Developmentally Appropriate Practices
One of the most important aspects of your role as an educator will be to effectively plan developmentally appropriate learning experiences for each child. Although effective planning is a necessity, it is crucial that you have a clear understanding of each and every child in your care to plan effectively. This assignment is your opportunity to put these two important necessities together for preparation in designing effective curriculum in a cohesive classroom plan, which is one goal you will also meet in the Week Five Final Project.
To prepare for this assignment, read the following scenario: Imagine you are preparing to interview for a teaching position at a local school or childcare facility. You have been sent the list of interview questions below, and have been asked to prepare a presentation to the hiring committee on the topic of fostering developmentally appropriate practices in the classroom. The hiring committee consists of an administrator or director, three teachers or caregivers, and one parent.
Next, read the required readings for Week Two and consider the feedback you received on your presentation from the Week Two Discussion
2. Consider reviewing the Microsoft Office resource about effective presentation design to make sure your presentation is professionally designed. You practiced using the "slide notes" feature in the Discussion 2 this week by placing your feedback to your peers in that specific area of each content slide. For this assignment, you will elaborate on your own slides by providing slide notes.
Next, create your presentation using the instructions below. Remember to review the Grading Rubric associated with this assignment to understand how you will be evaluated.
Instructions
• Developmental Age : On one slide, recalling the scenario above as your frame of reference for this assignment, state what age level you are interviewing for and describe why you want to work with this age level. In the slide notes, elaborate on your bullet points in at least one paragraph.
• Developmental Milestones : On one slide, list the top five developmental milestones that are important to consider at this age level (e.g., for infants, developing secure attachments with adults). In the slide notes, for each developmental milestone, provide a one paragraph rationale for it being in the top five and include support from at least one scholarly source.
• Developmentally Appropriate Teaching Practices : On one slide, describe in seven bullet points or less what developmentally appropriate teaching practices look like at this stage for each of the domains of development. In the slide notes, in three to four paragraphs and using at least one scholarly source for support, provide a detailed explanation of appropriate teaching practices for the following domains that are specific to the age and stage that you most desire to work with: Cognitive (e.g., talking to an infant while diapering), Affective (e.g., singing to and rocking an infant), and Physical (e.g., providing an infant with tummy-time).
• Learning Environment Considerations : On one slide, in seven bullet points or less, describe the top five considerations that must be made while setting up the learning environment for this age group (e.g., posters at eye level etc.). In the slide notes, give a detailed explanation of your rationale in at least one paragraph, using at least one scholarly source for support.
• Classroom Set-Up Requirements : On one slide, in six bullet points, presents the hiring committee with a glimpse into the six areas of your future classroom listed below. In the slide notes, in one paragraph for each point, elaborate and provide support from at least one scholarly source.
o What larger furniture will you utilize in your classroom (e.g., desks, tables, etc.)?
o What teaching materials will you need?
o How will you set up the various areas or stations in your learning environment?
o How will you assess each child's growth?
o How will you accommodate atypically developing children?
o How will you incorporate families into your learning environment (e.g., family meeting space, communication board, etc.)?
• APA Formatting : Use APA formatting, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center, consistently throughout the assignment, which includes citations in the body of the assignment, the title page, and references list.
• Source Requirement : Reference three scholarly sources in addition to the text.
• Syntax and Mechanics : Display meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar.