Running Head: DEVELOPMENTALLY-APPROPRIATE INSTRUCTION

Developmentally-Appropriate Instruction
Emily Kooiman
Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 495 Field Experience ePortfolio, Fall 2016

DEVELOPMENTALLY-APPROPRIATE INSTRUCTION

Introduction
Just as a writer must know his or her audience, a teacher must know his or her students in
order to offer developmentally-appropriate instruction that will meet students where they are at
and give them the tools they need to succeed. Students come from a variety of backgrounds,
therefore it is important a teacher knows what the needs of his or her learners are and how
instruction can be given to support those needs. As a student teacher, I created a hands-on
Language Arts lesson for my fourth grades that kept them engaged through a fast-paced
dictionary challenge, discussion, a visual aid, and cooperative learning groups to fill out a
graphic organizer. My lesson demonstrated developmentally-appropriate instruction and cultural
awareness because it offered students a rigorous, engaging lesson pushing them forward towards
greater growth amidst any low-socioeconomic factors affecting the students lives.
Rationale for Selection of Artifacts
My first artifact was a Language Arts lesson plan which engaged students in active
learning on navigating a dictionary page and guide words. For the anticipatory set, the students
participated in a fast-paced dictionary challenge where they raced against different teams to see
who could look up a word the fastest. Next, I modeled my thinking by showing the students how
to alphabetically organize words. The students then individually alphabetized three words at a
time on paper. I used this guided practice to show students that knowing how to alphabetize
words assists in being able to find entries in the dictionary. I used a visual anchor chart with
color and pictures to teach the students the different components of the dictionary, highlighting
the importance of guide words.

DEVELOPMENTALLY-APPROPRIATE INSTRUCTION

I told students that once they found the specific entry through the use of guide words, it is
critical to ensure they have the correct definition that aligns with the use of the word in that
particular sentence. I stressed this point because in the last part of the lesson, the students used a
graphic organizer to find the correct definitions of words. This graphic organizer was my second
artifact, and students used it in groups of two to practice navigating a dictionary page. In the
graphic organizer, students had to use the bolded word from a sentence to find the guide words,
part of speech, syllables, meaning number, and meaning to match the sentence the word was
given in. As students participated in this partner activity, I walked around the room to assess the
students comprehension of the lesson.
Reflection on Theory and Practice
In order to understand how to incorporate developmentally appropriate instruction in the
classroom, it is important to understand developmentally appropriate teaching. It is, an
approach to teaching grounded in the research on how young children develop and
learn[It]...involves teachers meeting children where they are...and helping each child meet
challenging and achievable learning goals (National Association for the Education of Young
Children, n.d.). At the core, developmentally appropriate instruction is about the intentionality of
the teacher (National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2009). The teacher must
seek to understand each childs learning ability, developmental stage, and the risk factors that
could potentially affect the childs education.
In my fourth grade classroom, I have a number of gifted learners combined with learners
who are not as high achievers whether that is because they do not have the confidence,

DEVELOPMENTALLY-APPROPRIATE INSTRUCTION

determination, or support needed to achieve. I also have students who come from stable homes,
while others live with many risk factors such as poverty, the absence of parents, divorce, and
other chaotic home circumstances. In order to create instruction that met all these needs, I
created a lesson that engaged all learners. For the low learners, I created the support they needed
to grasp the concept of guide words and dictionaries by teaching it in a variety of ways--through
discussion, cooperative learning groups, a visual aid anchor chart, and a graphic organizer. For
the higher level learners, I used a graphic organizer with difficult words and sentences that
required higher-level thinking to figure out the meaning. The graphic organizer also had multiple
words so my learners would have as much practice and challenge as they wanted.
I made this lesson engaging and challenging because studies show that children with
low-socioeconomic status, tend to get less exposure to academic content (C. Bergin & D.
Bergin, 2012). Therefore, it was important I taught a rigorous lesson, while also being the
protective factor that those children needed--encouraging them, calling out the strengths in them,
and providing the support they needed to complete the activity (C. Bergin & D. Bergin, 2012). I
did all this by daily speaking specific encouragements and giving specific corrections to push
them towards growth. By providing instruction that was engaging, challenging, and supportive to
all learners, I met students where they were at and helped propel them forward to greater
achievement.

DEVELOPMENTALLY-APPROPRIATE INSTRUCTION

References
Bergin, C. & Bergin, D. (2012). Child and adolescent development in your classroom. Belmont,
CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Developmentally appropriate
practice (DAP). Retrieved from www.naeyc.org/DAP
National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2009). Developmentally appropriate
practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8.
Retrieved from www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSDAP/pdf