As I read Chapter one of the R&J book, something occurs to me. It seems that EC's teaching philosophy is cyclical. For example, children in the 18th century sat in solitude and memorized facts and Scriptures then Pestalozzi introduced interactions with teachers and peers as well as the concept of Anschauung. Then preschools tended to thought of as a place to put the kids while the poor parents had to work and a stigma was attached. Froebel combated that mentality. . .and so on.
As we look at the current landscape, do you agree with this analysis of the field of child development and if you do, where do you think we are in the cycle? DAP is currently the new hot topic, but how prevalent is it in preschool and elementary schools? Is DAP on it's way in or out? Do you think DAP will fall away as well as other philosphies or is it here to stay?
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Honestly, it is very hard to determine wheather DAP is on its way in or out. I strongly feel that DAP is a very positive attribute for children. However, the most important aspect of it is consistancy. If all new teachers entering the field were to use DAP it still would not be fully effective. It would take every teacher from infant to graduation for a student to truely have the full DAP experience. Teachers that have been in the field for quite some time are less educated with DAP and most are unwilling to change. DAP takes alot of hard and extra work for a teacher. I strongly feel that the experience is worth the hard work. However, I cannot picture one teaacher to work her butt off to have DAP in her classroom and when the children move on, everything they learned is out the window. I honestly believe that DAP should be here to stay. However, with all the hard work that it takes,. it will always be talked about but never really implimented. I think DAP is very important at every age level and most importantly in the younger years. It is at this time that children start to learn bias, race and gender. As much as i would love to see every child grow up with this philosphy, realistcally, I do not see DAP being a successful across the board.
Ashley Mooneyham
Mooneyham2006@aim.com
The idea that school works in a cycle where it will repeat itself over time is something that I do believe in. I think that teachers in todays world are focusing on the actual school work rather than the process that the child go through in order to get to the final product. Children need to take time and experiement with different projects and who really cares what what final product looks like. The children learn by doing and not by having every child color the apple red. I say, if one child wants to make their apple bight pink, they should be able to do it. Teachers just need to get all their children up out opf their desks and put them into groups so that they will be able to interact with each other and learn about the world in a more real environment.
DAP is an interesting subject for me because although I do think that it works and it is a good program. I also think, unless that entire school system is following the same program, its efforts are not worth while. Just like Ashley said, if one teacher follows DAP and does everything by the book and then the children move on to their next classroom where that teacher does not follow DAP, this was a total waste of time for the first teacher. The only way that I see DAP making a major impact on our young children is to start it from the very beginning and never stop. It is hard to say if DAP is going to stick around but I think if more teachers and school systems believed in it, then it will stay around for awhile. The hard part is getting all the schools to agree and go through the hard process of making it work. Over time, DAP will go away but that is not because it does not work, it is simply because as time go by people will come up with more and more ideas that will work better and faster. That is juts how our world works.
Jennifer Boyd
I think that DAP isn's used as much as it is needed. I definantly think this is because of the people in politics making the laws. They have degrees in government but not in Child Development. So they make these laws that concern children but do not have how they develop in mind. Its not that DAP is on its way in or out. it has to do with the people that are making the laws for the schools. I think that if someone were in there that was educated in child development DAP would be definantly be on its way in. Also the age difference in many teachers affects DAP some of the older teachers that have been there for so long were not educated in the newer DAP so they do not know as much about it and in turn do not use it. Also they are so set in their ways that they do not know how to change in for the children. The younger or recently educated teachers are more likely to use DAP, because they have learned about it and how learned ways of using it. I agree with Ashley Mooneyham when she said that it is a lot of hard work for teachers, and have difficulty staying DAP somedays. It is hard to say whether or not DAP is on its way in or out because of all the things that are holding it back.
I agree that education has gone through a cycle and some has gone through more than once, through different theorist. I say thank goodness for that. We as a human society are always evolving, and I can't imagine sitting and having children memorize constantly without talking to each other. Having done that we learned it isn't the best way to teach, but remember, what we teach children will always come from what society feels is important. We also learned that memorizing some things is better for the student in the long run. The example I will use is multiplication facts. If the student doesn't eventually memorize them, they will probably make more mistakes and have a harder time learning math, such as algebra because they lose their place in the process, having to calculate the step.
I agree with Erin that politics has a lot to do with DAP and the use of it in a classroom. TEA wants children to know a certain number of letters and words by the end of kindergarten, whether it is DAP or not, the teacher has to find a way to teach to the child. I feel personally that DAP will always be in use, somewhere in the classrooms, most likely with behavior. I've watch over the last fifteen years or so the amount of knowledge children have to learn now compared to then. I feel that sooner or later someone will come along and say enough, they are children.
Lorie Wolking
I completely agree with Lorie about the concepts that the teachers teach the children are exactly what they need to know. When it comes to teacher young children or even the TAKS test, DAP is not a priority. Educators are so involved into making sure that children learn what is needed that DAP is put on the back burner.
I also agree with what Jennifer B. Products are the most important nowdays for all schools and ditricts. The procduct is what makes them look good, so who cares about the process. However, as we child development majors know process teach the children so much more. DAP is designed to help teachers teach in a more appropriate and positive way for chidlren.
After looking at all the factors, I strongly believed the DAP was here to stay. However, after reading what my classmates stated and really think the DAP wont be around for much longer. It is so hard and takes so much time, i do not believe that the schools and centers have the resources or the time to invest in DAP. Although it is the best thing for our children, its sad to see very few teachers actually implmenting it.
Ashley Mooneyham
Mooneyham2006@aim.com
I find it interesting that most of the schooling in Texas is based on being able to pass the TAKS tests. This means from as early as Kindergarden and First Grade, children have to focus on worksheets and are left little time to be creative. I went to school in Wisconsin and Massachusetts. I remember that we had some testing throughout the 12 years of schooling, but nothing like Texas. I feel that DAP is a great because it helps the teachers know where the child "is supposed to be at." The only thing is, that all children learn in different ways and at different paces. It is important for children to interact together in groups and with their environment like Jennifer B. said. I feel that children learn the most by being able to be creative and play. By doing this, they are able to find out what they are good at. I took a previous course and learned that in Scandanvian countries, one teacher follows the class through their years of schooling. I thought that this was a great way to implement DAP on the children. This allows for the teacher to know each children's strengths and weaknesses, but also allows for the teacher to know where the classroom is at with their DAPs. As much as I hope that DAP is here to stay, I think it is also important to know that each child learns differently. For DAPs to be implemented into the whole classroom, the teacher would have to put in a lot of work with each student!
Oh thats Mollie Lanigan that posted the comment above...I guess I didn't realize that username would show up, I think I changed it!
I do believe we are in a cyclical pattern in the field of Child Development. We have come full circle back to the thinking of Pestalozzi in the direction I have seen education going. In the R&J book, it is mentioned that some of Pestalozzi's ideas could be directly connected with some of the theories that helped build DAP. I do believe that DAP is essentially a good tool to hold teachers and caregivers of young minds accountable for what information is being taught and retained by children. It goes without saying that DAP requires dedication and time on the part of the teacher or caregiver. It is important that we keep an open mind and not become defensive when it comes to using DAP in the classroom or whatever child care capacity we are in. There is no greater joy than knowing you have a positive effect on a young mind. DAP is a useful tool in making that positive effect occur.
I agree with Erin when she stated that policymakers do not completely understand child development and pass law that do not meet DAP criteria. DAP can be hard to follow through. Especially as explain in class with accreditation. To get this a centers/teachers have to work harder reducing the time spent planning and interacting with the students. Is it on its way out? Tests like the TASK can help DAP disappear, but many teahers/facilites still use use DAP. Depending on the consistency DAP can be very useful for teahers and the student. But like I said things like TASK, more paperwork for teacher on accreditation can make DAP difficult.
Erin and Crystal bring up great points about DAP and policy makers. Teachers have to be willing to speak out and let their concerns be heard by the lawmakers and policy makers. We are protecting the child the same as if they were being neglected or abused. DAP has to be appropriate for every child and easily accessible for the teacher or caregiver. Great point ladies!
In my opinion, the preschool curriculum could easily adapted the DAP. During that time the learning process of the child (every child learns differently) can be easily noticed and the teacher can spend extra time helping the child understand problem areas. Also, with the DAP the teacher can develop and improve a particular skill on individual level with the children. However, with the DAP it takes a lot of practice and time to focus on each child’s problem areas.
In elementary school, especially in Texas, the TAKS plays an important role in the curriculum and the DAP would not be prevalent. DAP is probably on its way out, because it takes a lot of time and practice to fully get the affect of the process.
I believe the DAP is stay. DAP is a wonderful idea and should stay around especially in the preschool and kindergarten curriculum. Many children will benefit from its standards.
Nikki brings up a good point about the teacher implementing DAP in preschool. The only downside to this, is some children do not attend preschool or a daycare. My friend's daughter is 4 years old and has never been around a teacher or children besides her extended family. Both her parents work also, and don't find much time to teach her. When I go over and try to put my Child Development skills to use by teaching her colors, she doesn't even know all of them. So she will be in kindergarden next year and will be very behind. My point is, it is also important for the parents to be working with their children at home. If the parents and the teachers can work together to use DAP, I think that this would really benefit the child at a young age. This will allow the parents and teacher to work together if there are any problem areas, or notice any strengths their child has. Hope everyone had a great weekend!!
Mollie made a comment about Scandinavia having one teacher for a class. I think that it both a positive and negative. I just talk to a missionary friend from German and the school system there is very similar. His oldest son Ryan had a teacher that continuely talked down to him and encouraged the class to do the same because he didn’t understand or speak German fluently, but Ryan was doing all the work and understood a lot but as the years went on she continued and when Jon asked her to stop, she refused. If a child gets a teacher who views them negatively then it could be bad. I have a class for three years and it’s enough time to bond and get past building trust, but sometimes at the end of three years, I’m happy to send them on and give another teacher a chance to bond or connect the way I couldn’t.
I would not want my children to have one teacher for their whole education, as Molly talked about in her post. As Jennifer said of her friend's son, this could be a bad experience through school. My personal opinion here, if a child doesn't experience other personalities they aren't going to be able to build themselves to handle different behaviors. As with everything else we teach to children, we need to give them ample time to experience the concepts. I believe this is true between child and adults. When my older children were in school, the school started a multi-aged classroom. I did not put my child into the program for these reasons. I watched the children who were in the multi-aged classroom for two years come back with the other children. Many of these children had a hard time with behaviors of others, because they hadn’t been around it, to know what to do.
I thought of another way that DAP will stay around. When a child is placed into special services in public school, such as resource or content mastery, the teacher will teach from the level of the student individually to get them to progress forward.
I would not want my children to have one teacher for their whole education, as Molly talked about in her post. As Jennifer said of her friend's son, this could be a bad experience through school. My personal opinion here, if a child doesn't experience other personalities they aren't going to be able to build themselves to handle different behaviors. As with everything else we teach to children, we need to give them ample time to experience the concepts. I believe this is true between child and adults. When my older children were in school, the school started a multi-aged classroom. I did not put my child into the program for these reasons. I watched the children who were in the multi-aged classroom for two years come back with the other children. Many of these children had a hard time with behaviors of others, because they hadn’t been around it, to know what to do.
I thought of another way that DAP will stay around. When a child is placed into special services in public school, such as resource or content mastery, the teacher will teach from the level of the student individually to get them to progress forward.
I agree that DAP has been, and will continue to be effective and useful for children.I as well agree that education is a cycle. Dap is good and effective for children. I feel that DAP should be here to stay for the benefit of children, because DAP helps us understand the development of children, and how they learn. DAP is significant for teachers as well, because teachers have to be actively engaged as well. Also, it is effective when regarding families. It helps us teachers develop strong and respectful relationships with parents of the children.Also, DAP helps us become knowledgeable about development and what changes children go through starting from birth to age 8.DAP is focused on the well-being of the individual child, and I feel that as a teacher this what you have to practice as a teacher. I feel that DAP should be here to stay!!!
I agree with Nikki regarding how DAP can help the teacher and child spend more time working on his or her weaknesses. I also feel that DAP would be hard to make time with the crazy TAKS testing,but if there was time to put aside, DAP would be a great tool for the children.
I like your comment Lori regarding how DAP could stay around for children who are placed in content mastery and such. DAP would have a better chance staying around for issues like this. When children are placed in content mastery they need that one one one help that they can not get in a regular setting. The Content Mastery teacher can then figure out the child's weaknesses and strengths and help the child become successful from there. Good Point Lori!
Today, I think we are in a good place in the cycle. Back then curriculm was viewed in the aspect that it is today. We know now that just sitting a child in the corner really doesn't accomplish anything. Now our curriculm is more focuesd on the child's needs and how to teach effectivley
As for DAP, I believe that this is a strong attribute for students. Thsi really helps the tecaher get a better understanding of the student by using these practices. I do want us a educators to continue to exectute these practices. I agree with Jennifer because schools do need to go by the same practices. This will help them overall.
I think DAP is currently on it's way in and I think the cycle is shifting more towards a place where there is going to be more effort placed on incorporating DAP. As NAEYC becomes prevalent now I think DAP will be enforced more. I used to work in a childcare center I know a lot of parents who wanted to make sure their children were learning specific things. In order to match the child's needs and the parent's wishes I think DAP is a good tool to engage. However, in order for DAP to be effective I think it must be carried over from grade level to grade level. This takes the effort of all preschool teachers and school-age teachers to assure this is happening. If a kindergarten teacher is following DAP but a first grade teacher isn't, then the whole cycle would be off. As the old saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child, and it also takes an effort by the entire teaching community to successfully implement DAP.
I am not sure if DAP is on its way in or out. I believe that the TAKS test is a major block to fully implementing DAP. I have talked to several teachers (new ones and veterans) about the truth of the TAKS test and the role it plays in their classrooms. Every single one of them said they have to spend the majority of their time preparing their students for the TAKS test. I do not know then how realistic it is right now for teachers to implement DAP into their classrooms consistantly.
I agree with Jennifer that students do need opportunities to explore different projects, and the final product does not always have to be the same for every student. I believe that students achieve some of their greatest work while working in groups or pairs. Kids learn so much from each other. I have seen some of the most creative work come from students working together in groups. I think there are times to implement rubrics and expect particular outcomes on homework and projects. It is also necessary for students to have opportunities to make choices, be creative, and interact with each other.
I really like the point Tammy brought up about TAKS. No matter how much we want to incorporate DAP into our classrooms, it seems like our first duty is to make sure we cover all elements of TAKS. Whether or not we feel TAKS is a good thing or not, it is part of our job as teachers to help our students pass the test. This places a huge hinderance on our ability to implement DAP. When every aspect of teaching is focused on TAKS, how are we able to focus on DAP? I think there would be a way to acieve an appropriate balance of both if the state and the school districts would relieve some of the pressure of TAKS from both teacher and student. As much of a faux pas as TAKS is, we all know it is never going to completely disappear, but I do think that with some effort and hard work there is a way to allow for DAP to show in the classroom. With further effort by the larger teaching community I do see DAP as coming in, but there are so many outside elements which seem to be attempting to prevent DAP from being present in the classroom, including TAKS.
I think we know more about education, and specifically child education, now more than ever. It seems that the culmination of theories and experiences have brought us to the point we are today. Developmentally Appropriate Practices are common sense and I can't imagine a curriculum that did not take into account the developmental level of the child. I don't think DAP is prevalent in many home day care centers or child care centers that offer low cost child care by teenagers or other inexperienced people.
We constantly want to better ourselves and the future generations, so I think DAP is here to stay. I believe having NAEYC or some other reputable certification will soon be a requirement of child care providers. Of course this means the cost will go up, but the benefit to children is obvious.
For some reason, when it comes to talking about Child Development and DAP, the first thought that comes to my mind, is that it all depends on the person that is interacting with the child and the knowledge the individual have on Child development. This knowledge is then applied when working with children. In my opinion, having the knowledge on Child Development is crucial, but there are other factors such as religion, personal beliefs, socioeconomic, environment, and in many cases that even the government influence the way we all work with children.
It hard to know if DAP is on its way out or its way in, because like many of my classmates have comment, DAP requires a lot of energy, time, willingness, and consistency that unfortunately not everyone can manage plus not to mention the interruptions caused by TAKS preparation. I must say that In my opinion, in order for children to truly achieve that “KNOWLEDGE” that the TAKS asks for, children should be given the opportunity to learn without putting pressure on them and DAP should be taken more into consideration instead of the TAKS. Some children know so much about so many things and are doing so great in all educational areas such as math, language arts, social studies, and many other subjects but are simply not ready to handle a test and are not good test takers. Many teachers are not doing what they are suppose to do with children because they too have the pressure of the TAKS
Whew are we on the cycle? I think that all over. Some people still believe and support the idea of children needing an strict environment with no play involved, in order for them to not get distracted, memorize and recite material leaned.
There are those who are disappointed in programs because like Peabody’s kindergarten, the programs don’t have the spiritual aspect needed.
There are others who believe that Playing is all that children need and that throght playing they will acquire all the knowledge they need to increase their physical, cognitive, and social areas of development.
I would like to comment that with how fast society is changing and how many parents are both working and extended families are not helping as much as in other times, the view on child care should truly be taken into consideration and in my opinion, the government should be more involved but will not be if the society don’t stop to think about the kind of care and education we are providing for young children.
Maria Prieto brought up some good points...I agree that the structure of families today make it very rare for the older generations to take care of babies and children. In my case, my parents did not have me until they were 40, by the time I was 10 I had already lost 3 grandparents. Not only were my grandparents too old to take care of children, but we were also spread out geographically because of employment opportunities for my father. I grew up seeing grandparents a few times a year.
I also agree that there is a heavy emphasis on TAK testing and proving to taxpayers that teachers are rightfully earning their salaries...but in early childhood education settings this isn't the case yet. I have heard of day care providers that prop bottles for babies instead of holding and feeding them close to their bodies....certainly this is not kosher with DAP. I think a large amount of child care providers don't do it because they love children and want to teach them..they do it because they have children themselves and don't know what else they could do while bringing their children to work with them. I've also known people who want to "work from home" so open up daycares so they don't have to worry about commuting, paying income taxes, or answering to a boss. If all child care providers were required to take a specific amount of DAP training, I think the quality of child care homes and centers would be greatly improved.
I agree with the people that said they would not want there to be one teacher for a class for all of their schooling. I like that the children get to see different teachers and learn different teaching styles. I remember in school especially high school that every class I would change my learning style to that teacher. Like in A&P I would always remember to bring a pen and be ready for a lot of writing and note taking, also on tuesdays and thursdays I would be ready to talk and ask lots of questions. While in other classes I wouldnt be as talkative and just listen. I think that explains what i mean..lol..but I also like that children can be with a teacher for 3 years. i think that would be best because the children would get used to you and you wouldnt have to take time getting to know them and learning about their learning styles.
I agree with Lorie and Ashley M. that teachers do focus more on teaching what the children need in order to pass the TAKS and that Dap can’t be a priority. The DAP is a great guide but it takes time, consistency, help from others, and many others things in order to be truly effective. Also, it would be good if the whole system would adopt DAP because not only all educators would gain more information about child development but the quality of care and education would increase and the child would be positive influenced.
Another point that I think Ashley brought up is that not all schools and centers have the resources necessary and the time to invest in DAP. This affects teachers in many ways and how much educators use DAP
I think that it is all about priorities. Right now in schools the priorities are the TAKS test. I wish we could focus more on DAP but unfortunately teachers on the elem level are unable to do that due to teaching a test. TAKS makes me mad real mad, I think it is a good idea executed very wrong. Kinder and 1st grade teachers are already teaching students the test. My son just finished first grade and the second semester was mostly worksheets with multiple choice questions. It makes me sad for students and teachers.
Since many parents are not educated well enough on the aspects of child development then it is up to child care educators to promote change in this cycle. DAP is part of the change to provide the best environment for children to learn. I think DAP is in, slowly but surely, and as long as we promote the use of DAP in our practices as educators that it will be here to stay.
In response to the post by Chandler Gonzalez, I agree that it is so sad that the schools have to focus so much on TAKS, especially at levels such as first grade. I understand evaluating students to make sure they don't fall behind. But this is ridiculous that the classes have to spend more time on preparing for the TAKS exam than actually working on the child's development and learning process. Learning is suppose to be about the process, not just the final product.
I agree with everyone that said something about having different teachers for each year. When the children are exposed to the different teaching styles and personalitlies of all the different teachers, they will grow in a different way. When people are around something, there is always a specific part of them that will benefit from the interaction. Children will learn rom different teachers and they will be taught things in different ways from each and every one of them.
I think as people continue to educate themselves on aspects of child development (whether it be through shows like Super Nanny or internet resources), developmentally appropriate practices will continue to be the expected standard in early childhood education.
It seems that educators often strive to meet DAP standards, but fall short of the mark once they run into hurdles such as being hounded with meeting criteria for standardized test preparation. DAP can be used as second nature, however the school systems are often not conducive to aspects of DAP such as individualized education and other adjustments to the child's needs.
All in all though, I think DAP is here to stay and will increase with parental and teacher demand for a child-focused school day.
I agree with Barbara's comment concerning our awareness now more than ever about child development and standards for treating and educating children. Hopefully this trend will continue to increase. It seems as though it is, as one might say the "modern" parents of today seem more wrapped up than ever in insuring proper education for their children from pre-k and so on.
Maria pointed out that some still believe that children need a strict, stern environment with no play. This stood out to me because growing up I would hear adults/parent in my family and even today complain about their children coming home and telling them all they did was "play". I think parents need to have a better understand of DAP as well to have some changes in policy today. Sounds hard, to have all parents to learn DAP, but I think it could be a step closer to using DAP in the classroom setting more often.
I agree with cristina caterisano that DAP is in. I think that teachers want to teach children using DAP. I also agree that we do fall short of individualizing or lesson plans for students who need modified lessons. All children learn different and at different paces and we as future teachers know that. So who's job is it to education the lawmakers and politicians that make the rules and regulations for our school systems.
Yes I think DAP will eventually end, only because half of the teachers don't use DAP as a resource. I don't think DAP is always a tool needed in a classroom because there could be a 5 year old that is on 2 year old level. I think that DAP needs to be revised to fit todays time. With schools focusing more and more on state assessments ( TEXS..etc)DAP has no room to be used in the classrooms of today
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