Developmentally Appropriate Practices

[WLO: 3] [CLOs: 1, 3, 4]

One of the most important aspects of your role as an educator will be to effectively plan developmentally appropriate learning experiences for each child. An important part of your ability to create effective learning opportunities is the learning environment you create for children. This assignment is your opportunity to put together a cohesive plan for your dream learning environment for young children.

To prepare for this assignment, read the following scenario: Imagine you are given the opportunity to set up your dream classroom learning environment. What would it look like? Create a plan for what your ideal early childhood classroom would look like, keeping in mind each of the different learning domains.

Consider reviewing the Microsoft Office resource Tips for Creating and Delivering an Effective Presentation (Links to an external site.) to make sure your presentation is professionally designed. For this assignment, you will elaborate on your own slides by providing slide notes.

To prepare for your assignment,

· Refer to the Week 2 Instructor Guidance for further tips and examples that will support your success with this discussion.

· Review Chapters 4, 6, and 7 of your textbook.

· Utilize the Developmentally Appropriate Environments Assignment Template to assist you with organizing this assignment.

In your five- to seven-slide Power Point presentation, include the following:

· Developmental Age: On one slide, recalling the scenario above as your frame of reference for this assignment, state what age level you are creating this environment for and 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.

· Learning Environment Considerations: On one slide, 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 two to three slides, explain each of the seven 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.)?

o How is play incorporated into your learning environment?

The Developmentally Appropriate Environments presentation

· Must be five to seven slides in length (not including title and references pages, but including the completed observation checklist) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.)’s APA Style (Links to an external site.) resource.

· Must include a separate title page with the following:

o Title of paper

o Student’s name

o Course name and number

o Instructor’s name

o Date submitted

· Must use at least two scholarly sources in addition to the course text.

o To assist you in completing the library research required for this assignment, view this Help! Need Article (Links to an external site.) tutorial, which can help you find a good starting place for your research.

o The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.

o To assist you in completing the library research required for this assignment, view this Quick ‘n’ Dirty (Links to an external site.) tutorial, which introduces the Ashford University Library and the research process, and provides some library search tips.

· Must document any information used from sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) guide.

· Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. See the Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the Ashford Writing Center for specifications.

· Review the Writing Center’s Grammarly (Links to an external site.) page before you submit your written assignment; set up a Grammarly account (if you have not already done so), and use Grammarly to review a rough draft of your assignment. Then, carefully review all issues identified by Grammarly and revise your work as needed.

Required Resources

Required Text

Jaruszewicz, C. (2019). Curriculum and methods for early childhood educators [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

· Chapter 4: Curriculum and Development

· Chapter 6: What Are My Responsibilities as a Planner?

· Chapter 7: Approaches to Learning: Exploratory Play and Creative Arts

Articles

Hassinger-Das, B., Hirsh-Pasek, K., & Golinkoff, R. M. (2017). The case of brain science and guided play: A developing story (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/may2017/case-brain-science-guided-play

· This resource provides information about play in early childhood and is required for your Planning for Domains of Development discussion this week.
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NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on professional preparation standards (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/resources/position-statements/2009%20Where%20We%20Stand%20Standards%20rev%204_12.pdf

· This article summarizes each of the six of NAEYC professional preparation standards. This resource will help you complete the Planning for Domains of Development discussion.
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Recommended Resources

Articles

Almon, J. (2013, September/October). It’s playtime: The value of play in early education, and how to get teachers on board (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://www.naesp.org/principal-septemberoctober-2013-early-learning/it-s-playtime

· This resource provides information about play in early childhood and may assist you in your Planning for Domains of Development discussion this week.
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Clarke, G.-A. (2016, March 20). 20 DAP checklist questions for teachers (Links to an external site.) [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/blogs/20-dap-checklist-questions-teachers

· This resource provides information on planning developmentally appropriate activities in the classroom or center. This resource may support you as you complete your Developmentally Appropriate Practices Assignment this week.
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Web Page

NAEYC. (n.d.). Articles for families on play (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/play

· This web page provides information about play in early childhood and may assist you in your Planning for Domains of Development discussion this week.
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