Just like Sandra Crosser, Ph.D., I believe a developmentally appropriate classroom environment is one where children most often:
- Lead...rather than follow the teacher.
- Create...rather than duplicate.
- Move...rather than wait.
- Make the lines...rather than color in the lines.
- Speak...rather than listen passively.
- Initiate...rather than imitate.
- Raise questions...rather than answer the teacher's questions.
- Solve their own problems...rather than the teacher's problems.
- Make art...rather than do crafts.
- Emphasize the process...rather than the product.
- Use authentic skills...rather than drill and practice.
- Make books...rather than fill in workbooks.
- Decide...rather than submit.
- Choose wisely...rather than being told.
- Make a plan...rather than follow the teacher's plan.
- Try again...rather than fail.
Excerpt from the Butterfly Garden: Developmentally Appropriate Practice Defined
by Sandra Crosser, Ph.D