Jenna OMalley

SPED 414

Environmental Analysis Assignment

Throughout the development of this Environmental Analysis Assignment I will refer to
the focal child I have selected for these 4-part comprehensive assignments as Rachel. Rachel,
who recently turned 5 years old, was born on September 18, 2008. Rachel attends the Urbana
Early Childhood Center and is in Miss Jamis preschool classroom. Rachel is an intelligent,
imaginative, and compassionate young child. She has an extensive vocabulary and name and
understand the meaning of several advanced words; for example while in the housekeeping
center, Rachel picked up the doctor kit, held up and announced stethoscope then precedes to
put it on correctly and check a fellow students heart beat with it. Rachel also shows strong
problem solving skills, and will often manipulate materials around her in order to use them in
such a way to acquire what it is she is looking for (i.e. stacking pillows taken from the couch to
step on in order to reach something placed on a higher counter). Rachel often shows kindness
and affection to her fellow students and teachers, often holding hands with her classmates, giving
teachers hugs, or smiling warmly at the people around her. Rachel enjoys singing and dancing
during group time and loves to play with the dinosaurs at block area. Rachel has been diagnosed
with Autism and as such has an Individualized Education Program in place at her school that
works collaboratively with her teacher, occupational and speech therapists, and parents to
develop, assess, monitor, and implement goals specific to her needs. Rachel often times has
difficulty following directions and is slow to process questions that solicit immediate responses.
For that reason, Rachel will often need several prompts to answer basic questions such as what
color is this, do you like it, etc. Rachel interacts well with her peers at school and has
primarily positive experiences, although sometimes Rachel does have to be reminded of the
expectations especially concerning objects that are off limits to children in the classroom (i.e. the
string that controls the blinds, the teacher bell, etc.)
Having a developed environmental analysis completed of the classroom area that Rachel
is currently in is important because having a general understanding and evaluation of the
classroom environment helps to identify whether or not the needs of this particular child are
being met within the space they are located in during school. Furthermore, having a deeper
understanding of the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of the environment can be extremely useful
when identifying whether or not changes can be made to better meet the developmental goals of
the child and if so, where, specifically, these changes need to be made. Having an understanding
of what areas of the environment do not meet expectation can help professionals understand why
a child might be acting or interacting in a particular way. I believe it is important to do an
environmental analysis for classrooms of all children, but is especially significant for classrooms
with students with special needs, such as this classroom, because it ensures that the environment
is meeting the needs of the student. In order for a student to effectively learn, they must be in an
environment conducive of learning which is while environmental analysis are important
because they hold these environments and the individuals responsible for these environments
accountable to the degree at which their students learn.
For this assignment, I decided to choose the ECERS-R Child Care Program Readiness
Checklist as a method of self-assessment because the location in which my focal child is situated
is the Urbana Early Childhood Center, which includes students of the targeted age demographic
included in this particular assessment. I felt that the Readiness Checklist took several elements
that go into making a well-rounded classroom environment into account. Furthermore, the
checklist was detailed and thorough and simple to navigate, making it easy for me to effectively
evaluate the environment. The Readiness Checklist was divided into 7 different sections: Space
and Furnishings, Personal Care Routines, Language and Reasoning, Activities, Interactions,
Program Structure, and Parents and Staff. Within these different sections there are several topics
addressed pertaining to the overall section. These topics addressed under the Space and
Furnishings category are designed to ensure the physical space has sufficient room, ample
materials that are readily available to for the students, and designed with their interests and needs
in mind. The Personal Care topics refer to keeping the childs best interest and welfare at the
utmost priority, creating a feeling of acceptance and safety, and maintaining good hygiene and
health within the classroom. The topics in the Language and Reasoning section concern having
developmentally appropriate language referenced during the school day; be it through directions,
conversations, and language in text. The Activities section addresses making sure there is a
variety of developmentally appropriate materials, games, and activities available and encouraged
to be used. The Interactions section accounts for ensuring positive, supportive, and appropriate
communication and collaboration within the classroom. The Program Structure section deals
with making sure the daily schedule and goals are clear, meaningful, and suitable for children
with different ranges of needs. Finally, the Parenting and Staff portion deals with having
appropriate, significant, and responsive interactions with families and colleagues.
After reviewing the gathered data from the checklist I can reasonably infer that the
classroom my focal child is currently in is an effective learning environment suitable to her
needs. Since the Urbana Early Childhood Center is a brand new building, the appliances,
materials, and structural elements of the building are all in new condition and are up to code in
all areas. For example, the tables, chairs, lighting, and appliances are all in great shape and
perfect working condition. Furthermore, the floor plan of the classroom was designed with the
ECERS-R code requirements in mind; therefore the layout ensures ample space for children to
play freely, clearly distinct centers, and appropriate spacing between areas that solicit quiet play
as well as louder play. Finally, the furniture and materials included in the classroom are all
easily accessible to the children and were created with children needs in mind (i.e. kid sized
furniture, door handles instead of knobs, and storage units at child height). I believe that these
are significant criteria marks to meet when creating a classroom environment because it creates a
feeling of comfort and accessibility for the students to interact and learn in this classroom
environment. I feel as though the children have a sense of charge and control in an environment
which they can freely interact within with and access the learning tools appropriate for their
learning.
In addition to providing an appropriately spaced and equipped physical environment with
suitable toys (i.e. blocks, dramatic play materials, and manipulatives), learning instruments (i.e.
measuring tools, scales, and magnifying glasses), and culturally and developmentally appropriate
books, this particular classroom also creates a suitable classroom for learning by implementing
strategies to ensure students safety and health. This classroom takes into account special needs
of students such as allergies, food preferences, and other health concerns by posting signs in food
areas to alert of allergies, taking special precautions to notify teachers and staff of any special
needs, and by actively practicing good hygiene. Furthermore, each child has their own file with
points of interest to be aware of (i.e. dispositional concerns, up-to-date vaccine and medical
records, and authorized individuals to have contact with the child during school hours). This
aids in providing the best care specific to each students specific needs and goals for their
development. By making a point to understand the student and their interest, dislikes, needs, and
special requirements the teachers and staff are not only prepared to handle potentially threatening
situations that arise, but are also more knowledgeable about tailoring activities and routine
scenarios to fit the specific child.
I believe this environment is operational and conducive to student learning and success
because it considers the individual child and the needs each child has and seeks to meet those
needs and build upon the skill set that each child has. By evaluating and making sure each
element of the classroom is appropriately suited, the individuals in charge have effectively
created successful classroom environment. I believe that the program core, the physical
classroom arrangement, attitudes, and knowledge base of the teachers and staff are structurally
sound and meet the criteria on the readiness checklist appropriately. Due to this fact, the
teachers and staff are able to assist in the learning and growth and development of all students
regardless of special needs; since needs are met correctly on an individual basis.
The suggestions that I have for this particular classroom are slight, because I believe, for
the most part, this classroom criteria is effectively met. However, I do feel that ensuring all
teachers and staff are certified on CPR and First Aide might be one area that could use
improvement. By making sure everyone in the faculty has the ability to complete these
procedures in case of emergency, one can limit the time taken to wait for someone certified to
give CPR or administer First Aidewhich in extreme situations might save a life. Another area
I suggest improvement in including more culturally relevant and appropriate materials such as
books and fantasy play items. By including multilingual books, teachers are ensuring that
students who speak languages other than English can read and listen to stories in their native
language which creates a feeling of comfort and enjoyment in learning. Furthermore, by having
housekeeping items like multi-raced baby dolls, and food items from different cultures and
ethnicities, children can identify more in terms of culture when in the classroom. Implementing
these suggestions would greatly aid in ensuring the best learning environment for each student in
the classroom.