Critical Issues

1. NAEYCDevelopmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8

2. Critical Issues • Reducing the learning gap and increasing the achievement of all children. • Creating improved, better connected education for preschool and elementary children. • Recognizing teacher knowledge and decision making as vital to educational effectiveness.

3. Reducing learning gaps and increasing achievement for all children • 3 specific subgroups of children in the U.S. lag behind their peers: 1_______ 2_______ 3_______ • Prime differences: 1_________ 2________ • Part of larger concern: _________________ • Action: Learning standards • Action: Child outcomes framework

4. Creating improved, better connected education for preschool and elementary children • Mandated accountability requirements. • Increased publicly funded early childhood experiences. • Alignment is critical – but should not be simplifying for younger children – but should be based on children’s development • Concerns: 1__________ 2_________ 3___________4__________5________ 6___________ • Together teachers must ensure _____________

5. Recognizing teacher knowledge and decision making as vital to the educational process • Teacher preparation in child development • Teachers know the children in their classroom as a group and individually 1_______________2________________ 3________________ • Expert decision making requires that teachers have: 1_______________2________________ 3________________ • To make sound instructional decisions teachers need: 1 ________________2________________ 3________________ • In summary, good teaching requires: 1 ________________2________________ 3________________

6. Research • 4 Domains: PIES • Learning Goals 1_________ 2_______ 3__________ • Proven practices 1_________ 2__________ 3________ • Research about teachers • Knowledge about____________ • Repertoire of______________

7. Core Considerations • Knowledge to consider in making decisions 1___________ 2_______ 3 ___________ • Challenging and achievable goals for acquiring skills, abilities or knowledge – stretch, mastery and set new goals • Teachers are INTENTIONAL 1__________ 2_________ 3__________ 4_________ 5_________ 6_________

8. Principles of child development • Not based on what we _________ be true nor on what we _______ about young children. • Developmentally appropriate practice is informed by what we know from___________ • Just as all domains of development and learning are ____________, • All principles _____________

9. Principle #1All domains of development and learning are important and they are closely interrelated.

10. Principle #2Aspects of children’s learning follow well documented sequences.

11. Principal #3 Development and learning proceed at different rates

12. Principle #4 Development and learning result from interaction of biological maturation and experience

13. Principle #5Early experiences have a profound effects on development and learning AND optimal periods exist for certain types of development and learning.

14. Principle #6Development proceeds toward greater complexity, self-regulation, and symbolic or representational capacities

15. Principle #7 Children develop best when they have secure, consistent relationships with responsive adults and opportunities for positive relationships with peers.

16. Principle #8Development and learning occur in and are influenced by multiple social and cultural contexts.

17. Principle #9Children learn in a variety of ways: a wide range of teaching strategies and interactions are effective

18. Principle #10 Play is an important vehicle for developing self regulation as well as for promoting language, cognition, and social competence.

19. Principle #11 Development and learning advance when children are challenged to achieve at a level just beyond their current mastery, and also when they have opportunities to practice newly acquired skills.

20. Principle # 12Children’s experiences shape their motivation and approaches to learning, such as persistence, initiative, and flexibility; in turn, these dispositions and behaviors affect their learning and development.

21. Guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice. • Creating a caring community of learners • Teaching to enhance development and learning • Planning curriculum to achieve important goals • Assessing children’s development and learning • Establishing reciprocal relationships with families.