On the other hand, those who were
  neglected or experienced rejection by adults
  and peers, may be at a greater risk of
  developing problems with self-esteem,
  self- hate, rejection, etc.

14
DEVELOPMENT PROCEEDS IN 55
DEVELOPMENT PROCEEDS IN PREDICTABLE DIRECTIONS
TOWARD GREATER COMPLEXITY, ORGANIZATION AND
INTERNALIZATIONS

15

• Learning during early childhood proceeds from
  behavioural knowledge to symbolic or
  representational knowledge.
• For example ,children learn to navigate their
  homes and other family settings long before they
  can understand the words left and right or read a
  map of the house.

16

• 6 DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING OCCUR IN AND ARE
  INFLUENCED BY MULTIPLE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL
  CONTEXTS.

17

• Bronfenbrenner (1993) states childrens
  development is best understood within the
  socio-cultural context of family, educational
  setting, community and the broader society.
• These contexts are all interrelated and all
  impact on the developing child.
• e.g. A child in a loving supporting family
  within a healthy community may be affected by
  the negative effects of the larger society.

18

• 7 CHILDREN ARE ACTIVE LEARNERS DRAWING ON
  DIRECT PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL EXPERIENCE AS WELL AS
  CULTURALLY TRANSMITTED KNOWLEDGE TO CONSTRUCT
  THEIR OWN UNDERSTANDINGS OF THE WORLD AROUND
  THEM.

19

• Children contribute to their own development as
  they try to construct meaning from experiences in
  the home, school and community.
• They do this by observing and participating with
  other children and adults.
• Children need to form their own hypotheses and
  keep trying them out through social interaction,
  physical manipulation and their own thought
  processes observing what happens, reflecting on
  findings, asking questions and formulating
  answers.
• As new knowledge about a subject challenges what
  they already know, they are forced to adjust or
  alter mental structures to accommodate the new
  information.
• They draw on direct physical experiences i.e.
  first hand experiences and social interaction
  i.e. that which as been culturally acquired or
  transmitted.

20
DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING RESULT FROM BIOLOGICAL
8 MATURATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT,
WHICH INCLUDE BOTH THE PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL WORLDS
WHICH CHILDREN LIVE IN
21

• Humans are products of heredity and the
  environment and both are interrelated.
• Behaviourist- the environment shapes learning
• Maturationist- heredity
• Both are true , yet it is believed that neither
  perspective is sufficient to explain learning or
  development.

22

• 9 PLAY IS AN IMPORTANT VEHICLE FOR CHILDRENS
  EMOTIONAL AND COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT AS WELL AS
  A REFLECTION OF THEIR DEVELOPMENT.

23

• Play gives children opportunities to understand
  the world, interact with others in social ways,
  express and control emotions and develop their
  symbolic capabilities.
• Childrens play can give insight into their
  development. It provides a context for children
  to practice newly acquired skills and supports
  cognitive functions.

24

• 10 DEVELOPMENT ADVANCES WHEN CHILDREN HAVE
  OPPORTUNITIES TO PRACTICE NEWLY ACQUIRED SKILLS
  AS WELL WHEN THEY EXPERIENCE A CHALLENGE JUST
  BEYOND THE LEVEL OF THEIR PRESENT MASTERY.

25

• Children must be given opportunities to
  negotiate learning tasks if they are to maintain
  motivation and persistence.
• Teacher should give young children tasks that
  with effort, they can accomplish. However, they
  must also be given opportunities that will
  provide challenge.

26

• 11 CHILDREN DEMONSTRATE DIFFERENT MODES OF
  KNOWING AND LEARNING AND DIFFERENT WAYS OF
  REPRESENTING WHAT THEY KNOW.

27

• There are at least three categories of learners
  visual, auditory and tactile.
• Considerations must also be given to Howard
  Gardners theory of multiple intelligence.

28

• 12 CHILDREN DEVELOP AND LEARN BEST IN THE
  CONTEXT OF A COMMUNITY WHERE THEY ARE SAFE AND
  VALUED, THEIR PHYSICAL NEEDS ARE MET AND THEY
  FEEL PSCHYCOLOGICALLY SECURED.

29

• In todays societies where childrens physical
  health and safety are often threatened,
  programmes for young children must not only
  provide adequate health, safety and nutrition but
  should also ensure that more comprehensive
  services and childrens welfare agencies work
  closely with the institutions.

30
GUIDELINES FOR DECISIONS ABOUT DAP

• To successfully plan for young children
  educators must
• Know about child development
• Know how to apply this knowledge to the teaching/
  learning situation
• Know how to teach, what to teach, how to assess
  what children have learned

31

• Know how adapt curriculum instruction to
  childrens individual strengths, needs and
  interests.
• Be aware of the particular group of children they
  teach, their families and home background.

32
CREATE A CARING COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS

• DAP occur within a context that supports the
  development of relationships between adults and
  children, among children, among teachers and
  between teachers and families.
• The early childhood setting must function as a
  learning community in which each participant
  contributes to the well-being of others.

33

• Each child has strengths and interests that can
  contribute to the learning community.
• Children must be given opportunities to play
  together, talk to other children and adults and
  work on projects and other activities in small
  groups.
• Each child must be valued in the early childhood
  setting. It is in this environment that they
  learn to respect and acknowledge differences in
  abilities and talents and to value each person
  for his or her strengths.

34

• Children must experience an organized environment
  and an orderly routine. The environment must be
  dynamic, predictable and comprehensible from the
  childs point of view. It must have a variety of
  materials and opportunities to challenge children
  and provide meaningful experiences.

35
TEACH TO ENHANCE DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING

• Adults are responsible for ensuring childrens
  healthy development and learning. Children,
  however, are also able to actively construct
  their own knowledge. It is necessary for early
  childhood facilitators to
• Create a balance between childrens
  self-initiated learning and adult support and
  guidance.

36

• Accept responsibility to use their own knowledge
  of child development to support and provide
  opportunities for children to gain important
  knowledge and skills.
• Value, respect and accept children and treat them
  with dignity at all times.
• Know each child well establish positive
  relationships to foster development, keep
  informed about childrens needs and potentials,
  listen to children and respond to them according
  to their individual differences i.e. their needs,
  interests, learning styles and abilities,
  establish relationships with their families and
  communities and be alert for signs of undue
  stress and trauma.

37
CREATE AN INTELLECTUALLY ENGAGING ENVIRONMENT TO
PROMOTE EACH CHILDS LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

• Use knowledge of children and their families to
  plan what they need to learn, to organize the
  environment and to plan teaching strategies.
• Provide opportunities for children to make
  choices and enough time for them to explore
  through active involvement.

38

• Incorporate a variety of experiences and
  materials that take into consideration individual
  learning styles, maturation rates, needs and
  interests.
• Incorporate each childs home culture so that the
  unique contribution of each learner is
  recognized, respected and valued by others.
• Foster childrens collaboration with peers on
  interesting topics/ projects teachers may
  intervene but should not take over.

39

• Develop, refine and use a wide variety of
  teaching strategies to enhance learning and
  development.
• - Allow children, to sometimes freely choose
  activities
• - Pose problems, ask questions and make
  comments that will stimulate childrens
  thinking
• - Provide scaffolding
• - Motivate children and provide opportunities
  for them to reflect and revisit their learning
  experiences.

40
CONSTRUCTING APPROPRIATE CURRICULUM

• Developmentally appropriate curriculum
• provides for all areas of a childs development
  physical, emotional, social, linguistic,
  aesthetic and cognitive.
• builds upon what children already know and are
  able to do.
• integrates across traditional subject matter
  division to help children make meaningful
  connection and provide opportunities for rich
  conceptual development.

41

• provides opportunities to support childrens home
  culture and language, while also developing
  childrens abilities to participate in the shared
  culture of the programme and the community.
• contains goals that are realistic and attainable
  for most children in the designated age range for
  which it is designed.

42
ASSESSING CHILDRENS LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

• Assessment of young childrens progress and
  achievements must be strategic and purposeful.
• Assessment methods must be appropriate to age and
  experiences of young children.
• Assessment should recognize individual variations
  in learners and allow for differences in styles
  and rates of learning.
• Assessment should legitimately address not only
  what children can do independently, but also what
  they can do with assistance from other children
  or adults.

43
ESTABLISH RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH FAMILIES

• Reciprocal relationships between teachers and
  families require mutual respect, corporation,
  shared responsibilities and negotiation of
  conflicts toward achievement of shared goals.
• Parents must be welcomed into the programme and
  participate in decisions about their childrens
  care and education.
• Teachers and parents must share their knowledge
  of the child and their understanding of the
  childs development at regular intervals.

44
SUMMARY

• To successfully plan for learners we must
• Know about their development and learning- know
  about age related human characteristics that
  permit general predictions within an age range
  about what activities, materials , interactions,
  or experiences will be safe, healthy,
  interesting, achievable, and also challenging to
  children

45

• What is known about the strengths, interests and
  needs of each individual child in the group- to
  be able to adapt for and be responsive to
  inevitable individual variation and

46

• Knowledge of the social and cultural contexts in
  which children live- to ensure that learning
  experiences are meaningful, relevant, and
  respectful for the participating children and
  their families.

47
THE END