Running head: DEVELOPMENTALLY- APPROPRIATE INSTRUCTION 1

Developmentally- Appropriate Instruction

Megan Johnson

Regent University

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

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Introduction

Mrs. Julip pulls her second-graders to her guided reading table to introduce non-fiction

text features. Around this same time down the hall, Mrs. Holly is pulling her fourth-graders to

discuss the same concept. While the lessons with these teachers may seem identical, it will vary

in conversation, understanding, and activities due to the developmental differences in both

classrooms. Both teachers will most likely mention titles in their lessons, but the fourth grade

book may be titled “Chicago- a Waterway City” and the second grade book may be titled “The

City on the Lake.” These minor differences are significant when conveying information and

principles in the classroom because they are either effectively meeting the students in their

current understanding or running right over their heads. The artifacts analyzed below highlight

the importance of developmentally- appropriate instruction, including hands-on activities and

student responsibility, as it enhances learning and growth.

Rationale for Selection of Artifacts

The first artifact is a photograph of a classroom activity that the students participated in

during their math block. In preparation for their equality assessment, I created four math stations

that the students would alternate through to review the topics and standards. This photograph

shows one hands-on station, focused specifically on the scale, as it is a helpful tool in

comprehending a balanced equation. The students were given a series of problems to complete

and were encouraged to use the scale and math manipulatives to assist in solving and visualizing

the problems. I chose this artifact to feature the importance of hands-on activities in the primary

grades, as they are developing their founding concepts in math.

The second artifact is a screen shot, or photograph, of a powerpoint slide I used to

formatively assess the students in their skip counting skills. However, this assessment gave the
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students the opportunity to assess themselves. With a powerpoint slide and a Smart Board, the

students were able to drag their name to the place on the table they related most with. If the

students were having a very difficult time with the concepts, they put themselves in the “I do not

get it yet” column on the table. If the students were close to fully understanding, they put

themselves in the “I am almost there” column on the table. Finally, if the students felt like they

completely understood, they put themselves in the “I feel really good about this” column of the

table. I chose this artifact to underline the importance of personal responsibility in the

development of each student.

Reflection on Theory and Practice

As I am settling into my second student teaching placement, I am realizing the incredible

difference in development between second-graders and fourth-graders. However, while they may

be at different stages in development, the places of maturity that I have seen evident in my

fourth-graders are fostered in the primary grades, where my second-graders stand. Two major

areas of maturity that are being founded in the primary grades and strengthened in the higher

grades are learning strategies and personal responsibility.

The primary grades are the footing to all other learning and the place for foundational

concepts to be taught and practiced. For example, “children develop a mathematical foundation

by building beliefs about what mathematics is and what it means to understand and ‘do’

mathematics”(Protheroe, 2007, p.52). In this foundational time period, students are not just

learning math, but they are engaged and doing math so that they are able to internalize and fully

understand the concepts. In the younger grades, this looks like hands-on activities in order to

keep the students moving and to bring down the ideas to a comprehensible level. With practice

and age, these hands-on activities will lessen as they translate into math sense over time.
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However, in my current second-grade classroom, there are specific students who need additional

assistance on these foundational hands-on activities. For example, there is a ESL student. This

student is learning second-grade content along with all of the other students, while also learning

english. Because these foundations will build upon each other, it is crucial that I take this cultural

piece into consideration as I am teaching these ground breaking pieces. In many cases this

involves reading any directions out loud to the student, allowing the student to work with a

friend who is willing to help read the directions, or clarifying words the student does not know.

While this is a minor accomodation, it is absolutely priceless to the student.

Not only is this foundation in the primary grades for educational development, but for

social and emotional development. A crucial aspect in learning, especially as students grow

older, is the responsibility they take for their own work and skill set. While some students may

seem too young to take responsibility for their own learning and actions, “children should be

given the opportunity of learning responsibility by practicing it” (Mitton & Harris 1954, p. 269).

Students can begin this at a young age, from picking their toys up to reflecting on how they feel

about a specific topic. As teachers, it is our responsibility to find moments for our students to

practice this throughout our time together.

In order for a foundation to be built and prosper, it must be practiced and respected. The

developmentary foundation should be especially respected because, “all the domains of

development and learning-- physical, social, emotional, and cognitive—are important, and they

are closely interrelated” (Farbman, 2016, p.3). It is absolutely vital that educators find this

information to be true and valuable in the classroom so that it can become an every day practice.

This practice involves choosing to see more than a standard and meeting each student right

where they are to build a solid foundation.

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References

Farbman, D. (2016). Creating Learning Environments in the Early Grades that Support Creating

Learning Environments in the Early Grades that Support Teacher and Student Success

Teacher and Student Success[PDF]. W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Mitton, B., & Harris, D. (1954). The Development of Responsibility in Children. The Elementary

School Journal, 54(5), 268-277. Retrieved from

http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.regent.edu:2048/stable/998563'

Protheroe, N. (2007). What Does Good Math Instruction Look Like? [PDF]. National

Association of Elementary School Principals.