Food for Thought

I shared earlier that this book is on my summer reading list

I haven't delved into it yet, but I'm excited to read it, particularly the chapter on Common Core. 

Here's an overview of the chapters:

1. What is developmentally appropriate practice?

2. Teaching in the Kindergarten Year

3. An Overview of Development in the Kindergarten Year

4. Developmentally Appropriate Examples to Consider

5. The Common Core State Standards and Developmentally Appropriate Practices: Creating a Relationship

6.Young Children Articles

You can find NAEYC's position statement on developmentally appropriate practice here. 

A few key points..

What is known about each child as an 

individual—referring to what practitioners 

learn about each child that has implications 

for how best to adapt and be responsive to 

that individual variation.

What is known about the social and 

cultural contexts in which children live—

referring to the values, expectations, and 

behavioral and linguistic conventions that 

shape children’s lives at home and in their 

communities that practitioners must strive to 

understand in order to ensure that learning 

experiences in the program or school are 

meaningful, relevant, and respectful for each 

child and family.

A teacher recently posted about developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) in my teacher group and asked if DAP have changed with time given our current expectations for students. 

My response was this: I think we've moved away from what is developmentally appropriate. Just because kids can handle it, that doesn't make it DAP. I don't think DAP changes with the changing demands, I think we need to check ourselves and think hard about what DAP means and includes.

What do you think...

Should students in Kindergarten be expected to read and write by the end of the year? 

Are these expectations too high or are they appropriate since many students rise to the challenge?