Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum and Instruction

Book excerpt: This timely and accessible volume explores how our understanding of research in child development can help cultivate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes children need for informed and thoughtful participation in society by viewing the curriculum through a developmental lens. Biddle and Garcia-Nevarez cover a range of key topics including characteristics of physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development of children; heritable and environmental influences on children’s developing self; language and literacy development; mathematical cognition; growth mindsets; and evidence-based positive behavioral interventions and supports. The expert team of contributors offers an advanced exploration of developmental science and how this applies to learning and education in order to create inclusive environments that support children with a range of abilities, including those with the most significant medical, intellectual, and developmental delays. Each chapter contains boxes exploring how the topic relates to the themes of "Promoting Social and Emotional Competence Theory," "Research to Practice Connection," "Common Core and Other Standards," and "Social Justice and Diversity," ensuring comprehensive and consistent coverage across the volume. Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum and Instruction will be essential reading for students of child development and education, as well as educators and those in teacher training who are interested in how theory and research can be effectively harnessed to improve children’s outcomes.