Developmentally appropriate pratice is the topic I chose. This is a topic that I have read about for years. Teachers need to understand why and how to teach children. Being able to have a curriculum that is developmenatlly appropriate for every age is extremley important in the field of early childhood education.
My personal expierence with developmentally approrpriate practice has been an interesting one. I have found that depending on which school you teach for and what curriculum they follow they standards seem to change. It is usually decided by a school board as to what curriculum to follow. These differences have left me to question what is developmentally appropriate since there are many different opinions. Constructing the research chart helped me understand the organization I will need to complete this and how much information is out there. I just hope I dont become ovewhelmed by the amount of information I may need to go through.
I would like to learn more about research that focus' on play, I am using this term in the broad sense. When I talk about play I am referring to pretend play, outside play, center play. I have read many articles that argue there needs to be more academic time and less play.( Although I dont agree with this I plan on reading all the informtion with an open mind). How can a teacher make sure that all of these activites are developmentally appropriate for the differen age groups. I am also interested in learning more about developmentally appropriate practice for infants and toddlers. There are many centers that simply provide care for this age group, I would like to learn more about what these children need.
I am still in the process of looking for resources and would love any advice anyone can give on finding resources online. Are there any particular websites that are helpful?
Thank you in advance for any advice or tips you can give. I will post any good sites I may find.
Hi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteYes, we do hear a lot about developmentally appropriate practices. Play is such an interesting aspect to research. I, too, feel a bit overwhelmed at the wealth of information out there. Narrowing my topic took a while. It did help to see how others had approached the topic and what the main issues of interest seemed to be. Lilian Katz's website might provide helpful information for you regarding play. http://www.ecrp.uiuc.edu/
ecrp stands for Early Childhood Research and Practice.
Hi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteEvery day we use developmentally appropriate practice. Play is a good one to do research on because it alway that children can use play. We do need to make sure that children get what they need and make sure we can teach them what they need.
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteAs teachers, we should provide opportunities for children to play, to freely explore their world without worries. When children are playing, they are learning without realizing they are getting important strategies and tools that will be helpful in all aspects of their development.
The next resource could be helpful in your research:
Bergen, D. (2002). The role of pretend play in children's cognitive development. Early Childhood Research and Practice, 4(1). Retrieved from http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v4n1/bergen.html
Good luck!