Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) may be defined as learning and teaching experiences based on what specialists know about what children know and how they develop at different ages. Taking into consideration the understanding of the “typically-developing” child’s characteristics and the children’s variations within a norm, practitioners traditionally require deliberate and careful planning of the education process. They are focus on every opportunity to establish a connection with any child. However, there are certain peculiarities that characterized children in the early stages of development, and I strongly believe in them.
First of all, young children are frequently concrete thinkers and cannot reflect in abstract ways. That is why they need participatory and active learning that utilize their senses, and the experience of touching, feeling, and participation will be immeasurably beneficial for them. Moreover, children are typically egocentric at the early stage of their development and see the outside world from their own personal perspectives (“Understand how children think,” n.d.). The goal of a competent learner is to exceed the bounds of the child’s perception to understand and appreciate others’ perspectives.
One more peculiarity of how children think is centered thinking. A child processes only one variable or peculiar feature at a time. For instance, he or she may see and identify the shape and color of an apple, though not both simultaneously. That is why an educator does not introduce both variables together, and may ask about the color of an object at first and later focus the child’s attention on its form (“Understand how children think,” n.d.). In addition, young children frequently have the tendency to confuse appearances with reality. For instance, they may think that their finger is bigger than the sun or moon as it may cover these globes.
The providing of DAP is immeasurably essential as young children are able to learn faster when their individual needs, peculiarities, and interests are considered by adults, and the process of teaching represents the combination of experience and explanation. When children are encouraged to participate in various activities while playing, it activates their curiosity that stimulates development. And it goes without saying that a competent educator should establish a good relationship with the children’s parents as working in partnership with them is highly important.
Reference
Understand How Children Think. (n.d.). Web.