Rigor in Early Childhood

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Rigor In early childhood

Defining Rigor and Developmentally Appropriate Practice

According to Kernis, Cornell, Sun, Berry, & Harlow (1993), "an academically rigorous learning environment is one in which each child has the opportunity and support from the teacher(s) to achieve academic goals and standards (Blackburn 2012). As Wagner (2008) points out, academic rigor “is not a checklist of teacher behaviors and a model lesson that covers content standards” (25). Rather, it is the process of working with all children in a manner that addresses the whole child through hands-on learning experiences that “challenge the mind” and “connect learning to real world context” (Washor & Mojkowski 2006/2007, 87)."

Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) is based upon the principle that children learn best when they are actively involved in their learning and through experiences, build knowledge and construct meaning. Active learning environments include hands on learning, teachable moments, and authentic, meaningful experiences. DAP instructional opportunities nurture each child's unique social-emotional, physical, and cognitive needs based on knowledge of developmental trajectories, current performance levels captured through appropriate assessment, and consideration of cultural background.

Best Practices

All students deserve access to rigorous instruction in early childhood classrooms. Rather than offering greater quantity or delivery to a limited group of students, rigor offers challenge, requires effort and perseverance, focuses on quality, and includes entry points for all students. Furthermore, rigor in the early childhood setting asks teachers to consider these points in tandem with developmentally appropriate practice.

According to Brown et al., (2015) "academically rigorous, developmentally appropriate learning environments are those in which teachers provide children with multiple learning opportunities to gain the knowledge and skills needed for success in elementary school. These learning experiences take into account children’s developmental, individual, and sociocultural needs. As the school year progresses, teachers build on content of instruction and increase their performance expectations for children. At the same time, teachers ensure they provide appropriate levels of support to children through regular and consistent monitoring of children’s achievement across developmental domains." 

Best practices for rigor in a developmentally appropriate environment include:

• building background knowledge;
• teaching content through developmentally appropriate activities;
• differentiating instruction;
• building knowledge through collaborative experiences;
• teaching to all developmental domains;
• integrating content areas; and,
• collaboration with colleagues, administrators, and families.

References

Brown, C.P., Feger, B.S., & Mowry, B. (2015). Helping others understand academic rigor in teachers' developmentally appropriate practices. Young Children, 70(4). https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/sep2015/helping-others-understand-academic-rigor Links to an external site.