Developmentally universal practice: visioning innovative early childhood pedagogy for meeting the needs of diverse learners

Abstract

Although developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) has strong merits, there are considerations pertaining to its development and implementation which must be raised. In order for educators to include diverse voices of young children, the time has come for a new conversation to unfold introducing developmentally universal practice (DUP). With this new discourse, DUP would be considered a framework for early childhood pedagogy by supporting creative possibilities for teaching and learning, providing leadership and guidance for children, and addressing issues regarding diversity and inclusion. DUP would focus on intentional high-quality activities and promote equal access for young children, birth to age 8. This evaluative paper will address characteristics of DUP and using DUP for a variety of learners both from diverse cultural and/or linguistic backgrounds. A section is also devoted to relational pedagogy and preparing teachers to teach DUP with instructional strategies for early learning environments.