Kim Turner, in her article, "Are We Doing Things Just Because We’ve Always Done Them This Way?" in the Exchange Essential focused on the Reggio approach, Inspiring Practices, Part I, talks addresses the importance of continually analyzing and experimenting with classroom environments...
"At one of the first preschools I taught at after graduating from college, every classroom environment stayed the same from year to year. Whatever furniture was in the classroom when a new teacher moved in stayed there and the furniture never moved around the classroom. The classroom materials rarely changed. The table stayed by the wall because that is where it had always stood. The toddler classroom had the animal puzzle in it because it had always had the animal puzzle. Change was not valued. Further, uniqueness and variety in classrooms materials were not a priority. Individual classrooms were not particularly suited to the children in them....
"Creating a classroom environment is an ongoing process. We are still observing and documenting the children working in the block area so we can make changes as needed to better support them. And our questioning, observation, and documentation continue in other areas of the classroom, as well. My co-teacher and I are currently discussing how to redesign our dramatic play space to better support the children’s work there.
"Even when the classroom environment seems ideal, I have found it helpful to continue analyzing it. There is always the possibility that after reflection and reorganization the environment will support the children’s work even better. I have learned that I can give myself permission to experiment within the environment. If a new idea doesn’t work, I can keep changing things until I find something that does work."
Buy any Title for $4, 2 Days Only!
(Sale ends 2/25/2014 11:59pm)
Exchange has published over 2,300 articles. We have selected the most popular of these articles and organized them by topic into inexpensive ($1 per article) digital collections that you can download to your desktop for immediate use. You'll find that Exchange Essentials are the perfect platform for staff development and training sessions that deliver the essential, critical information staff and students need. Enjoy!
View All Titles and Purchase!
Comments (5)
Displaying All 5 CommentsUnited States
Totally into it!
Creating environment to open up curiosity! Always make little minds wonder and discover new things..
Denver, CO, United States
The main reason the environment (both indoors and outdoors) needs to be continually changed is because children grow, develop, and learn, and therefore the old environment becomes boring. For optimum brain development, and for stimulation of the imagination, environments need to continually be changed. Children habituate to even the most ideal of environments.
United States
Simple as a sound!!
Quality not always goes into what do I have to be use, is what do I do to improve learning and create an environment of curiosity not only in little ones but myself!
Results are amazing!!
Enjoy being creative!😀👍
United States
YES! It's all about continuous quality improvement!
Denver, CO, United States
The main reason to continually change a classroom environment is that children are continually changing. They grow, learn, and develop, and thus their environment must continue to change to stimulate their brains and excite their imaginations. A perfect environment is no longer perfect once children habituate to it!
Post a Comment