Let’s read a story…I LIKE ME

Assessing Prior Knowledge

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What is developmentally appropriate practice?

What is differentiated instruction?

Why are these issues important?

The biggest mistake of the past centuries in teaching has been to treat all children as if they were variants of the same individual, and thus

to feel justified in teaching them the same subjects in the same ways.

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”Howard Gardner

When a teacher tries to teach something to the entire class at the same time,

chances are, one-third of the kids already know it, one-third will get it; and the

remaining third won’t. So two-thirds of the children are wasting their time.

“

”Educator Lilian Katz

Developmentally Appropriate Practice

• Meets children where they are, as individuals and as a group. This means it differentiates instruction for learners.

• Helps each child reach challenging and achievable goals, keeping attune with the differences within each human being.

To implement a developmentally appropriate practice it is essential to understand how young children learn and develop.

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Developmentally Appropriate PracticeNAEYC

How do children learn best?

Let’s brainstorm…

How young children learn and develop

• Relashionships with responsive adults.

• Active, hands on involvement.

• Meaningful experiences.

• Constructing their understanding of the world.

PlayPlay is perhaps the only human behavior that integrates and balances all aspects of human functioning.

Play may be the most important process through which children learn to adapt to the world and become more mature.

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”Rojers and Sawyers

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Play

Mastery is achieved one small step at a time. Play allows trial and error experimentation. Children can pick the level of skill and challenge with chich they feel comfortable.

Children who experience success are more likely to repeat the experience and to take on new or more difficult challenges as well.

Let’s turn this experience into a playful learning experience…

Experience

• The teacher shows pictures of different fruits to the group.

• She asks them to “name” each fruit.

• After showing all the pictures, she gives each child a sheet of paper with an outline of a fruit.

• Each child has to fill the inside of the fruit outline with pieces of paper.

Learning throgh play

How do we know where children are developmentally?

In order to meet children where they are…

• Don’t try to teach children in a “one size fits all” way.

• Observe children’s play and interaction with the phisical environment, with other children in order to learn about each child’s interests, abilities and developmental progress.

“I love babies”By Victoria

We were in the playground and observed Victoria who approached every child from Nido (2 year olds) and showed love and care towards each one. The teacher asked Victoria what

she was doing and she answered “I love babies”. Here’s what happened:

Victoria: Pamela, ¿What’s wrong with the baby?

T.P: He is sad because he wants her mom.

Victoria: Don’t cry baby doll. You are so pretty.Your mom will be here soon.

Victoria: Sweety, I love you.

V: ¿ What’s her name, Amelia?

T.A: Her name is Marianna, Vicky

V: Don’t cry, Marianna.

V: Let me help babies swing.Careful.Fuin, fuan, fuin, fuan.

Carolina Shows her ThinkingWhen we look at children’s work we often wonder what went on in their

minds as they created the picture before us. Not very often are we gifted with the opportunity Carolina gave us on this occasion, where she allowed us a rare

glimpse into the thought process behind a piece of art.

She began by placing many

buttons on a piece of paper.

Then, she made a small curved line to mark the

place the buttons where, as she removed each

button and placed them back on the tray.

She carefully placed a button over every circle she finished tracing.

She closed each curved line making circles. Now the paper was filled with circles the size of buttons.

Finally, she added two small red dots and two pink lines to each one of her circles to make a paper filled with circle people.

Now, as she removed the buttons one by one, she made a small blue line coming out of the circles.

Choosing an orange crayon, she filled each circle.

Carolina shows thinking and organization skills as well as writing skills by showing her step by step thinking process. She began with an idea, placing and marking buttons on the paper, perfected it by closing the circles, went back to check her work by placing the buttons back and added details to create a detailed and elaborate picture.

• She relied on something on hand to create something new.

• She used the buttons in an unconventional way (buttons are not usually used for drawing)

• She was careful and attentive to details.

• She “invented” a way to make beautiful circle people.

Differentiated Instruction requires

• Differentiation in readiness.

• Differentiation in interest.

• Differentiation in learning profiles.

Differentiation in readiness means…

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Meet learners where they are…

• Physical• Emotional• Social• Cognitive

Consider what is age appropriate

Based on what we know about development and learning of children within a given age range.

Helping children reach challenging and achievable goals

• The goal is to help each child improve his/her skills and understanding as much as possible.

• Experiences that build on what the learner already knows and can do. Also make them stretch a reasonable amount toward what they don’t know or cannot yet do.

– When materials or experiences are challenging but not unreasonably beyond the child’s ability-we say those materiales or experiences are developmentally appropriate for that learner. (Copple and Bredekamp)

Zone of Proximal Development

• Vygotsky ‘s theory: Zone of Proximal Development:“The distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers" (Vygotsky, 1978).

• Vygotsky believed that when a student is at the ZPD for a particular task, providing the appropriate assistance (scaffolding) will give the student enough of a "boost" to achieve the task. Once the student, with the benefit of scaffolding, masters the task, the scaffolding can then be removed and the student will then be able to complete the task again on his own.

Group Work• Let’s look at samples of students’ work and

discuss differences in readiness. • Questions:– How would you assess these samples?– What experiences or activities would be

appropriate for each child considering the ZPD?– How could the teacher challenge each child and

help them achieve the goal of improving their writing?

Differentiation in interest means…

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Emergent CurriculumCurriculum is planned or adjusted to respond to and follow each child’s interests or needs.

Responsive teachers allow each child’s interest and motivations to emerge as a focus of the curriculum.

Topics emerge from learners interests and relate to their experiences in the community, family culture and what we know about what children like at different stages (water, dinosaurs, light and shadow…)

Emergent Curriculum

Shape Project

Classification project

Exploring with shapes.

Representing with Shapes

Classifying Shapes

Differentiation in learning profiles means…

Video

An Island of Math Materials

Area: Cognitive Development

Sebastian, Christian and Alberto began working on individual islands. Sebastian focused on making tall structures to represent trees and houses. Alberto was more interested in looking for blue materials to represent the water. Christian made the shape of the island, making land and beaches.

We asked them to observe the different designs they had made and to work together to make one island. They joined forces and began working together.

They continued to work individually, each focusing on a different aspect of the island. Alberto used blue materials to make the ocean and surrounding water, Sebastian used colorful sticks to make standing objects, such as trees and mountains and Christian made land and grass areas.

In this group, everyone begins with a different concept and then unite to create one island.

Grass

Deep OceanRiver

Land

The final result showed many details found on an island. They used a variety of materials to represent the objects that seemed more important for them, such as rivers, grassy areas and land. Each one represented by the color it had.

An Island of Blocks

Area: Cognitive Development

Pablo begins to place blue letter blocks around a large block to simulate water around a small island. Jorge, who has been walking around the center with a stuffed whale, asks Pablo about his construction.

Jorge: “Esa es tu isla?” Pablo: “Yes”Jorge: “The blue letters are the water?” Pablo: “yes”

Jorge then relays the information to the other boys who are working on a larger island. They begin working together, joining their islands, and using Pablo's idea for the “water”.

The island construction grew and the blue letter blocks were no longer enough to surround the island. The boys found some blue rope and used it instead, for the water.

As the construction grew, they boys had to face certain challenges. They ran out of blue letter squares and had to look for another material to use as water. The concept that the water had to completely surround the island seemed clear. The blue rope worked well to surround their island construction.

WaterThe water is around the island.

Whale.The Whale is in the water. We can not see their eyes. The whales visit the island.

Palm Tree Island

Cars.The island has cars. They are in the parking lot.

An Island of Blocks

A Collage Island

Area: Cognitive Development

They began making a large glue circle on a piece of cardboard.

Daniela, Rafael Emilio and Elvis had a very clear ideas as to what their island should look like.

Rafael, Elvis and Daniela worked together, using fingers to spread the glues and give the island shape.

They used green and red paper strips to represent the island, surrounding it with wood shaving as sang. Then, they looked for blue objects to use as water.

Cork served as harbor floats around the island.

Bottle caps, blue tiles and blue paper scraps were represent water.

Shells and pasta circles add an extra ocean feeling.

Bottle caps, blue tiles and blue paper scraps were represent water.

A Painted Island

Area: Cognitive Development

At the Atelier, the girls chose to make the island using paint. At first glance it seemed they concept was not clear. They chose to work on a large piece of paper, painting three strips of color. First a brown, then blue and finally a large green area. It seemed they were making an ocean scene as opposed to an island.

The teacher asked to make sure they were making and island, as they had planned to do.

Teacher: What are you painting?Isabella: Una islaTeacher: Can you show me the island?Natalia: No esta lista, la tenemos que hacer.Teacher: how are you planning on making it?Gabriela: Cutting the green and brown.

They proceeded to cut out the freshly painted green paper and took turn cutting and pasting small pieces to the blue area. They added a small brown part to the green. Their islands ended up looking like the Hispaniola map we made in the classroom with the Dominican Republic in green and Haiti in brown.

Teacher: Can you tell about your project.Isabela: This are the islands. The blue is the water.Gabriela: We made a lot of islands. Teacher: How did you divide the work?Isabella: Gabriela and I cut the paper and Dianmarie made the islandsDianmarie: Son muchas islas juntas, una al lado de la otra.

This island took many steps to create. From planning what they would do, painting, cutting and pasting, this group organized their ideas, assigned roles and carried out the project until it, indeed looked like a group of islands.

Multiple Representations of an Island

paint

blocks collageMath manipulatives

Area: Cognitive Development

Although every group chose a different material, they all showed understanding of the concept of island, by surrounding their creations by water.

Consider what is individually apropriate

Attuned to each child in all of his or her individuality.

Developmentally appropriate teaching is “intentional”

• Setting up the classroom.

• Assessing children.

• Planning the curriculum.

For next week…

• Chose an area of development (language, social-emotional, math, motor skills…)

• Observe each child in your group and try to determine:– Readiness– Interests– Learning profile

– Bring notes next week to share

For next week

Bring a lesson plan next week.

Workshop evaluation

• What did you like best?

• Something you did not like…

• Suggestions?