Mandated Curriculum vs. Developmentally Appropriate Practices

ECE 311 Early Childhood Curriculum & Methods

When learning about the new state-mandated, textbook-based curriculum for kindergarten, also looking for other information I found that attendance is not required. I am trying to figure out why kindergarten attendance is not required. When as a parents knowing children are needing to learn from an early age such as five years old. Oregon has the age set at 5 years old, they have to be 5 years old by September 1 or before. Also with some of the standers being raised is that going to cause issues with our children being able to learn at their own pace as we did when we were growing up. Yes things have changed through the years such as standers, also what is used to teach children. Even with new technology that is being used, it is not working for all children. Are you going to be teaching the children by mandated curriculum or developmentally appropriate practices? How you know how the mandated curriculum going to affect the children, teachers and most of all the school. If you are going to be using mandated curriculum is there a reason why you are choosing mandated curriculum. Can you tell me pros along with cons in between mandated curriculum and (DAP)?

I am asking these question’s due to the fact I have been looking into Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP). Along with looking into mandated curriculum trying to see the differences between them and wanting to understand why the standers are set in the way they are. While I know these standers are set to meet the needs of the children. Some of these standers are set to a stander that not all the children are going to reach if only using text-books for learning. While as we know in the younger years of a children’s life they learn at a faster rate than pre-teens, teenagers, along with adult. We also have not seen any research that has told us how the mandated curriculum is going to help the children, teachers, or the school. While through the years we have seen how DAP is working in schools. When looking into mandated curriculum, I was seeing how the mandated curriculum is set in such a way where the children are learning in one way and there is no other way for them to learn the information we are wanting the children to keep as they are growing. While learning they are only wanting to use one way of teaching them, the children in the class room will not want to learn. That is not what any school along with parents are wanting to see in the children. So having mandated curriculum should not be used. I say this due to the fact of seeing how the children are unwilling to learn they are wanting to do other things then having to do things day over and over without them changing. When they are older things might change with the students where they are needing the mandated curriculum. While in kindergarten I feel that (DAP) will fit the children better.

When using the (DAP) in school the children are willing to learn. They are able to learn in many different ways. While they are learning in these different ways they are also fun. As research has been done through the years we have seen when children are having fun they are able to learn more. While not only learning more they are able to retain the information they are gathering from school. These are things that we are wanting to see and feel that the children are learning in such a way so they are able to enjoy along with retaining the information and being able to come home from school and tell us what they learned. Some things that are being seen that help kindergarteners when the teachers are using DAP compared to mandated curriculum. They are able to open up while they are also developing more such as personal responsibility, taking the steps to learn on their own, they are thinking more about the things they are doing along with the things that are going on around them. This expansion has an effect on growth over actual physical, social in addition to psychological, cognitive, in addition to terminology domains.

When teachers are using the DAP style of learning they are able to get to know each child and being to let them know that they are there for them. While if the teachers are using the mandated curriculum the teacher along with the student will not be able to get to know each other or understand that the students are going through as when they are learning. It’s not only not being able to know the children the teachers are not going to be able to encourage the children when they are doing things right and when they have learned something that they were having issues learning before. There is also the fact you would not be able to give the children the feedback they are needing, also not being able to show each child the right way to do things. Then there is also the positive when looking at the DAP, the teachers and children are able to do all of these things I just talked about so they are able to have the time they are needing along with more feedback about information. They are also able to learn in such ways that keep them using logic and helps counting there learning process as they are growing.

References
Child Care Aware of America. (November 2012). Executive Function and School Readiness (PDF). Available online at: http://www.naccrra.org/sites/default/files/default_site_pages/2012/executive_function_11-27-12.pdf Education Commission of the States (2013) Access to Kindergarten: Age Issues in State Statutes
Retrieved from: http://mb2.ecs.org/reports/Report.aspx?id=32

Edwards, C. P. (2002). Three approaches from Europe: Waldorf, Montessori, and Reggio Emilia. Early Childhood Research and Practice, 4(1), 2-14. Retrieved from http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v4n1/edwards.html

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.) Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8 [PDF].
Retrived from: http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/position%20statement%20Web.pdf National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2009). Key messages of the position statement. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/KeyMessages.pdf