San Ildefonso College

Tanay, Rizal

Term Paper:

DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE
PRACTICES
In
Kindergarten

JESSICA S. AGUIRRE
SUPPLEMENTAL

Mrs. Felicidad Joven

ECE 102

INTRODUCTION

Experiences during the earliest years of life can have powerful long-term
consequences, human beings are amazingly resilient and incredibly capable
of learning throughout life. We should strengthen our resolve to ensure that
every child has the benefit of positive early childhood experiences that
support literacy development. Early childhood education has always
embraced the (academics social, emotional and physical) content that
young children need to learn.
Kindergarten is a time for children to expand their love of learning, their
general knowledge, their ability to get along with others, and their interest in
reaching out to the world. While kindergarten marks an important transition
from preschool to the primary grades, it is important that children still get to
be children -- getting kindergarteners ready for elementary school does not
mean substituting academics for play time. Kindergarten students (and all
young children!) can learn academic content that is appropriate to where
they are developmentally capable. Seeing a focus on academic content tells
us what children are being taught, but it does not dictate how children
should be taught.
Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) provides the best frame for how
to teach young children. It encompasses all facets of the early childhood
program beginning with the climate of the classroom and how individual
childrens needs are met and extending.
Young children learn best when taught using a variety of learning formats, as
well as instruction and play. Play is the highest expression of human
development in childhood, for it alone is the free expression of what is in the
childs soul.
As such, age appropriateness, individual appropriateness, and cultural and
linguistic appropriation must be consider to incorporate childrens
experiences for learning. Moreover, an institution that provides encouraging
environment, (structure, interior arrangements), responsive teachers,
challenging curriculum and the readiness of the child to learn are factors to
considered by parents.

Abstract
The purpose of this study is to observe the implementation of
Developmentally Appropriate Practices by an early childhood educators in a
particular institution. The hypothesis is to ask (through an interview)
educators how they implement DAP in their curriculum. This has been done
by examining what had been observed; analyzation of the answers from the
questions prepared to the teachers, as respondents of this study.
Comparisons of DAP in today settings, from own experience was identified
and evaluated. Upon completion, discovering
more DAP that suits child
development are being anticipated enable to build lifelong good feelings
about learning and school.

APPROPRIATE PRACTICES

INAPPROPRIATE PRACTICES

1. Teachers plan and prepare a

learning environment that
fosters childrens initiative,
active exploration of materials,
and sustained engagement
with other children. Teacher
should consider childrens
developmental and social
levels together with the
background of the children.
2. Teachers maintain a safe
healthy environments and
careful supervisions.
3. Teacher s support childrens
age appropriate risk taking
within safe boundariessupervising children wearing
safety and real tools.
4. Teacher plan a variety of
concrete learning experiences
with materials and people
relevant to childrens life
experiences that promote their
interest in learning
development.

1. The environment is disorderly

and without structure or
predictability. Children wander
aimlessly without purpose or
direction.
2. Teachers are frequently
inattentive or careless about
supervising children and
monitoring the safety of the
indoor and outdoor
environments.
3. Learning materials are
primarily workbooks, flashcards
and other materials that focus
on the drill and practice rather
than engaging childrens
problem-solving and higher
order thinking skills.
4. The primary criterion for
planning activities is that they
be fun and entertaining to
children with no attempt to
build higher level abilities.

1. How do they implement appropriate classroom settings in terms of the

following:
Group Size-we implement the proper size/number of student in

every section upon registration, so we can handle each them

well. But then, instances happens that parent wants to ruled out
over the scheduled we have provided to their child.

 Although proper ratio hasnt been properly observe, teachers

can still acoomodate students properly by the help of an aid.
Environment-dangerous objects and fragile possessions had

been removed from the area in which students play. It disturbed

attention, and sometimes causes fight.
Posting achievements that encourages students to
participates in activities, and other learning (cognitive)
materials are visible.
Curriculum -we provide activities that encourage students to

become intellectually active, and challenging curriculum as the

basis of learning.
Providing lessons, where students can easily understand its
actualization.(from observation-presenting the real fruits to
the students.)
Teachers

Attentive , responsive and patient.

Discipline-there is no specific way to discipline them all,they are

different to one another. But the big part of it was on us. Hindi
namen sila pwede saktan o takutin kasi mawawala ang tiwala
nila samen. Yun na ang matatandaan nila, hindi ang lesson n
itinuro ko.
Teachers provides instructions for the students proper behavior,
on the other hand the Aid is preffered for naughty and
misbehave student to punish them.(aid didnt imposed harsh
punishment-kinukuha lang sa tingin at threathening gestures)

Readiness of the Child Psychologically and emotionally, some of the parents

themselves are not yet ready to leave their child on school.

REFLECTION (observation):
I usually go to this particular school in our neighborhood along with my
son, so I decided to include them on my study since I have known and

observed them almost every day . The school where my niece and nephews
currently enroll was nearby our street. Just like the school I have attended
when I was kindergarten. It was along the streets where we lived in, few
meters away from our house (a meter or two, I guessed). I remember, my
nanay who would wake me early in the morning to feed and dress me for the
school. Wearing the typical skirts (checkered red-white), and the usual white
baby-collar blouse prescribed in that school. It wasnt really a school I
guessed, as my certificate referred to it as a center. And the structure of it
was made out of woods (coco lumber to be exact) and sawali. It merely looks
like a very simple structure of a house that has no divisions, not even a
comfort room. A four-corner room that has a blackboard (chalkboard) in front,
teachers table, desk-chair for student, and a few learning materials on walls.
Far from the classrooms I have observed, walls was painted with light
enthusiastic colors wherein, cognitive-learning materials were posted. The
structured was built for lasts imploring safety and with facilities such as
canteen, comfort room, ground that has enough space where student can
play, and organized events for their activities.
Breaktime, the moment my son have been waiting. By this time he can
witnessed the students along the ground interacts playfully-running,
jumping, and laughing. The moment he enjoyed most, where hes cousins
shares their baon to him. It excites him much seeing many children playing
around, as if he can join them on their activities.
Nevertheless, as I have been observed from the usual, there were
parents around the school premises- some were even inside the classroom
assisting their child on the lesson.

(the comparison reflects on a semi-private child care centers to

public(barangay) chil-center program.)

Conclusions;Commendations;Suggestions:
Children needs appropriate environment to explore their learning interests.
Parents, beforehand must conditioned their child first, that school will be
their second home for learning and development. Sometimes parent enroll
their child into child-center program to excuse them from attending to the

needs of their own child. Even if their child were only less than three. I
believed that, parents should be the first teacher of a child, as my parents
disciplined us (siblings) to be good at all times. They were our first teacher
accompanying and teaching us lessons during our childhood (and I may say
even up to now).
Disciplined, basically, must be practiced by parents so they can employ it to
their children. Conditioning the child in a perspective of a bird in a cagedalthough reared and fed- isnt enough, nor the perfect environment to grow
up and develop. Familiarization or routine would help child to face the new
environment such as schools. Child center program is the partnerships that
will develop between schools and families that will provide a strong
community of support.
As parent (and aspiring teacher) I will teach my son basic knowledge and
skills to prepare him for his upcoming school days that will engine him to go
further and beyond
The beliefs, principles, contributions and even practices of our great
philosophers of Early childhood education plays a vital role in cultivating and
imploring the progressed of education. Hence, visible practices that
originated from their philosophies such us:

Singing nursery rhymes

Fingerplays
Dramatization
Real objects
Dance for physical health
Play(motivation for the lessons)

Each day we face anew the challenge to create the perfect, developmentally
appropriate environment for every young child. We will most likely fall short
from time to time because we, too, are growing and learning. Thus, a study
as such, will helped to identify developmentally appropriate practices (DAP)
that is suitable for the childs needs.