PRINCIPLES OF EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT III
Name_________________________________________Date___________
This is the fourth and final module on “Principles of Early Childhood Development”. I
hope that you have better understanding of how children grow and develop so that now
you are prepared to start planning developmentally appropriate programs and activities.
In this final module we will focus on developmentally appropriate practices.
What does developmentally appropriate mean?
As educators we need to understand what this means, so that we can begin to exercise
developmentally appropriate programs that are conducive to the learning of all children.
“Principles of child Development and Learning that informs Developmentally
Appropriate Practice’.
1.
Domains of children’s development-physical, social, emotional, and cognitive-are
closely related. Development in one domain influences and is influenced by
development in other domains.
2.
Development occurs in a relatively orderly sequences, with later abilities, skills, and
knowledge building on those already acquired.
3.
Development proceeds at varying rates from child to child as well as unevenly within
different areas of each child’s functioning.
4. Early experiences have both cumulative and delayed effects on individual children’s
development; optimal periods exist for certain types of development and learning.
5.
Development proceeds in predictable directions toward greater complexity, organization and internalization.
6.
Development and learning occur in and are influenced by multiple social and cultural
contexts.
7. Children are active learners, drawing on direct physical and social experiences as
well as culturally transmitted knowledge to construct their own understandings
of the world around them.
8.
Development and learning result from interaction of biological maturation and the
environment, which includes both the physical social worlds that children live in.
9.
Play is an important vehicle for children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development, as well as a reflection of their development.
10. Development advances when children have opportunities to practice newly acquired
skills as well as when experience a challenge just beyond the level of their present
mastery.
11. Children demonstrate different modes of knowing and learning and different ways
of representing what they know.
12. Children develop and learn best in the context of a community where they are safe
and valued, their physical needs are met, and they feel psychologically secure.
Essentials pages 144-155
“How do you plan an environment that promotes play?”
Complete the checklist on page 147
Look at your schedule and complete page 151
Complete the environment checklist on pages 152 & 153
Look at page 155, the purple rectangle, be familiar with what is not appropriate.
Look at page 156 and choose only one child to list abilities, interests and concerns
Page 162 answer questions in bold print.
Page 163 complete checklist
Make copies of these pages and attach to this module or attach the answer.
When you meet with the instructor you will be given a video to review on,
“Developmentally Appropriate Practices” if you are not able to get this video, try and
find a video at the library that deal with children’s development. After viewing the
video, write a one page summary, double- spaced.