Running Head: DEVELOPMENTALLY-APPROPRIATE INSTRUCTION

Developmentally-Appropriate Instruction
Lauren Reinke
Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 495 Field Experience ePortfolio, Spring 2015

DEVELOPMENTALLY-APPROPRIATE INSTRUCTION

Introduction
Within this competency for Developmentally-Appropriate Instruction, is an outline for
the importance of articles proving effectively tailored techniques, having cultural awareness, and
thus evidence for mastery of cognizant instruction. It would not be sufficient to simply have a
state-of-the-art lesson which accelerates academia yet ignores the students statuses of
development. Nor should a teacher concentrate on meeting a students needs without the hope of
raising standards. Developmentally-appropriate instruction is a healthy balance for education to
thrive. The following articles are glimpses of what this may entail for a sixth grade math class at
a private Christian school.
Rationale for Selection of Artifacts
Each artifact is supplemental material as indication for enhanced instruction according to
developmental pace and understanding. The first includes a lesson on the Area of a
Parallelogram which uses a variety of learning techniques to assess all components that form
the area of a parallelogram. The second is a drawing of what was collaboratively created by a
sixth grade class from a lesson on classifying quadrilaterals.
The key elements which qualify the first artifact for this competency is its wide variety of
hands-on techniques. With an introduction, addressing the objective, and after praying with the
class as an option to begin lessons according to the schools appropriate culturestudents are
asked to draw which of the three shapes on the board is NOT a parallelogram on their own mini
student white boards and raise them for assessing the previous lesson as background knowledge
prerequisite to the current lesson. With higher level thinking questions, the first step as an
anticipatory also references Blooms Taxonomy which classifies the comprehension strategies
(Gunning, 2013). Students are asked why the shape they drew is NOT a parallelogram and why
the others are considered to be so. They were also prompted to remember other names for these

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shapes and what the sides of a rectangle are labeled in preparation for labels of a parallelogram
to calculate area. This lesson also had students stand and draw a line for where the base and
height of the parallelogram was. To clarify understanding, students were challenged to explain
why the height was identified inside the parallelogram instead of the side being labeled as the
height like a rectangle might. As a visual, I leaned slanted against a chair to prove that finding
the distance from the floor to my head would not be found by measuring the length from feet to
the head, but rather from the floor directly to my head. This lesson also included a parallelogram
shown on a document camera that was cut along the height students identified and repositioned
to show a rectangle, yet the space/area did not change. Lastly this lesson involved teamwork for
tables to complete a hands-on activity: tracing a parallelogram, measuring the angles, recording
them on the front board, and recognizing patterns [also comparing the sum of rectangle angles to
that of a parallelogram]. Although their tracings may not have been perfect, this was a great
opportunity to include the schools cultural understanding of why we are not perfect.
The second represents the competency by initially brainstorming examples that give
definition for quadrilaterals before creating the diagram. After having passed out a cut-out shape
per table, students were asked a series of questions to raise their shape if they determined the
description to identify it. With this introduction, students were asked to draw the circles of this
diagram and including the titles by steps. Once the class understood a classification, they were
able to physically place their shape on the board according to its qualifications. After having had
some practice and analysis with the objective, students were then able to post-it label various
quadrilaterals they found around the classroom as table groups.
Reflection on Theory and Practice
With reflection, both artifacts were effective and as always, could use some
improvements. The first proved to be an intriguing, clean-cut, and interactive lesson that took

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advantage of various techniques and challenged students to excel with them. With more straw
parallelogram models, I may have utilized that activity pairing students instead of grouping
them; yet overall a great demonstration of developmentally-appropriate instruction. As may be
observed, Effective teachers match their instructional activities to their students developmental
level and then gradually lead them to higher levels of mastery. This involves recognizing and
correcting deficiencies in students skill levels (Partin, 2009). The second was quite enjoyable to
exercise hands-on material but requires a sharper level of behavioral management. With these
instances, DAP (Developmentally Appropriate Practice) has met the gap (the difference in
achievement among groups of children) (Gunning, 2013). Developmentally-appropriate practice
attunes both teachers and students for the possibilities in achievement.

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References
Gunning, T. (2013). Creating literacy instruction for all students (8th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Partin, R. (2009). The classroom teacher's survival guide: Practical strategies, management
techniques, and reproducibles for new and experienced teachers; [grades K - 12] (3.rd
ed.). San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass.