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Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Early Childhood Education
The purpose of this page is to provide links to a variety of informational resources that will enable Early Childhood Education students and teachers to develop a deeper understanding of developmentally appropriate practices.
Developmentally Appropriate Practices
In 1987 the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) published a Position Statement on developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) for children ages birth through age 8. Briefly, DAP can be defined as those practices which are both age appropriate and individually appropriate for each child.
It is important to understand that DAP is a philosophy, not a method. For further information on DAP, explore the following sites:
- EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT FROM TWO TO SIX YEARS OF AGE
- What Does Research Say About Early Childhood Education?
- Developmentally Appropriate Practices: Right For All Kids
- Recent Research Supports Developmentally Appropriate Practice In the Primary Grades
- Questions Concerning Developmentally Appropriate Practice
- Teacher Reflects on Effects of DAP
- Netscape: Early Childhood Educators' and Family Web Corner Home Page
Influential Ideas
For more information about other theorists and theories which have influenced early childhood practices, check the following sites:
Vygotsky
- Who Was L. S. Vygotsky ?
- iturondo.html
Gardner: Multiple Intelligences
- Howard Gardner Topics Menu
- MI Intro
- Multiple Intelligences
- Multiple Intelligences
Other
- Learning Theories: Constructivist Theory
- TIP: Theories
- ECDU Collected Research Papers: New theoretical challenges to current ec programme philosophy
- Educators, Psychologists, and Philosophers
Curricular Issues and Applications
The following sites provide information about how the principles of DAP might be applied in the classroom. (Note: this is not a list of sites that provide classroom activities):
General Information
- Curriculum and Assessment
- THEMATIC WEBBING AND THE CURRICULUM STANDARDS IN THE PRIMARY GRADES
- Early Childhood Education
- Early Childhood Home Page
- Kentucky Preschool Self-Study: Curriculum
- Early Childhood Educators' and Family Web Corner Teacher Pages
- GUIDING DISCOVERY
- DAILY ACTIVITIES
- ROLE OF TEACHER
- Resources Recommended by National Research Centers
Diversity Issues
- NAEYC Position Statement
- Valuing Diversity
- ERIC DIGEST: Integrating Children with Disabilities into Preschool
Subject Specific Information
- Literacy Development in Young Children
- What is Emergent Literacy?
- Whole Math Through Investigations
- Helping Your Child Learn Science - Concepts
- INTEGRATE, DON'T ISOLATE! -- COMPUTERS IN THE EARLY CHILDHOOD CURRICULUM
- Early Childhood Music
- Recess and Social Development
For a Lighter Look at Teaching
- Mimi Chenfeld
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