Developmentally Appropriate Practice

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Developmentally Appropriate Practice ECE203: Introduction to Curriculum & Instruction for the Early Child Classroom Developmentally appropriate practice or DAP is illustrated as a means “To encourage quality early childhood instruction through the creation of an outline for best practice. Based on both in the study on child development and learning and in the knowledge base regarding instructional effectiveness, the agenda summarizes a practice that supports the best education and development for the children.” (National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2009, pg.1, para.1). Developmentally appropriate practice looks into every area of Early Childhood education; from the existing curriculum to the classroom set-up, and whether they are based on the children’s learning needs and how they will move forward, to ensure the children’s success. Some instructors find teaching young children overwhelming; but if they are able to comprehend the characteristics of these young ones, they can consider those characteristics every time they plan their lessons and activities. Children are always full of energy and they often get tired of sitting quietly for a long time; this may have an effect on their attention span, making them distracted and inattentive. Teachers for early education classes should organize activities that allow physical involvement for children and also ones that need only minimal actions (Helm, 2008). These young students have huge imaginations that may often result for them to encounter difficulties in distinguishing the real world from the world they have created. Children love to be praised and they know what those praises are for, they try to be consistent and repeat what they have done to get the teacher’s positive attention and words of encouragement. Friendliness is another notable
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