Running head: DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE INSTRUCTION 1

Developmentally Appropriate Instruction

Martha Martin

Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 495 Field Experience ePortfolio, Spring 2018

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Introduction

One of the greatest challenges to teachers today is delivering developmentally

appropriate lessons for students while keeping the class together as a unit. Teachers must

understand students mental, physical, and emotional development while creating lessons to

benefit the group as a whole. Understanding the individual backgrounds, strengths, and

challenges facing students will give teachers the right context to meet the needs of their unique

classroom. This will help ensure meaningful, engaging lessons that have direct connection to

their students’ unique circumstances. The two artifacts to reveal understanding of this

competency will be photos documenting a hands-on activity covering mathematics standards for

second graders and a lesson plan on the basic concepts of renewable energy for fourth graders.

Rationale for Selection of Artifacts

The first artifact to display proficiency is an informal, formative assessment covering

simple fractions (SOL 2.3). After their first week of exposure to fractions, my second graders

needed a hands-on activity to reveal understanding of partial numbers; instead of a traditional

pen and paper assessment, I wanted to add a level of kinetic learning by having them participate

in an egg hunt. Children received several halves of plastic eggs with a number fraction on it (e.g.
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𝑜𝑟 7 ). The students had to find the matching half of that egg outside in the school garden.
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These either had a drawn picture of the fraction, or had the numerical fraction written in words

(e.g. one-half). Students paired a total of ten eggs and then checked the matches with myself of

my cooperating teacher. I was able to create a bit of differentiation with my higher-level groups
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by writing simple addition or subtraction problems with the fractions (e.g. 7 + ). All these
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eggs had equivalent denominators, but still posed a bit of a challenge for the children. This
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provided hands-on, cooperative learning for the students to demonstrate what they knew from

just a few days exposure to the topic.

My second artifact includes a whole-group, fourth-grade lesson plan on renewable energy

combining English Language Arts with Science topics. Because of the age group, I kept in mind

the mental and social stages of my students and created the plan accordingly. The lesson opened

with accessing prior knowledge about energy sources (a topic covered several weeks ago from

their science instructor). I incorporated visual elements in a PowerPoint slide and emphasized

cooperative learning through pairing students in groups of two for independent practice. As ten-

year olds intake new information, they benefit greatly from verbally processing with a partner

and seeing information connected to visual images. The dialogue students had with each other

while working on finding the main idea of a nonfiction text gave them a chance to better process

and retain the information presented in the lesson. It also assisted them in developing social skills

and provided scaffolding for some students who struggle with the material.

Reflection on Theory and Practice

Fostering cooperative learning activities in the classroom helps students develop social

skills, critical thinking, and understand varying perspectives on issues. It prepares students to not

only be responsible for their own learning, but to work as a team to accomplish goals. In fact,

this group mentality provides accountability, interpersonal skills, and positive interdependence

(Lightle, 2008, para. 4-8). This can help students with conflict resolution and (when done

correctly) inspire higher motivation. Cooperative learning is a key element of any work

environment and should be properly introduced and regulated in the classroom. As I continue to

grow as a teacher, I will implement thoroughly planned cooperative tasks to accelerate student

engagement with content and with peers. Each student comes from a different ethnic and cultural
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background. Fostering an environment that emphasizes cooperative learning helps students

understand their own unique strengths and recognize and appreciate others’ giftings. Teaching a

racially and culturally diverse classroom is a privilege and a joy. Gathering my students together

and providing teamwork building opportunities will create an appreciation for diversity. Since

the classroom is a mini-culture in and of itself, I hope to foster a community that embraces

multiculturalism so that my students can take that with them wherever they go—into next year’s

classroom and beyond into their adulthood. Training them now to learn to appreciate differences

will help build a better and brighter tomorrow.

As a kinetic learner myself, I value hands-on learning in the classroom and try to provide

it as an option as much as possible. As school-age children use higher sophisticated strategies,

such as “master[ing] fractions and other mathematical concepts, children must transition from

additive to multiplicative reasoning” (Bergin & Bergin, 2018, p. 160). Interestingly enough,

children who are middle-SES are more prone to play board games than lower-SES students.

Certain games help promote basic skills in arithmetic; as a result, utilizing hands on

manipulatives and activities with games may help advance students in the subject (Bergin &

Bergin, 2018, p. 160). Providing activities will assist students in learning through hands on

activities as well as improving problem-solving and logic skills.

Finally, visual elements in lessons can enhance learning by painting a vivid image for

students rather than simply relying on textual descriptions. According to Vanderbilt University’s

Center for Teaching, students minds “are wired to rapidly make sense of and remember visual

input” (Mcdaniel and Ebner, 2010, para. 1). Especially at a young age where children’s minds

are still assimilating to linguistic representation, pairing unfamiliar terms with visual images can

achieve more than simply stating definitions and expecting students to retain it. Providing
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different learning styles to students will cater to their developmental stages and increase their

understanding.
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References

Bergin, C. A., & Bergin, D. A. (2018). Child and adolescent development in your classroom:

topical approach. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Lightle, K. (2008, December). Cooperative Learning: An Oldie But a Goodie - Earth's Changing

Surface. Retrieved April 02, 2018, from http://beyondpenguins.ehe.osu.edu/issue/earths-

changing-surface/cooperative-learning-an-oldie-but-a-goodie

Mcdaniel, R., & Ebner, M. (2010). Visual Thinking. Retrieved April 02, 2018, from

https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/visual-thinking/