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Posted Monday, November 17, 2008 by Regina Jackson

So, since you don’t have to start from scratch and Duncan Hines premade curriculum has already provided the basics for a brownie mix, what next?  Pre-made curriculum is a starting point based on the milestones of a particular age/stage, but how do I tailor this recipe to children’s differing tastes? 

Well, just like a brownie recipe, DAP leaves room to adjust.  The second component of developmentally culturally appropriate practice addresses these differences through INDIVIDUAL UNIQUENESS.  Think about the decisions to make when “spicing up” your recipe:  many children like walnuts, others are allergic; some enjoy fudge on the top, others can’t stand it.  We are faced with the same challenges as Early Childhood Professionals.   We must understand that children come to us with different temperament types (flexible, slow-to-warm up and feisty), personalities, and learning styles and we must address their needs.

Right about now, you must be thinking “Wow!  What do I do?  How do I handle this?”  Just as you handle putting ingredients into a bowl, you must address uniqueness in the same way:  through SMALL STEPS.

First, drop in a dose of careful OBSERVATION of the children’s likes, dislikes, interests, etc.  Second, stir in CREATIVE and flexible teaching; ask yourself, “How can I make the classroom activities more engaging for each child?  Third, add in PERSONAL REFLECTION; look in the mirror and honestly assess yourself, “What type of learner am I?  What is my temperament type and how do I interact with different temperaments?”

So, as you attempt to prepare a Duncan Hines premade curriculum mix that will appeal to all, remember that CHILDREN are INDIVIDUALS and it’s up to the Early Childhood Professional to create the right combination.  Divide up the pan, bake multiple packages of mix with different ingredients, do whatever it takes to deliver the right dessert(s) that will be effective for all.  J
Posted Monday, November 10, 2008 by Tammy Hopps

When students learn about DAP (Developmentally Appropriate Practice) and its components of child development, individual variation, and social/cultural contexts, they often ask about the pre-made curriculum that we may see in our early childhood settings.  Can premade curriculum be developmentally appropriate?  For example, can we say that a preschool curriculum for 4-year-olds would be developmentally and culturally appropriate for all 4-year-olds across the board?  Well, not exactly, but it can be a good place to start. 

Analogy: Why make brownies from scratch when Duncan Hines has already provided the brownie mix for us?

That pre-made curriculum is based on the first component of DAP (child development).  The activities within are centered around the developmental milestones for a specific age group.  One thing that separates those who educate young children from those who simply care for young children is the understanding that to truly be developmentally appropriate, the curriculum must be tailored to meet the needs and promote the development of a particular child or group of children.  Individual variation and social/cultural contexts must be considered in addition to child development.

If you have the opportunity to use pre-made curriculum, take it and run with it.  No need to start from scratch unless you want to.  Just take the brownie starter from Duncan Hines and add the extras that make it the perfect dish for your audience.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted Tuesday, November 04, 2008 by Michelle Beedle, MA
As part of Rasmussen College's Early Childhood Education mission statement, we claim that ‘we foster and advocate developmentally and culturally appropriate practice among early childhood professionals. “ It is fundamental to understand the concept of developmentally and culturally appropriate practice. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) profoundly effected early childhood education through the publication of its position statement titled Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Early Childhood Programs (Bredekamp & Copple, 1997). This position statement has become central to the field of early childhood education and is endorsed by most at “best practices” in our field. Bredekamp & Copple’s book has become a well-known resource for early childhood education. Developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) are guidelines that are based on what is known about children and their development, what is known about individual children, and what is known about the social and cultural contexts in which children live. Developmentally appropriate practices are guiding principles that help early childhood teachers facilitate growth and learning. Developmentally appropriate early childhood classrooms involve teachers supporting children through observation and assessment of individual development, and as a result, offering appropriate materials (based on what is known about child development) to meet the needs of each child. For instance, if a toddler teacher observes a particular child using mostly one-word phrases to communicate his needs, she will first know that this is within the range of normal development for a toddler (knowledge of child development). She will also recognize that communication through one-word phrases precedes communication through two-word phrases and sentences. The teacher will respond to the child by supporting his language development and offering opportunities to practice building his language. The teacher will facilitate growth by modeling two-word phrases and sentences. The teacher will also provide opportunities for the child to communicate about things that interest him. Culturally appropriate practices are a part of DAP. They involve teachers using knowledge of the individual child’s social and cultural context to ensure experiences provided to that child are meaningful, relevant, and respectful. In the above example, the teacher would use her knowledge of the child’s family life and home language to nurture the child’s growing verbal skills. She would offer the child picture books with familiar objects for him to build his language skills. She would be meeting his individual needs with respect to his culture while using her knowledge of child development. Developmentally and culturally appropriate practice is responsive education. It is not a precise curriculum. It is a way of thinking about educating young children. Developmentally and culturally appropriate programs are child-initiated, child sensitive, and concentrate on the development of the whole child.
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