Developmentally Appropriate Practice

Guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice include five complex principles. The first principle is to create a caring community of learners. When creating this community each member must feel valued by others. Each member is given respect and is held accountable for learning and well-being of themselves and others in the classroom. The teacher sets clear and reasonable expectations. Teachers listen to and acknowledge children's feelings and respond in ways children understand to guide and model problem-solving. Teachers design and maintain a physical and psychological environment that is positive and feels safe for all children The second principle is teaching to enhance development of learning. Teachers make it a priority to know each child well and also the most significant people in a child's life. Teachers know what desired goals are for the program and how the programs curriculum is intended to achieve those goals. Teachers plan for learning experiences by implementing a comprehensive curriculum that ensures children achieve goals and key areas. Teachers know how and when to scaffold children's learning for just enough assistance for them to master the skill and begin to work on the next skill with continued assistance. Educators include all children in classroom activities regardless of special needs. Their goal is to plan lessons that align with state standards and other mandates using their curriculum to achieve important goals. Teachers use their extensive child development knowledge to identify and plan goals for the classroom that are directly aligned with such standards. Individualization is an important factor in the classroom planning process. Teachers utilize curriculum framework to ensure proper attention is given to learning goals when planning teachers integrate experiences across several domains such as physical, social, emotional, and cognitive which includes language, literacy, mathematics, social studies, science, art, physical education and health. The fourth complex principle assessing children's development learning includes assessing the child progress and achievement in ongoing strategic and purposeful way. There must be a system in place to collect, analyze, and use assessment data to further progress. The fifth principle is establishing reciprocal relationships with families. In relationships between teachers and families there must be a mutual respect, cooperation, and shared responsibility including negotiation of conflict toward achievement of shared goals. Teachers work in partnerships with families establishing  and maintaining  two-way communication with the family. Teachers and families work as a team to share information about children's goals and progress including daily life. Family members are encouraged with multiple opportunities for family participation within the classroom setting. This is a brief overview of the principles incorporated into developmentally appropriate practice. Please feel free to add an elaborate with your own comments.