Choose three of your favorite classroom qualities that should be a part of an early childhood design. Discuss how each classroom design can promote and encourage children’s behavior in positive ways.
According to the text, a room that is developmentally appropriately designed will set the stage for learning and growing. Read the following article: Infant and Toddler Spaces.docx Infant and Toddler Spaces.docx – Alternative Formats
After reviewing the article, each of the following should be discussed:
Choose three of your favorite classroom qualities that should be a part of an early childhood design.
Discuss how each classroom design can promote and encourage children’s behavior in positive ways.
Discuss with your classmates both the positive and negative effects of classroom design.
Grading Criteria: See attached rubric for grading criteria
146 Discussion Board Rubric 2.docx 146 Discussion Board Rubric 2.docx – Alternative Formats
Resources:
Textbook and attached article
We know preschool makes a big difference for kids and that its effects can last a lifetime. But to have that kind of impact, early care has to be high quality.
Faced with constraints on price, availability and location, parents are often unclear about what actually matters when evaluating a potential preschool. No matter what educational philosophy or model an early childhood classroom uses, these five elements are the essentials to look for when choosing a preschool.
A classroom that’s conducive to learning should feel joyful and friendly and be designed around clear focus areas, called centers, that offer a variety of activities.
What you can see:
– Building toys
– Books
– Dress-up clothes and props
– Art supplies
– Unique child art on the walls
– Age-appropriate learning materials (So look for a number line, but not a multiplication chart, picture books, but not chapter books, etc.)
– Low shelves with accessible toys
– Child-sized tables and chairs
– Clearly delineated areas (You might see a dress-up area, an artist’s station or a mini-library, for example.)
What you can ask:
– How much time is spent in group activities? (Hint: Should be about half the day or less.)
– How much time is spent in free play at centers?
– Do kids decide which centers they will use, or do they cycle through all of them?
Teachers should guide academic growth, model classroom behavior, and offer children tools for dealing with strong feelings.
What you can see:
– Teachers crouched at eye level talking to kids
– Teachers constantly observing children as they work and play
– Teachers asking open-ended questions
– Teachers repeating students’ feelings back to them (You might hear: “You’re mad. It’s hard to feel mad.”)
– Teachers prompting students to resolve disputes
– Children looking engaged
– Children offering spontaneous gestures of endearment to teachers (Look for kids reaching for teachers’ hands, giving them a quick hug, etc. Quick physical contact is one way young children express their comfort with adults.)
What you can ask:
– What’s your teaching philosophy? (A wide range of philosophies are effective. What’s most important is that teachers can articulate their approach.)
– What’s your training and how long have you been teaching?
– What do you like about teaching preschool?
– How often do teachers leave this school?
– What can parents do to support what you are doing in class?
Preschools should help children understand their feelings and interact with their peers.
What you can see:
– Charts and pictures on the walls to help kids identify feelings
– A quiet, calming spot in the classroom where upset children can relax
– Minimal use of exclusionary tactics for punishment (Short time-outs can be helpful, but they should be no longer than 3 to 5 minutes and should be framed as a chance for children to calm down and regain self-control, not as a punishment. Children should not be exiled form the classroom or kept confined in a separate area from their classmates.)
– Corporal punishment is never used
– Teachers deal with misbehavior without raising their voices.
What you can ask:
– Do you have a plan for teaching children to deal with their feelings?
– What is your plan for when children bite or hit each other? (Hint: Schools should be willing to work with families to figure out what’s going on and help work out a plan to teach children to self-regulate.)
– Do you ever suspend or expel children? (Ideally, the answer is “no,” although teachers should be willing to discuss alternative or additional opportunities available for children with emotional, mental or physical problems that affect their ability to adjust to a classroom.)
Children should learn fundamental academic skills in reading, math, science and social studies through discovery and creative activities.