Developmentally Appropriate Instruction

1. Developmentally Appropriate Instruction (cognitive language and literacy)
• This subject is covered in chapter two of Slavin titled Cognitive Development. The first theorist we encounter in this chapter is Jean Piaget and his theory of cognitive development. Cognitive development is defined as the gradual, orderly changes by which mental processes become more complex and sophisticated. Piaget believed that development precedes learning and that all people pass through four distinct stages of cognitive development between birth and adulthood. The next important theorist was Lev Semionovich Vygotsky. Unlike Piaget, Vygotsky believes that learning precedes development. Vygotsky believed that learning takes place most effectively when children

One specific strategy that I will be using in my future K-8 classroom is making sure the content I teach is developmentally appropriate for my students. When content is appropriate the learning experience will build on to a child’s current level of understanding. I will do this in my classroom by keeping track of where each student is at in their cognitive development and differentiating lessons to help students better understand the content.
2. One more strategy that Paget’s work has developed is the acceptance of individual’s differences within the developmental process. In my future K-8 classroom I will be aware that some students develop at different speeds than others and that sometimes trying to force development can cause more harm than good.
3. One of the strategies that Vygotsky used was scaffolding. In my future K-8 classroom I will provide students with scaffolding by providing hints and prompts at different levels. This will allow my students to take more control of their education and work within the zone of proximal

The first theory that was talked about the text is the information processing model. The model is made up of three parts sensory register, short-term/ working memory, and long-term memory. The model shows how information is taken in and stored in the different parts of our memory and then recalled. The next theory that was covered in the text is called brain research. In this section, we talked about four parts of the brain and what they are in charge of. The cerebrum is the thinking part of the brain, the limbic system regulates emotions, the cerebellum takes care of motor control, and the brain stem is in charge of basic survival functions. The next theorist we talked about in class was Pat Wolfe and her brain rules. Wolfe’s five brain rules talk about different things that can help, hinder, or limit the work our brain does. These rules are really important to keep in mind as a teacher so you can help your students learn. Another theorist that was talked about in class is Willingham and his understanding of cognitive learning theory. Willingham says that students learn best when they are able to foster connections within their learning. This means that teachers should make an effort to show their students connections to other things they have learned and make real-life