Running head: APPROPRIATE INSTRUCTION
Developmentally Appropriate Instruction
Elisabeth Moore
Regent University
In partial fulfillment of UED 495 Field Experience ePortfolio, Fall 2016
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Introduction
A teachers role includes effectively teaching students at their cognitive and
developmental level. The appearance of developmentally appropriate instruction varies by grade
level as well as by classroom. This type of instruction should occupy every moment of the school
day. The most effective teachers are the ones who are able to determine the developmentally
appropriate instruction that their students need.
Rationale
The first artifact I chose was a picture of the culmination of a lesson I did in science with
a 3rd grade class. The lesson was about how matter can change forms. I began by having the
students question whether or not matter can change forms. Several students shared their opinion
and I asked the students to explain their reasoning. After several students shared, I brought out a
small ice cream container that I had set out several hours earlier. I explained to the students that
the ice cream was a solid when I pulled it out a few hours prior. As I was reminding them, This
was a solid! I poured the soupy ice cream in to a trash can in front of their eyes. We then
discussed how matter could change states. The students made real world connections with the
changing states of matter. Each of the students were given ice cream at the end of the lesson to
remind them of how matter can change forms. I chose this article because I believe that using an
object that students see at home can help the students make connections to their life outside of
the classroom. Also, using something like ice cream gained the students attention and at the end
of the lesson, they were able to give real-life examples of changes in states of matter which they
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witness on a daily basis. I believe that making connections and using appropriate attention
grabbers were developmentally appropriate strategies for the 3rd grade class.
The second artifact I chose was a picture of a bulletin board in the 3rd grade classroom.
Every morning, the class did a morning meeting in which they greeted one another, had an
opportunity to share, and participated in a group activity. At least once a week, we used the
greeting time to learn about a different place in the world. For example, one day we had a
Chinese student visit the classroom and speak about her country. That day, the students greeted
each other in Chinese. Another day, we discussed how people in Israel greet each other with
Shalom. During this time, we also talked about the country where they speak these languages
and where it is in relation to the United States. After introducing a new language and greeting
each other in that language, we posted a new speech bubble on our bulletin board with the
greeting in the native language written on the bubble. This was one small way to incorporate
culture in to the classroom. I chose this article because I believe incorporating culture during a
time such as morning meeting allows the students to learn about another country without going
in depth and spending a lot of time on it. This is a developmentally appropriate instructional
period because the students are able to not only learn, but see what they have learned when it is
placed on the bulletin board.
The final article I chose was a video capturing part of a morning meeting culture lesson
that took place in a 3rd grade classroom. In this video, the students greeted each other using the
words, Sawubona and Sikhona which mean, we see you and I am here. The word
Sawubona is the traditional greeting in the Zulu language spoken in South Africa. In this
lesson, I reviewed the languages we had previously greeted each other with and where the
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countries were located. I chose this article because it shows the students actively participating in
the cultural activity.
Reflection on Theory and Practice
Developmentally appropriate instruction plays a key role in the learning of students. If
the instruction given is not developmentally appropriate, students fail to grasp the concepts and
fall behind in their learning. The National Association for the Education of Young Children
breaks down the concept of developmentally appropriate practice in to three core considerations
for the teacher. A teacher must know about child development and learning, what is appropriate
for each individual student, and what is culturally important in families within the classroom (N.,
2009, p.10).
In my opinion, when instruction is developmentally appropriate, students will be
fascinated by and enjoy what they are learning because it is developmentally on their level. This
leads to enriched learning experiences for the students. It is common knowledge that students
who are board tend to get in to more mischief. Developmentally appropriate instruction helps
diminish behavioral issues that may occur in the classroom because the students are able to be
engaged in a learning experience that is appropriate for their age group and cognitive level.
A well rounded teacher is also able to tell what is developmentally appropriate for each
individual student. As the classroom size continues to grow in Elementary Schools, it is
important for the teachers to be able to identify the cognitive, social, and learning levels amongst
their students. The key to this concept is for the teachers to know their students well. Teachers
are better able to scaffold their students learning experiences when they know their students well
(Bergin and Bergin, 2015, p.119).
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Lastly, in order to deliver developmentally appropriate instruction to the students, a
teacher must consider the cultural background of each student (N., 2009, p.11). When a teacher
understands what is culturally important to each students family, it allows the teacher to give
culturally relevant examples while giving instruction. Not only that, but knowing the students
culture will help the teacher be able to understand the values, expectations, and type of
communication set for students at home. This will help the teacher to give their students more
developmentally appropriate instruction.
Developmentally appropriate instruction is given when a teacher takes in to consideration
students cognitive level and home culture; however, I believe the most important aspect of
developmentally appropriate instruction is teachers knowing their students. If teachers truly
knows their students, they are able to teach their students using developmentally appropriate
instruction techniques because they are able to know their students cognitive, social, and cultural
skills and backgrounds. In closing, developmentally appropriate instruction is vital for helping
students stay on track in their educational experience. Developmentally appropriate instruction is
a teachers role in efficiently teaching students. The best teachers are able to implement it
developmentally appropriate practices in to the classroom.
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Resources
Bergin, C. C., & Bergin, D. A. (2015). Child and Adolescent Development In Your Classroom
(2nd ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
N. (2009). Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving
Children from Birth through Age 8. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from
http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSDAP.pdf
