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Developmentally Appropriate Classrooms

Developmentally Appropriate Classrooms:

An Investigation into Students and How to Cater to their Needs

Connor Wiley

Butler University
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Developmentally Appropriate Classrooms

Introduction:

For a student to learn efficiently and effectively they must feel comfortable within their

environment, which is normally a classroom led by a teacher. For this teacher to create this

sense of comfort within their own environment they must find ways to create developmentally

appropriate strategies for learning. Educators do this by knowing and understanding their

student’s needs through fostering relationships, recognizing and reacting to behavioral stimuli,

and preemptively creating a classroom culture of community and inquiry. If a teacher knows and

understands the average student’s needs based on their gender, age, race, and any other relevant

factor, then the educator can better tailor the lessons and classroom to support those students.

Teachers need to be able to recognize and identify when a struggling student is acting out and

what that behavior looks like and how to prompt that student to remain on task. If a teacher can

see that his or her class is mostly in one developmental level with a few students ahead of the

curve and a few students behind, they can create differentiated lesson plans and more effectively

use the class to better the education of the whole. While the teacher is getting to know the class

and all the factors that are at play within this raging classroom dynamic, the teacher can create an

agreed upon classroom culture wherein the students will feel safe and therefore be able to take

risks in the classroom and the students learn how to better learn and how to inquire about the

topics that they are curious about.

This is important to me because I was blessed with teachers who taught to me and to my

needs. They understood what I needed developmentally and how that would change throughout

my middle and high school career. One teacher who did an exemplary job of catering to her

class’s needs was my seventh and eighth grade math teacher Mrs. Lewis. She had a relaxed

classroom environment that allowed for students to move about freely while also having a
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productive lesson. She know a lot about adolescent development and would teach us what was

going on with our brains developmentally speaking. She is one of the reasons why I want to be

an educator today and still acts as a model of exemplary teaching in my mind.

Other teachers, educators, or people who work with children should understand the

impact and importance of having a developmentally appropriate environment. This extends past

children to really anybody who needs to convey information. If a speaker or presenter cannot

create an environment where they can effectively convey information, or teach in some cases,

then they will not be successful in their attempt to transfer knowledge.

Literature Review:

For educators to be able to create developmentally appropriate classrooms they need to be

able to create and foster a strong student-teacher relationship wherein they can learn more about

the student and how they learn best. As students continue to grow and develop through their

prepubescent and pubescent years, they make a social transition from relying on their parents and

family to relying on their friends and social setting. This is because they are trying to find their

own place in society and understand the world around. Educators can utilize this information to

better connect with them. That is, educators should be allowing students the freedom to find their

place in society and give them the respect that they deserve.

In Julie Baron’s article titled “Teen Engagement in Learning Starts with Respect”, there is

a guide on how and why educators or adults can show adolescents respect and the freedom to

explore. However respect does not mean that educators should allow students to act out and

misbehave because it is part of this transition into society. Educators need to challenge students

to do and be their best so that students don’t misbehave. They can only do this through getting to
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know the student and fostering this student-teacher relationship. Students who feel challenged by

their teachers typically feel more respected by their educators because it is a sign that those

educators care about the growth and development of their students. (Baron, 2015)

When students do not feel respected by their educators or when there is not a strong student-

teacher relationship then learning is impeded. The most common reason for this is because the

teacher has failed to relate to the student in some way, with one of the most common factors being

race or ethnicity. The teacher cannot relate because he or she doesn’t have the same background

as the student and therefore fails to relate. This failure to relate creates an ideology of indifference

within the student’s persona. They believe that they cannot reach out for help or ask questions in

the classroom because the teacher has failed to create that branch of communication between them.

Even if the teacher is trying their best to communicate clearly and build and foster a stronger

relationship, the student cannot get over this persona of indifference which will continue to impede

learning and progress in the classroom. (Rodriguez, 2012)

This is why educators need to create and foster a relationship with their students through

respect and empathy. They need to know their own background and inner workings and how they

think and process and how that might affect their students. (Baron, 2015) Educators cannot

implement every student’s baggage into the curriculum, but they need to understand that some

students will have a harder time connecting with them due to various factors such as race, ethnicity,

gender, sexuality, or even personality. (Rodriguez, 2012)

Once educators have established a strong relationship with their students then teachers

should be able to recognize when a student is acting unlike themselves. This behavioral stimuli is

vital to the progress of the classroom. Educators need to helps students and play a vital role with
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keeping students on a strong and positive progression towards impacting society positively. (Elias,

2015) When the student is acting out in a negative manner the teacher may have to implement

different forms of discipline which can negatively affect the student’s view of the student-teacher

relationship. The more the student has to be disciplined or the more severe the discipline the greater

the impact on the student-teacher relationship. (Gregory & Ripsky, 2010)

Educators sometimes do have to enforce disciplinary rules when the student behavior is

against the school policy, with great impact to the adolescent. This however should be the last

resort as the educator should be able to know and recognize when their student is heading towards

an unfavorable path that would lead them to such disruptive behavior. The educators should

already have established a solid relationship with the student and should know them well enough

to recognize when they are acting out compared to their normal behavior. The better the

relationship the teacher and student have, the better the educator can catch this warning behavioral

stimuli and therefore there will be a smaller impact on the relationship as a whole. (Gregory &

Ripsky, 2010)

While disruptive behavior is bound to happen in every classroom no matter who the

students and educators are. However, it is imperative that the educator create a classroom culture

that preemptively diminishes the ability for students to act out. Students act out because their

needs are not met. Therefore teachers should create a classroom culture that best meets their

student’s needs. They know what those needs are because they have strong relationships with their

students and know their learning personalities. They know when student’s needs aren’t being met

because they recognize when the student behavioral stimuli is acting as a warning flag, and

therefore adjust the classroom accordingly. To minimize this negative behavioral stimuli,
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educators should create a positive classroom culture centered on inquiry, self-motivation, and

active involvement in the classroom. (Pittman, Irby, Tolman, Yohalem, & Ferber)

Educators do this by understanding the student motivations and why they are in the

classroom. If an educator can utilize student motivation to increase student engagement in material

and personal development then behavior incidents in the classroom will become minimal.

(Pittman, Irby, Tolman, Yohalem, & Ferber) To keep the students engaged in the classroom,

educators should utilize strategies such as intentional movement, group work, individual work,

warm up and closing activities, and differentiating teaching styles. This will help to keep students

motivated in the classroom and engaged in the material, along with minimizing behavioral

outbursts. (Frondeville, 2009)

Another way to keep students engaged in the classroom material is to allow them to help

guide the curriculum and implement topics that are of interest to them. When students are curious

about a topic they are much more likely to retain that information because their motivation shifts

from the external, such as assessments, to the internal because they are genuinely curious about

the topic and therefore will implement the learning process that works best with them to gain the

information. (Miller, 2016) Students usually innately know what learning process works best for

them through rigorous trial and error known as the modern-day education system. Students,

especially adolescents, have had a lot of experience with different types of learning and the most

effective students have identified how they best learn and use that information to better their

schooling. If educators implement different modalities into their lessons so that those students can

use what is best for them and engage in multiple modalities to better cement the knowledge, then

students would become much more effective in the classroom. Teachers should show students
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these modalities so that those students can learn how they best learn and therefore become much

more effective in the classroom. (Erikson, 2006)

Data Collection:

To collect data on how teachers create and implement a developmentally appropriate

classroom, I researched at a local public high school of medium size, approximately 400

students, and took notes from classroom observations, student and teacher interactions, and

photo documentation. Over a course of eight weeks in the fall of 2016, I focused on what

teachers were doing to create developmentally appropriate classrooms, or how they failed to do

so, and how the students were reacting and participating in the classroom environment. To

respect those who are involved, all names have been removed or changed to preserve privacy.

Findings:

Students at this level understand and know when teachers are undermining them or

disrespecting them. Students don’t always demand respect, but they react more positively in a

classroom setting when they believe that they are respected by the teacher and their fellow peers.

In a math class that I observed, I noticed that the teacher made sure to interact with students

respectfully and treat them like they would adults. This teacher gave them freedoms that aren’t

normally given in a “typical” classroom. Students had access to their phones so they could take

a picture to use for later, or they could move about without permission, or they had the ability to

talk over material with partners or groups. (Field journal 11/2/16)

This teacher also had a strong set of expectations for these students. This teacher had a

set of expectations for them. The most important of which is that making mistakes is okay to do
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in this classroom and that in fact it was encouraged because that is how the students will be able

to grow and develop. (Field Journal 11/26) It was clear to me that this was very effective with

the students and felt as though they could achieve in this classroom because their teacher

believed in them and pushed them to do their best work.

This teacher had a strong relationship with their students and therefore could become an

effective teacher. One way they were an effective teacher was that they reacted and recognized

what his class needed through the way they were acting on that particular day. This is a mark of

an effective educator and a developmentally appropriate classroom. Another teacher who

excelled at this is the Spanish teacher that I observed.

This teacher was juggling two groups of students with two distinct sets of needs. The

first and primary group that I focused on was the younger group, mostly underclassmen, who

were answering comprehension questions on a passage that they had just read. The other was a

smaller group of seniors who were preparing to graduate and join the work force. The teacher

was preparing the smaller group for their senior projects. The larger group needed a lot of

guidance because they had just returned from lunch and were a little energetic. The teacher

realized this and gave them enough freedom to get out their energy while still making sure they

were on task. This was done through redirections and small group work. Instead of this teacher

just going over the answers, the class would first individually find the answers, then discuss in a

small group, then discuss in a large group setting run by the teacher, but dominated by student

input. (Field Journal, 9/28)

When students were off topic, the teacher had to recognize that behavior as a pattern and

implement redirections to help keep them on task. This was done through competition of small
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groups to see who could do their work the most effectively. This kept students on task most of

the time and when they were off task, other students in that small group would do the redirecting

for the teacher. (Field Journal 9/28) Another teacher who recognized and reacted to behavioral

stimuli extremely effectively was the English teacher I observed. They had a very similar

classroom setup as the aforementioned Spanish teacher: desks in small pods for easy small group

work. This allowed for small group discussion before a larger group discussion. This teacher

also allowed for students to move freely about the classroom, however this led to some off-task

behavior. The teacher recognized and reacted to this by taking away this privilege to move

freely, and when that wasn’t effective she has a short discussion on respect with the student.

(Field Journal 9/14).

This is not a strong example of reacting to behavioral stimuli in a classroom setting. This

teacher’s first impulse was to single out this student which is exactly the opposite of what an

educator should do. An educator should start by reminding the entire class of the preset

classroom expectations. In this case the educator should remind the students of the limits of their

freedom to move about the class. Usually this is sufficient to redirect students and put them back

on task as most students don’t want to be in trouble. If this doesn’t work then the educator

should have a silent redirection pointed at the student, that way the student knows that they are

not following the expectations, but it is less apparent to the entire class and therefore less

embarrassing to the student in question. If that doesn’t work then the redirection can escalate to

a verbal command by the teacher. That should not be the primary redirection for any situation,

even with students who have a propensity for pushing the boundaries of the classroom

expectations.

Conclusion:
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Creating and maintaining a developmentally appropriate classroom is a free-flowing

process wherein teachers needs to set a classroom culture of growth, development, and inquiry,

foster a strong relationship with their students, and readjust their classroom when they recognize

certain behavioral patterns from students. This will help to create a classroom full of effective

students whose needs are constantly being met. When those needs change, the classroom and

educators will change and morph to the student’s needs to maximize their learning and growth.

Over the past few months I have seen teachers who have been very effective because they

have implemented some or all three of these strategies and I have seen teachers who are

seemingly ineffective in the classroom because they have neglected at least one of these factors.

This is most typically building and fostering relationships with students. Teachers think that just

because they see a student in class every day that they have a strong relationship, but to build and

foster this relationship the teachers need to get to know the students, their likes and dislikes,

passions and motivations, and reasoning for going to school. This is how to build a solid

relationship.

In closing, it is imperative that teachers and educators remain humble throughout the

entire school year. Teachers make mistakes in the classroom quite often and students don’t

always pick up on those mistakes because they aren’t actively looking for them. Teachers make

mistakes by not fully engaging their students or by not modeling appropriate behavior and

methods, or by not reacting appropriately during a chaotic situation. Teachers need to know that

it is okay to make mistakes in the classroom, for that is how they grow and develop themselves.

However, they need to be receptive to changing their classroom for the betterment of the

students, even if it may be inconvenient at the beginning.

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Works Cited

Baron, J. (2015, October 26). Teen Engagement in Learning Starts With Respect. Retrieved
November 09, 2016, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/teen-engagement-starts-with-respect-
julie-baron

This article outlines ways in which educators can better connect with their students and
why it is important to show the respect that the students deserve. It gives concrete ways
in which educators can better themselves, their classrooms, and their students to make
for a more effective learning environment.

Elias, M. J. (2015, June 08). 7 Things Parents and Teachers Should Know About Teens.
Retrieved November 09, 2016, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/7-things-parents-and-
teachers-should-know-about-teens-maurice-elias

This article gives seven important aspects of a teen’s life and reflection of life and how
parents or educators can help to support those teens as they continue to grow and
develop into functioning adults. It talks about how teachers and parents should help to
shape the path that the teen is on.

Erikson, H. L. (2006, July 14). The Thinking Classroom. In Concept-Based Curriculum and
Instruction for the Thinking Classroom (Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction Series) (pp.
5-23).

This chapter talks about how teachers can push their students to get the best out of them
through the knowledge of the adolescent brain. Erikson talks about how learning is most
effective when a student is engaging multiple modalities and how learning is not static.
Erikson also points out that the current education system is flawed and doesn’t allow for
students to engage in multiple modalities or to reach higher-level thinking or learning.

Frondeville, T. D. (2009, August 03). How to Keep Kids Engaged in Class. Retrieved November
09, 2016, from https://www.edutopia.org/classroom-student-participation-tips

This article talks about how students remain engaged in a lesson during a class period.
The author promotes an active classroom wherein students become more engaged and
efficient learners. It lays out important strategies to keep an active classroom such as
intentional movement or group work.

Gregory, A., & Ripsky, M. B. (2010, January). Adolescent Trust in Teachers: Implications for
Behavior in the High School Classroom. School Psychology Review, 37(3), 337-353. Retrieved
November 9, 2016, from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228621819_Adolescent_trust_in_teachers_Implication
s_for_behavior_in_the_high_school_classroom
This source talks about how discipline and trust relate within a classroom. It talks about
the complex social web that is an average school and different ways that a teacher can
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demand respect and gain trust of an adolescent. In the end it is important to foster a
relationship with the adolescent so that there is less need for harsh discipline and a
larger sense of trust.

Miller, A. (2016, September 13). Tools for Student Self-Management. Retrieved November 09,
2016, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/tools-for-student-self-management-andrew-miller
This article talks about a classroom that is student-led and self-managed. This is where
the teacher concedes control over the student’s learning to the student and allows them to
create their own path of learning. Teachers act more as a guide than a dictator, helping
the students to keep on track but still allow for their own growth and development.

Pittman, K. J., Irby, M., Tolman, J., Yohalem, N., & Ferber, T. (2003). Preventing Problems,
Promoting Development, Encouraging Engagement Competing Priorities or Inseparable Goals?
The Forum for Youth Investment, Impact Strategies.

The most important part of class room management is highlighted in this article.
Teachers need to prepare and preemptively put in measures so that students understand
and follow expectations so to minimize student misconduct. This is done by promoting
student development and maximizing student engagement in material.

Rodriguez, L. F. (2012, January). “Everybody Grieves, but Still Nobody Sees”: Toward a Praxis
of Recognition for Latina/o Students in U.S. Schools. Teachers College Record, 114, 1-31.
Retrieved November 9, 2016, from http://www.tcrecord.org/library

This article talks about how the background of a student can impede their learning.
Specifically it focuses on Latino students and how they typically do not comprehend
everything in the classroom. They feel as though they cannot or do not know how to ask
questions. Comparatively, the student teacher relationship is hindered because of the
lack of communication between the teacher and the Latino students.