Developmentally Appropriate Practice

A few teacher friends of mine and I were having a conversation about kindergarten programming and what 'developmentally appropriate practice' (DAP) really looks like in an early years classroom. We talked about how hard it was for some people to nurture developmentally appropriate practices in children while trying to balance each child's individuality and standards-based curriculum and assessment obligations.

What is DAP?

Children are unique people with individual strengths, experiences, interests and needs who learn best through experiences seeing, hearing, touching, moving, and playing (Berry, 1998; Glasgow Koste, 1995). As such, kindergarten programs should provide multiple and varied opportunities for learning, self-expression, and child-led discovery in all learning domains (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2006). A well rounded kindergarten program encourages the intellectual, physical, and social development of all children on a daily basis through thoughtful play, guided by a teacher (Crevola, Dickinson, Trehearne, & Worthy, 2007; Ontario Ministry of Education, 2006). Instruction and activities should be differentiated and provide opportunities for children to experience, practice, refine, and demonstrate their skills and learning in a developmentally appropriate manner. Teacher directed lessons should provide a gradual release of responsibility so that children are able to practice and experiment within the learning opportunities in a supportive environment (Vygotsky, 1978).

Engaging young children in enriching educational activities extends beyond the acquisition of simply literacy and numeracy skills. Kindergarten programs should consider the development of a whole child who is healthy, knowledgeable, motivated, and engaged (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2007). Safe and nurturing classrooms encourage and celebrate every aspect of each child’s capacity for learning and provide repeated experiences observing, exploring, experimenting, and sharing within a supportive social context in order to be actively engaged in authentic personal and communal learning.

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). (2007). The learnin compact redefined: A call to action. A report of the commission of the whole child. Retrieved October 11, 2009 from http://www.wholechildeducation.org/resources/Learningcompact7-07.pdf

Berry, D. (1998). Kids and art: Learning through the senses. Principal, 77, 28-34.

Crevola, C., Dickinson, P., Trehearne, M., & Worthy, J. (2007). Kindergarten matters: Building blocks for learning webcast. Retrieved November 26, 2009 from http://curriculum.org/secretariat/january30.shtml

Glasgow Koste, V. (1995). Dramatic play in childhood: Rehearsal for life. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2009). Key messages of the position statement. Retrieved November 26, 2009 from

http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/KeyMessages.pdf

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2006). The kindergarten program (revised). Toronto:Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

Vygosky, L.S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.