Every day, policy makers, administrators, and teachers/caregivers make a great many decisions, at all levels, both long-term and short-term, that affect young children. It is those many decisions that determine whether what actually happens in a classroom or family child care home is or is not developmentally appropriate.
In their decision making, effective early childhood educators keep in mind the desired outcomes for children's learning and development, and they understand that:
- Knowledge Must Inform Decision Making
- Goals Must Be Challenging and Achievable
- Teaching Must Be Intentional to Be Effective
1. Knowledge Must Inform Decision Making
To make decisions that ensure their practice is developmentally appropriate, effective early childhood educators take into consideration knowledge in three areas:
- What is known about child development and learning—referring to research-based knowledge of age-related characteristics that permits general predictions about what experiences are likely to best promote children's learning and development. [This knowledge is reflected in the DAP Position Statement in the form of "12 Principles of Child Development and Learning"]
- What is known about each child as an individual—referring to what educators learn about the specific children that has implications for how best to adapt and be responsive to that individual variation.
- What is known about the social and cultural contexts in which children live—referring to the values, expectations, and behavioral and linguistic conventions that shape each of the children's lives at home and in their communities that educators must strive to understand in order to ensure that learning experiences in the program or school are meaningful, relevant, and respectful for each child and family.
To recap this decision-making process: An effective teacher begins by thinking about what children of the age and developmental status represented in that program's group are typically like. This knowledge provides a general idea of the activities, routines, interactions, and curriculum that should be effective. The teacher also must consider each child in that group, including looking at the child as an individual and within the context of that child's specific family, community, culture, linguistic norms, social group, past experience (including learning and behavior), and current circumstances.
Only then can the teacher see those children as they are to make decisions that are developmentally appropriate for each of them.
2. Goals Must Be Challenging and Achievable
Meeting children where they are is essential, but no good teacher simply leaves them there. Keeping in mind desired outcomes and what is known about those children as a group and individually, the teacher plans experiences to promote the children's learning and development.
Learning and development are most likely to occur when new experiences build on what a child already knows and is able to do and when those experiences also entail the child stretching a reasonable amount in acquiring new skills, abilities, or knowledge. After the child reaches that new level of mastery in skill or understanding, the effective teacher reflects on what goals should come next; and the cycle continues, advancing the child's learning in a developmentally appropriate way.
3. Teaching Must Be Intentional to Be Effective
A hallmark of developmentally appropriate teaching is intentionality. Good teachers are intentional in everything they do—setting up the classroom, planning curriculum, making use of various teaching strategies, assessing children, interacting with them, and working with their families.
Intentional teachers are purposeful and thoughtful about the actions they take, and they direct their teaching toward the goals the program is trying to help children reach.
Excellent teachers translate the developmentally appropriate practice framework into high-quality experiences for children through the decisions they make. Such teaching is described in the DAP Position Statement in the form of "Guidelines for Developmentally Appropriate Practice" across five key aspects of the teacher's role:
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Creating a Caring Community of Learners
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Teaching to Enhance Development and Learning
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Planning Curriculum to Achieve Important Goals
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Assessing Children's Development and Learning
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Establishing Reciprocal Relationships with Families
These five aspects of every teacher's work are closely interrelated. Each is a vital part of what teachers and early childhood programs do to achieve key goals for children. None can be left out or shortchanged without seriously weakening the whole.
