Running head: Kristy Snell SLEE206.

ASS3: Designing and planning learning environments 1

Assessment 3: Designing and planning learning environments Kristy Snell Swinburne University SLEE206: Pedagogical Perspectives 2: Play and Environments 30th September, 2013.

Running head: Kristy Snell SLEE206. ASS3: Designing and planning learning environments 2 Introduction Learning environments provide the opportunities for techniques and strategies to be implemented to enable learning to take place through the acquisition of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values within a social, rich, diverse and equal environment that supports childrens growth and development. According to (Greenman, et al, 2008) a planned learning environment is organized for active, hands-on, developmentally appropriate, individualized learning for each child offering a world at their fingertips maximizing sensory and motor opportunities, built-in learning, and independent access by children; through a variety of appropriate experiences, and a range of toys, equipment and household and natural materials; allowing the staff to concentrate on prime time for caring and learning. Children and teachers are required to work together in creating their learning environments. Classrooms, outdoor spaces and babies and toddler rooms need to be practical, stimulating and relevant to the childrens interests, age appropriate, reflect childrens different cultures, abilities and learning styles.

Running head: Kristy Snell SLEE206. ASS3: Designing and planning learning environments 3 School classroom environment

The school classroom environment has been designed to create learning centers and play spaces for children to explore, learn, and develop a sense of belonging and achievements throughout their school journey. Developing a project wall where ongoing investigations, such as growing a plant from a seed and the steps involved in achieving this growth. Displaying pictures, diagrams, ideas, strategies, materials and resources enable the children to plan and map out the processes of growing and nurturing a plant. The project wall along with the student display area enables children to feel a sense of achievement and belonging, as their collaborative work is on show for the whole class and families to view.

Running head: Kristy Snell SLEE206. ASS3: Designing and planning learning environments 4 Creating a construction area, where blocks, household recyclable materials and natural materials can be used to construct a masterpiece within an adequate time frame. Allowing children sufficient time to create, think, construct and extend is vital in maximizing childrens skills and abilities to learn and develop efficiently and effectively. Children like to put things together in relationship to each other, to connect things to other things, use building and construction materials to represent ideas and understandings (Curtis & Carter, 2003). A dramatic play area is valuable to create opportunity for children to use their imagination. Props added to the dramatic play area such as, clothing, hats, telephones, fabrics, cameras, sunglasses, bags, tool kits and medical kits offer endless opportunities to explore and create. Open ended materials suggest different kinds of drama and offer children opportunities for divergent thinking (Curtis & Carter, 2003). Computers and technology are resources that can be used for research projects, literacy and numeracy skills, cognitive skills, language skills and the building of self-esteem through interactions both individually and collaboratively. Yelland (2011), suggests living in a multimodal world enables children to link the use of technologies with experiences in the real world. Technology is a growing part of the community and children tend to master these technologies and concepts at a rapid pace. Providing computers also enables equality within the class, as socio-economic and cultural contexts may impact on the childs ability to have access to a computer outside of the classroom. Paints, easels, glue, craft, manipulative and natural materials are resources that foster childrens creative and social skills. Creating a sculpture, picture or painting allows children to explore and use a variety of open-ended aesthetically pleasing materials. Reggio Emilia

Running head: Kristy Snell SLEE206. ASS3: Designing and planning learning environments 5 principles suggest flexibility within the experience to discover new and more interesting ways of doing things. This can be achieved through creative experiences such as art and craft. Teachers need to be thoughtful and intentional about how they enrich the learning potential of areas within the classroom environment. Providing a sense of order, a feeling of belonging, opportunities to work independently and collaboratively with others, choices of aesthetics, materials and equipment promotes constructive activities and purposeful exploration to arouse curiosity, wonder and learning within a safe and secure environment. Outdoor space 3-5 year olds

Running head: Kristy Snell SLEE206. ASS3: Designing and planning learning environments 6 Outdoor spaces provide opportunity for unique play and learning, complimenting and extending indoor activities and experiences, and offering children the opportunities to be active, messy, and loud and play on a large scale. The physical environment is safe, suitable and provides a rich and diverse range of experiences which promote childrens learning and development (NQS, 2009). Offering choices for children in an outdoor environment fosters the growth of different skills, abilities and development. Gross motor skills can be explored when climbing the forte. Children will test their limits by assessing their abilities and skills through climbing and manipulating themselves in, up, around and through until they reach their desired outcome. Children also use fortes as a play space for their imaginary and dramatic play. Climbing to the safety of the top of the forte may be their getaway from the big crocodile lurking in the mote below. According to Curtis and Carter (2003) children often come up with thoughts about how they want to use materials or space, and in many cases this is different than what the teacher originally envisioned. Allowing children the opportunity to explore both physical and psychological aspects of play is detrimental to their learning and development. Creating sustainability through education is also an important part of education settings, communities and societies today. Creating awareness of caring for the environment and biodiversity enables children to build an understanding of roles and responsibilities they can adopt to help look after their environment. Building a vegetable patch requires children to work together, care for, protect and value what the environment has to offer. Using the chook manure as fertilizer on the garden, and excess water (from the bubblers, collected in a bucket) to maintain the garden. The produce can then be used within learning experiences in the classroom.

Running head: Kristy Snell SLEE206. ASS3: Designing and planning learning environments 7 A magical area can be created under a big tree, with hanging, flowing, and colorful materials to provide coverage and privacy for children to play. Offering resources such as colorful gems and rocks, twigs, gum nuts, pine cones, glitter and some fairies allows for children to create a fairy garden, inspired by their minds and imagination; supporting childrens emerging interests and allowing them to demonstrate their innate creativity and curiosity (NQS, 2009). Open-ended materials in the sandpit such as buckets, shovels, rakes, gutter off cuts, wheel barrows, driftwood and other natural materials as the environment implies a set of values and beliefs about people who use the space and the activities that take place within that space (Curtis & Carter, 2006). Children are able to experiment with cause and effect with sand by adding water, creating investigations throughout their play, and gain knowledge from these experiences. A room for babies and toddlers

Running head: Kristy Snell SLEE206. ASS3: Designing and planning learning environments 8

Babies and toddlers are beginning to explore their environments and create understandings of why things are the way they are. Parents and families place a high expectation on the care and the wellbeing their children receive at care. Educators can support babies and toddlers wellbeing and development through the environments they create. A well planned and well structured environment adopting heuristic play through experiences such as treasure baskets enables stimulation of their senses, creating a rich learning experience (Nutbrown, 2011). Cozy and homelike environments enable children to experience a sense of belonging and security (Curtis & Carter, 2006). This can be achieved through a cozy book corner that is comfortable, warm and inviting, with a range of age appropriate books where children can escape, if they feel they need quiet time away from noise and activities.

Running head: Kristy Snell SLEE206. ASS3: Designing and planning learning environments 9 In the design of the babies and toddlers room there are two separate sleep rooms, one has cots (for babies) and the other has a multicultural approach (hammocks, cushions and a couch to combine different lifestyles from home into the care setting. Children come to centers with active bodies as well as active imaginations. Creating multilevel spaces inside, as well as on the playground, gives children different ways to explore spatial relationships with their bodies. Modular furniture that can be turned and stacked in different ways will provide more flexibility than furniture that is designed for a single use. Offering open-ended materials in a variety of areas will spark childrens imaginations and speak to their desire to continually rearrange and combine materials for exploration and inventions (Curtis & Carter, 2006). Developing relationships, building positive self-esteem and agency within young children can be fostered through the physical and social environments that educators offer. Sensory, art, dramatic play, construction and indoor climbing equipment and experiences provide opportunities for children to wonder, explore and create through interactions within the environment. When focus is placed on how children sense the world, small changes to an experience can create lots of opportunities for engagement and learning (Greenman, et al, 2008). These play opportunities are also opportunities for children to build and develop their cognitive, fine motor, gross motor, social and emotional skills. Conclusion Children learn in diverse ways, through social and cultural contexts within which they learn and develop. A learning environment needs to foster the development of curriculum expectations, parental expectations, classroom management, classroom organization, this can be achieved through the planning of the physical environment to respect and cater for childrens

Running head: Kristy Snell SLEE206. ASS3: Designing and planning learning environments 10 needs and interests. Natural environments offer a uniquely rich setting for children to interact and explore (Banning & Sullivan, 2011). The more opportunities children have to participate, explore, notice, investigate and experience changes in their environment, the more involved they become with the early learning standards (Banning & Sullivan, 2011). Reflection is central to planning; constantly reviewing and changing environments to meet childrens outcomes, interests and needs are fundamental to learning and developing throughout early childhood. A positive environment is a shared learning space (Groundwater-Smith, et al 2011), children have different and individual learning styles that need to be considered when planning the physical environment and experiences within that environment fostering and extending on experiences and activities to allow children to interact with each other and their teachers.

Running head: Kristy Snell SLEE206. ASS3: Designing and planning learning environments 11 References Banning, W, & Sullivan, G (2011). Lens on outdoor learning. Redleaf Press, St. Paul, MN. Curtis, D, & Carter, M (2003). Designs for living and learning: transforming early childhood environments. Redleaf Press, St. Paul, MN. Curtis, D, and Carter, M (2006). A study of early childhood program environments, Harvest Press, Mechanicsburg, PA. Greenman, JT, Stonehouse, A, & Schweikert, G (2008). Prime times: a handbook for excellence in infant and toddler programs. 2nd edn, (pp. 274-286) Redleaf Press, St. Paul, MN. Groundwater-Smith, S, Ewing, R, & Le Cornu, R (2011). Teaching challenges and dilemmas. 4th edn, Cengage Learning, South Melbourne, VIC. NQS (2009). National Quality Standard for Early Childhood Education and Care and School Age Care Council of Australian Governments.

Running head: Kristy Snell SLEE206. ASS3: Designing and planning learning environments 12 Nutbrown, C (2011). 'Treasure basket', in Key concepts in early childhood education and care. 2nd edn, Sage, London, pp.160164. Yelland, N (2011).Reconceptualising play and learning in the lives of young children. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 36(2), 412.