DAP (Developmentally Appropriate Practice)

Developmentally Appropriate Practice was popularized by NAEYC and refers to the practice of teaching and responding to children at their developmental level. For example, not all four year olds are on the same developmental level, therefore they should not be expected to be treated the same in all cases. The child is seen as an active learner and participant in the classroom. The teacher is the facilitator of the child's individual learning. DAP assures that teachers do not put too many or inappropriate expectations on a child so the child can learn at his/her own pace without being pushed too early. DAP also enables the child to be seen as an individual learner and to make learning more meaningful.

Sounds pretty simple right? Everyone should feel that way about teaching right? This is not always the case. It is very important to relay this information in our training tutorial to students. It is very easy to be of the mind set that all four year olds can write their name or all one years can walk. Some children's emotions are not quite as developed as others or one child may have excellent motor skills but lacks social skills. This is where the teacher would understand that this particular child may need more attention and help when participating in group setting and playing with other children. It is crucial for teachers and students to realize that not all children develop at the same pace.

This message can be relayed to students during the training by showing examples of teachers responding appropriately to children and modeling appropriate behaviors through videos. By demonstrating this practice to potential student teachers we will be able to prepare the teacher and ensure that the teacher has been properly trained to handle any situation in a developmentally appropriate manner.