Running head: DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE PRACTICES 1

Developmentally Appropriate Practices

Korree T. Western

Brigham Young University-Idaho

Developmentally Appropriate Practices

In my opinion, the definition of Developmentally Appropriate Practices, or DAP, is when

the approach to teaching is taken that considers the development of a child in his or her current

state and how to best nurture their knowledge for further understanding. It considers the whole

child, in their age, individuality, and culture, as well as in their social and emotional, cognitive,

and physical domains of development and how each domain promotes growth in another. It also

understands that children learn at differing speeds and therefore, teachings need to be adjusted to

accommodate those who need more time to master a subject. Those who practice DAP work to

ensure children have the opportunity to make positive connections with their peers as well as

foster connections between child and teacher because this is when the development of children is

optimal. It also considers the way children learn, which is a dynamic and on-going experience

between both the child’s biology and their environment. Play is a valuable way to ensure a

nurturing environment because it provides opportunities for children to develop self-regulation

skills, as well as define each domain of development (Copple & Bredekamp 2009). When

applying developmentally appropriate practices, a teacher is ensuring that a child has the best

opportunity for a better future.

DAP: What does it look like?

We will now examine two different classroom settings to determine if the core values and

procedures of developmentally appropriate practices are implemented or not by establishing a

caring community, general teaching methods, guidance, planning curriculum in multiple areas,

using assessments, and building relationships with families. Pretend with me, if you will, that

you are the one observing the scene. Both take place within preschool age classrooms.
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Classroom A

You have been given the task of determining whether the teachers of Classroom A are teaching

up to DAP standards. You look at your wristwatch and see that the children will begin arriving in

about five minutes. You take your seat in the observation booth, a place that is hidden by a one-

way mirror, and observe the setup of the classroom before you. Activities for the children are

setup all around the room. You notice activities that address creative arts, dramatic play, and

math. The door opens and children start to trickle in. A teacher runs around helping children find

their cubby to place their belongings in, find their name tag, and then wash their hands. You

notice however, that there is only that one teacher helping with this process, so some children

and parents are left standing at the door. Another teacher sits in a chair next to one of the

activities and stares out the window. A child walks up to her and begins to play with the activity

at the table. The teacher looks at the child briefly and turns her attention back towards the

window. Minutes pass and by this time, all of the children are engaged in play. You look to what

appears to be the dramatic play area and notice two children fighting over who gets to be the bad

guy and who gets to be the cop. The argument gets louder and a teacher looks over at the boys.

She stares at them for a moment and then continues to sit with another child who is drawing

quietly. One of the boys slaps the other when he claims he gets to be the bad guy. The other child

starts crying and the teacher who was sitting with the child, who was drawing, gets up and walks

over to the boys. She stands over them, pointing a finger at each child and tells them to stop. She

walks away and sits back down where she was previously. Another child starts running around

the classroom, getting in the way of the activities being done. He hops over toys and at one point

a child, before getting stopped by a teacher. She tells him to sit down quietly and to play with the

math activity. He sits and stares at the colored cubes before him, a frown visible on his face.
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Classroom B

You have been given the task of determining whether the teachers of Classroom B are teaching

up to DAP standards. You look at your wristwatch and see that the children will begin arriving in

about five minutes. You take your seat in the observation booth, a place that is hidden by a one-

way mirror, and observe the setup of the classroom before you. Activities for the children are

setup all around the room. You notice activities that address creative arts, dramatic play, math

and manipulatives, science, and an area for physical activities setup outside as well. The door

opens and children start to trickle in. A teacher stands ready to greet the children by name and

their parents. She helps the children find their cubbies to place their belongings in and then sends

them towards another teacher who is at the handwashing station. Once the children wash their

hands, they are free to find an activity. A teacher stands in the middle of classroom explaining to

the children the fun activities that they have for them to play with. She walks up to an activity

and engages in play with the child who is there by asking him questions about what he is

creating. Minutes pass and by this time, all of the children are engaged in play. You look to what

appears to be the dramatic play area and notice two children fighting over who gets to be the bad

guy and who gets to be the cop. The argument gets louder and a teacher looks over at the boys.

She walks over, kneeling down to their level, and asks them to explain what is going on. After

listening, she explains to the boys that, “Our friends aren’t bad guys, they are our friends. What

if we pretend we are astronauts and fly to space in our rocket ship?” The boys nod their heads

and she starts the script of space play by leading the boys over to the playhouse explaining that it

would be the perfect rocket ship. Another child starts running around the classroom, getting in

the way of the activities being done. Before he could jump over anything, a teacher stops him in

his path. She kneels down and asks him if he’d like to go outside and play on the obstacle course
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activity that is set up. You see him nod his head up and down and then hand-in-hand, the teacher

and him walk around the room to ask other children if they would like to play outside as well.

After gathering a few, the teacher and the group of children go outside to play. Through the

window you see the boy running and jumping, with a huge smile on his face.

DAP Analysis

Classroom A did not display DAP approved core values and procedures. From the very

beginning of the class, the teacher did not establish any kind of relationship with the children and

families because she was rushing the children through the morning routine. She left parents and

children standing at the door, without any sort of acknowledgement. A caring community was

not established either, specifically when a fight broke out between the two boys. The teacher that

participated in that display decided to ignore it until physical contact was made in the form of a

slap. When that occurred, she stood above the children, which does not display a desire to make

connections with them and offered scolding instead of helping the children understand their

feelings, regulate their emotions, and encourage positive play opportunities. This means that

guidance was absent within the classroom, as well as general teaching methods. The teachers

only offered three types of activities as well, which means the whole child, in the social and

emotional, cognitive, and physical domains, was not addressed. No attempts of assessing the

children to see their current knowledge were made either. It can be understood then that

Classroom A did not display any developmentally appropriate practices.

Classroom B started off their day by having teachers ready to greet the children and their

families, assist them with finding their cubbies, and get them ready for the day by washing their

hands. By having multiple teachers help with this process, they were able to make connections

with the families and the children. Activities that addressed all domains of development were set
DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE PRACTICES 6

up throughout the classroom as well, which means they planned their curriculum with the child

in mind. When the fight broke out between the two boys, a teacher walked over quickly before it

could escalate, got down on the level of the children, and explained to them that as friends they

should play together. She guided them in understanding their feelings, regulating their emotions,

and encouraged positive play opportunities by creating a new script so that they could play

together. Another teacher engaged in play with a child by asking him questions that assed his

knowledge and understanding of the subject. It can be understood then, that Classroom B

displayed developmentally appropriate practices.

Conclusion

In my opinion, the definition of Developmentally Appropriate Practices, or DAP, is when

the approach to teaching is taken that considers the development of a child in his or her current

state and how to best nurture their knowledge for further understanding. When these core values

and procedures are implemented, it benefits children, their families, and teachers because it

establishes a caring community, provides general teaching methods, guidance, planning

curriculum in multiple areas, uses assessments to test level of understanding, and builds

relationships with families. Most importantly however, it allows for our children the opportunity

for a brighter future.

References

Copple, C., & Bredekamp, eds. 2009. Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood

Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8. 3d ed. Washington, DC: National

Association for the Education of Young Children.