videos. Olivia notes in the second video her confidence in directing children who are off task, use of more developmentally appropriate language and shorter directions, and use of meaningful praise tied directly to students’ effort and problem-solving strategies.
For teachers, daily observation, documentation, and reflection about children’ s development and growth are likely second nature. Applying these same principles to adult learners( i. e., preservice teachers) will likely become second nature in their roles as mentor teachers.
Next Steps for Mentor Teachers
An unfathomable amount of growth and learning happens for children during a school year. We argue that this is also true for teacher candidates: They enter teacher preparation courses and field experiences with a wide range of skills and identities. Mentor teachers play a crucial role in developing candidates’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions, and they can apply a DAP framework to think about, support, and reflect on candidates’ growth throughout their field placement. To begin, we encourage mentor teachers to revisit the NAEYC foundational position statements and ask themselves:
› How do I implement DAP and advancing equity with the children in my setting?
› What are some ways I can adapt and apply DAP and advancing equity to mentoring preservice teachers in my setting?
› What conversations do I usually have at the beginning of a preservice teacher’ s placement? What observation and documentation strategies do I already use with them? Through the lens of DAP, what is a change I would make?
› How do I currently scaffold preservice teachers’ learning throughout their placement experience? What is one new idea I want to apply?
There are important differences in how we teach adults versus children( Katz 1977); however, providing developmentally appropriate, equitable experiences is just as meaningful for adult learners as for young children( Muñoz et al. 2018). If we hope that the next generation of early childhood teachers will employ DAP in their own teaching, they need to be prepared in and through DAP( Brown et al. 2020).
About the Authors
David Barry, PhD, is an assistant professor of early childhood education at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. As a kindergarten teacher of 10 years and now as a teacher educator, Dave is committed to providing developmentally appropriate learning experiences for students of all ages. dbarry @ wcupa. edu
Daris McInnis, EdD, is an assistant professor of literacy at West Chester University, a former early elementary teacher, and a Tillman Scholar whose research centers on family literacy, Black children’ s literacy development, early childhood, and critical literacy. DMcInnis @ wcupa. edu
Innovations in Higher Education, co-edited by Anthony Broughton, PhD, and Elisa Huss-Hage, MEd, aims to recognize and support the efforts of educators, staff, and administrators who prepare early childhood professionals. The column examines stories from the field, connections to theory and research, and recommendations for practices related to coursework, clinical experiences, and professionalism.
References
Amos, Y. T. 2010.“‘ They Don’ t Want to Get It!’: Interaction Between Minority and White Pre-Service Teachers in a Multicultural Education Class.” Multicultural Education 17( 4): 31 – 37.
Barry, D. P. 2024. Addressing Stress with Self-Compassion: A Guide for Early Childhood Teachers. Teachers College Press.
Berk, L. 2022. Infants, Children, and Adolescents. 9th ed. Sage.
Brown, C. P. 2018.“ Syllabus: Observation & Documentation Project.” Class handout, The University of Texas at Austin.
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