Effects of Michigan Common Core State Standards on Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Early Childhood Classrooms
Effects of Michigan Common Core State Standards on Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Early Childhood Classrooms
Introduction
As an early childhood teacher in 2013, I am constantly feeling challenged and overwhelmed by mandated curriculum from the State of Michigan. With the recent implementation of Michigan Common Core State Standards, I began to feel the pressure of teaching curriculum that the children do not seem to understand. I began to wonder why? Is it because I failed to deliver the lesson? Is it due to concepts being too difficult? Are the standards appropriate for all learners and where they are in their development? During my career spanning over twenty years, I have believed and am dedicated to providing a classroom environment that is developmentally appropriate for my early learners. I believe the problem is that Michigan's Common Core State Standards are causing early childhood teachers to teach in ways that are not developmentally appropriate.
These beliefs brought me to this topic and caused me to ponder if others feel the way I do. Are the Common Core State Standards mandated by the state of Michigan are creating early childhood classrooms that are not developmentally appropriate as perceived by myself and my colleagues. I believe that early childhood classrooms should be free of mandates from the state when those mandates force teachers to feel pressured to teach and draw them away from teaching in the way they know is best for the child.
I pose the following questions to help me explore my feeling more completely. Can early childhood teachers consider the appropriateness of the CCSS mandates as they relate to early learners? Can early childhood teachers continue to observe developmentally appropriate practices while implementing CCSS? Is...