Elizabeth Dunlap

Standard #1: Written Competency Reflection

1/26/20

How do you create a developmentally appropriate environment for a

child/children in your classroom?

According to a theory stated by Vygotsky, children learn best through others and

through their environment. That’s why creating a developmentally appropriate

environment for your students is so important because it effects the way that

they’re able to learn and grasp concepts. In order for them to learn successfully, it’s

important that I provide them with age appropriate materials, age appropriate

lessons, and ways for them to promote and strengthen their creativity.

Having age appropriate materials for your students is very important. In a

classroom full of children who are 2 ½ to 3 years old I would provide materials such

as magnet tiles, size sequencing, different types of blocks like Legos and blocks

made of wood. It’s important that these materials are within the child’s reach so

that they’re able to use them when the time comes. I would provide other materials

such as a dramatic play area and creative art materials like paper, crayons,

markers, etc. to give my students something else to during center time. Having a

cozy/relaxing area for my students to “chill out” and maybe read a book. Areas like

this are for when children feel upset, overwhelmed, or just want to rest. I also think

it’s incredibly important to switch out the materials so that the kids have “new”

things to explore every once in a while because having the same toys and materials

out even for an adult like me can get very boring after a while.
Having age appropriate lessons is also an important aspect in teaching young

children. I would personally have lessons based off of a weekly theme. It gives me

as a teacher a way to be creative and really think about the interests of my

students. I also need to think about their strengths and weaknesses so that I’m not

teaching anything repetitive, too difficult or too easy. That’s what makes assessing

your students so important. The key times to assess students is the in the

beginning and towards the end of the school year that I assess my students so that

I have a better picture of how to create my lessons and what to teach based off the

theme. This concept can also help me as a teacher figure out ways to teach the

lesson itself, because as I’ve mentioned each child learns differently and that’s ok.

Giving the children in my classroom ways to promote their creativity will help them

form a sense of independence. When I’m teaching a classroom of 2 ½ to 3 year old

children, they want to do everything themselves and be as independent as possible.

A great to let them assert that is to give them something creative to do such as

building something from blocks, Legos, or even playdough. But I wouldn’t tell them

what to make or build, I’d tell them to make whatever they want and see what they

came up with. I can do this in other centers like art, dramatic play, or even during

classroom discussions during circle time where I can ask them questions about a

story we may reading. My favorite is “What do you think will happen?”, this kind of

question can really get their creativity flowing or it’s possible to get a response like

“I don’t know” or complete silence. As a teacher, I would encourage my students to

be as creative as possible using methods such as these listed above, because I love

hearing and seeing children’s ideas come to life through what they do.
Giving children in a classroom a developmentally appropriate environment is easier

than said done if I’m not fully committed to it. Important items to think about in

order to be successful in this process is to have age appropriate materials, lessons

and ways for students to promote and strengthen their creativity. All three of things

are just first steps in helping my future students become successful in everything

they do in life and I hope that I’m given that chance one day.