Developmental Approach To Instruction

Developmental approach to Instruction
Parker Thoroughgood
Regent University
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Running head: Developmental Approach to Instruction
Introduction
The developmental approach to education is one approach that was foreign to me until I
made it later into my college career. I had never realized the different stages that a child learns
compared to their age and cultural understanding. I believe that as a teacher it is most important
to understand each student’s age and cultural upbringing. The Scholastics in an online article
about developmentally appropriate instruction state that “Developmentally appropriate describes
an approach to teaching that respects both the age and the individual needs of each child. The
idea is that the program should fit the child; the child shouldn’t have to fit the program.”
(Church, 1996) This description of what developmentally appropriate instruction is that the
program should mold to the child.
Rationale of Selected Artifacts
Slavery during the American Revolution
I feel that the toughest thing that I have ever done as a teacher is to teach students about
slavery. When teaching sensitive subjects it is most important to be mindful of your student's
cultural upbringing and the political climate of the world. As an employee of the state in a public
school, it is imperative to leave your political views out of your teaching to fit the student's needs
to learn unbiased information. This was evident when I was teaching the American Revolution to
my 5th-grade class. I was teaching and came to the slide of slavery in the colonies during the war
and felt the tension in the room rise as my students looked at me as I start teaching about slavery.
Being culturally aware of the students who you are teaching to is important to also gain a
relationship with your students to be able to discuss difficult topics such as slavery in the
classroom. Of course, when it comes to teaching younger students there are not many chances
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for in-depth discussions but in higher grades like 5th grade, there are more opportunities for
these conversations.
Classifying Angles Sort
I know first-hand as someone who is a hands-on learner the benefits of this approach in
teaching. The challenge of hands-on activities is that the global pandemic has made it difficult
for students to use manipulatives in class. Though there are many different sites that students can
use to get manipulative there are very few chances for students to use their hands. I decided to
still have some chances for my students to have hands-on manipulatives like the sort of this
classifying triangle. I used non-laminated versions so that I could dispose of the papers once the
students were done using them. I used this sort to enable students to understand that the
classifying triangle has two different names.
Reflection on Theory and Practice
When it comes to understanding your students it all begins with relationships and data.
To understand your students' cultural past and how they were raised you must gain the
relationship to then create a classroom culture of acceptance and openness. When the teacher
gains a relationship with their students they can have discussions on topics like slavery in their
social studies lesson. In my situation, I had a relationship with my students which lead to them
having questions about the history of slavery which I was able to answer. This discussion was all
formed from the connections that I made with my students. Lastly, hands-on learning is by far
one of the most powerful ways that a student can learn. Studies have shown that the retention of
information is greater when students can apply their learning to hands-on activities. A study done
by Goodwin University shows the benefits of hands-on learning for students “when a child
engages in a learning activity that is hands-on and requires multitasking such as talking,
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listening, and movement, the greater the chances that multiple areas of the brain will be
stimulated and developed.” (Goodwin, 2018)I feel that having students apply their learning gives
a better yield on their understanding of the material.

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References
Church, E. (1996). Defining "Developmentally Appropriate". Retrieved 2020, from
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/defining-developmentally-
appropriate/#:~:text=%22Developmentally%20appropriate%22%20describes%20an
%20approach,have%20to%20fit%20the%20program!
G. (2018). How Hands-On Learning Benefits Children of All Ages. Retrieved 2020, from
https://www.goodwin.edu/enews/benefits-of-hands-on-learning/

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Developmental Approach To Instruction

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Developmental approach to Instruction

about developmentally appropriate instruction state that “Developmentally appropriate describes

program should mold to the child.

Rationale of Selected Artifacts

Slavery during the American Revolution

Classifying Angles Sort

classifying triangle has two different names.

Reflection on Theory and Practice

a better yield on their understanding of the material.

Church, E. (1996). Defining "Developmentally Appropriate". Retrieved 2020, from

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