Developmentally Appropriate Practice Essay

Developmentally appropriate practice, also know as DAP, is a different approach to teaching. DAP gives the opportunity for the teacher to nurture the child’s social/emotional, physical, and cognitive development. They base their teaching in three practices: theories of child development, individually identified strengths and needs of each child uncovered through authentic assessment, and the child’s cultural background as defined by his or her community, family history, and family structure. It is my belief that DAP is becoming more desirable in classrooms because teachers feel that have less control in the decision-making process regarding instruction that they once had years before. Teachers go to college for years to study how children learn and develop. They learn to find the most effective ways of teaching the students, instead the administrators or curriculum specialists are the ones who have more say in education than the teachers. Teachers have this specialized knowledge and overall know the students better because they are in the classroom with them for hours. Teachers know where a student struggles and where they
Goals should be according to what knowledge can a student learn regarding their age and what experiences can promote a students learning and development. Second, it’s knowing the student individuality, such as knowing, how can the student best adapt and be responsive to his or her environment. Lastly, knowing the student’s social and cultural background, such as values, expectations, and behavioral and linguistic convention. This shapes the child’s lives outside of school, which can increase the understanding of how the child is. That way the teacher can create a world of experiences in school for it to be meaningful, relevant, and respectful for each