Teaching and Learning in a Post-DAP World

Recently a school district colleague recounted a conversation with a young kindergarten teacher that had shaken her to her core. The kindergarten teacher (let's call her Ms. Post) said that nobody talks about developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) anymore--everyone is way past that. The author and her colleague, two mature early childhood veterans, gasped in recognition of this crystallization of a reality. Kindergarten, which always represents to her a window on early childhood, was evolving in ways that were heart-wrenchingly disturbing. How is it related to a special issue on teaching in early childhood education (ECE)? The author sees it as a snapshot of a moment in time--a window into broader issues related to teaching and learning in ECE. In this essay, the author explores the context for this story, making connections to what she sees as the state of knowledge about ECE. In addition, the author examines metaphors that have shaped the thinking and therefore the action related to research on ECE teaching. Finally, the author suggests what she sees as the heart of the matter. (Contains 2 footnotes.)