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Developmentally appropriate practice
Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) is a perspective within early childhood education whereby a teacher or child caregiver nurtures a child's social/emotional, physical, and cognitive development. It is also described as a philosophy in child education that is based on child development knowledge where professionals base their instruction and care on research, standards, and recognized theory.
Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) emphasizes what is known about children and what can be done about individual children as a basis of decision-making when it comes to instruction and care. It recognizes that children's needs and abilities change over time and depend on universal laws governing these to determine the propriety of practice. DAP also holds that children have a natural disposition towards learning; hence, they are capable of constructing their own knowledge through exploration and interaction with others, learning materials, and their environment. For these reasons, early childhood programs look and function differently.
The DAP has three core components: knowledge about development and learning; knowledge about individual children; and, knowledge about the social and cultural contexts where children grow and learn. Particularly, the teacher or provider of care bases all practices and decisions on (1) theories of child development, (2) individually identified strengths and needs of each child uncovered through authentic assessment, and (3) the child's cultural background as defined by his community, family history, and family structure.
DAP is centered around the instructors "intentionality" of their instruction so that students are able to accomplish goals that are "both challenging and achievable for children". In DAP, knowledge of child development is valued because it "permits general predictions" to be made by instructors to influence what instruction should be used to best benefit student learning based on their developmental stage. It influences teacher decisions on which "environment, materials, interaction and activities" should be used in the classroom based on "broad predictions" of children in particular age groups. Knowledge of the individual child is another core consideration of DAP because, through observation, teachers may learn "implications for how to best adapt" instruction based on the specific needs of an individual student. The last core consideration for DAP, is that instructors should also learn more about the social and cultural contexts children grow up in their homes. This is valued so students learn and grow through instruction that is "meaningful, relevant, and respectful for each child and family".
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has adopted DAP as part of its attempt to establish standards for best practice in the area of the education of children (from birth to 8 years of age). This was established in a position statement, which some scholars view has contributed to the thinking and discourse about practices in early childhood programs. The statement described DAP as an "empirically based principles of child development and learning".
In the updated 2020 position statement, NAEYC admitted that previous position statements painted social and cultural differences "as deficits and gaps" instead of viewing them as "assets or strengths to be built upon". The revisions made were in hopes to highlight the updated core considerations:
(1) There are "greater variations" within the stages of development, which the previous versions failed to realize the "critical role" social and cultural differences have on student learning and development.
(2) While children need to learn and understand different social and cultural contexts, educators also need to recognize their own "biases—both implicit and explicit" to ensure their teaching does not negatively impact student learning.
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Developmentally appropriate practice
Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) is a perspective within early childhood education whereby a teacher or child caregiver nurtures a child's social/emotional, physical, and cognitive development. It is also described as a philosophy in child education that is based on child development knowledge where professionals base their instruction and care on research, standards, and recognized theory.
Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) emphasizes what is known about children and what can be done about individual children as a basis of decision-making when it comes to instruction and care. It recognizes that children's needs and abilities change over time and depend on universal laws governing these to determine the propriety of practice. DAP also holds that children have a natural disposition towards learning; hence, they are capable of constructing their own knowledge through exploration and interaction with others, learning materials, and their environment. For these reasons, early childhood programs look and function differently.
The DAP has three core components: knowledge about development and learning; knowledge about individual children; and, knowledge about the social and cultural contexts where children grow and learn. Particularly, the teacher or provider of care bases all practices and decisions on (1) theories of child development, (2) individually identified strengths and needs of each child uncovered through authentic assessment, and (3) the child's cultural background as defined by his community, family history, and family structure.
DAP is centered around the instructors "intentionality" of their instruction so that students are able to accomplish goals that are "both challenging and achievable for children". In DAP, knowledge of child development is valued because it "permits general predictions" to be made by instructors to influence what instruction should be used to best benefit student learning based on their developmental stage. It influences teacher decisions on which "environment, materials, interaction and activities" should be used in the classroom based on "broad predictions" of children in particular age groups. Knowledge of the individual child is another core consideration of DAP because, through observation, teachers may learn "implications for how to best adapt" instruction based on the specific needs of an individual student. The last core consideration for DAP, is that instructors should also learn more about the social and cultural contexts children grow up in their homes. This is valued so students learn and grow through instruction that is "meaningful, relevant, and respectful for each child and family".
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has adopted DAP as part of its attempt to establish standards for best practice in the area of the education of children (from birth to 8 years of age). This was established in a position statement, which some scholars view has contributed to the thinking and discourse about practices in early childhood programs. The statement described DAP as an "empirically based principles of child development and learning".
In the updated 2020 position statement, NAEYC admitted that previous position statements painted social and cultural differences "as deficits and gaps" instead of viewing them as "assets or strengths to be built upon". The revisions made were in hopes to highlight the updated core considerations:
(1) There are "greater variations" within the stages of development, which the previous versions failed to realize the "critical role" social and cultural differences have on student learning and development.
(2) While children need to learn and understand different social and cultural contexts, educators also need to recognize their own "biases—both implicit and explicit" to ensure their teaching does not negatively impact student learning.