Classroom #2, 3- and 4-Year-Olds
What was your direction with designing your classroom?
We noticed the children moving about the room as they engaged in dramatic play. Their play seemed very fluid and inhibited by the spaces we had set. We also had a “dramatic play” space with a kitchen but found that the children did not limit their play to this space and moved all over the room playing “family,” “baby,” and “doctor.”
Did you consider all of your students individually when designing your environment?
We considered more the groups of children who played, what they were playing, how they were playing, and when they were playing. We did think about the materials in the classroom based more on the individualities of the children. In the process I think we considered how each child worked but looked more at how the group functioned in the space! (we did find, however, through the changes, which children needed more support in the classroom)
What do you find the hardest and the easiest about designing your classroom?
The hardest thing is honestly finding the time to make large space changes. We tried to include the children as much as we could, but some things need longer chunks of time and undivided attention. The easiest thing is the collaboration and ideas that emerge. Rather than easy it is the most fun part. The “easiest” would be observing the absolute engagement of the children after changes to environment and materials.
What resources do you use when considering your learning spaces?
Other teachers ideas and experience and observations are the biggest resource ever! Children, Spaces & Relations, Pinterest, & Beautiful stuff are always great resources as well!
What things don’t work and what do you do when that happens?
I haven’t found too much that things don’t work. When you observe the children and create an environment based on them it often works well. I find that sometimes I am too quick in introducing materials without providing enough time for messing about. For example, we introduced materials for costume making because we noticed them using fabric and pre-made costumes. This addition didn’t take off as we thought it might because, I feel, they didn’t have the time to understand the possibilities of the materials first. Instead we decided to slow down and introduce costume making in small groups. We left the materials however, and instead of costumes they were more often used for forts, castles, traps and beds.
How do you start to visualize a new concept in your classroom?
I start thinking a lot about why we are deciding to make changes. I talk to others about it intensively about ideas and get other perspectives.I think about things like the furniture we have and how we can utilize it to our advantage without necessarily having to purchase new things or get rid of things. I think about how the furniture will work in certain areas and how it will support the function of the classroom.
Using adapting technology- What is it? Why should you use it in your environment?
I am not sure what adapting technology is but, I think technology can be a great resource. We revisit picture and video a lot in our classroom and offer the images of the children’s work back using a digital frame. the internet can also be useful to find images to support the children’s ideas and even video. We use transparencies as back-drops for their dramatic play scenarios such as doctor’s offices, waiting rooms, and castles. We have also used video of rockets blasting to help support their emerging interest in space. We find this is a way to excite their dramatic play and then we can observe their conversations and hear their ideas and concepts.
We noticed the children moving about the room as they engaged in dramatic play. Their play seemed very fluid and inhibited by the spaces we had set. We also had a “dramatic play” space with a kitchen but found that the children did not limit their play to this space and moved all over the room playing “family,” “baby,” and “doctor.”
Did you consider all of your students individually when designing your environment?
We considered more the groups of children who played, what they were playing, how they were playing, and when they were playing. We did think about the materials in the classroom based more on the individualities of the children. In the process I think we considered how each child worked but looked more at how the group functioned in the space! (we did find, however, through the changes, which children needed more support in the classroom)
What do you find the hardest and the easiest about designing your classroom?
The hardest thing is honestly finding the time to make large space changes. We tried to include the children as much as we could, but some things need longer chunks of time and undivided attention. The easiest thing is the collaboration and ideas that emerge. Rather than easy it is the most fun part. The “easiest” would be observing the absolute engagement of the children after changes to environment and materials.
What resources do you use when considering your learning spaces?
Other teachers ideas and experience and observations are the biggest resource ever! Children, Spaces & Relations, Pinterest, & Beautiful stuff are always great resources as well!
What things don’t work and what do you do when that happens?
I haven’t found too much that things don’t work. When you observe the children and create an environment based on them it often works well. I find that sometimes I am too quick in introducing materials without providing enough time for messing about. For example, we introduced materials for costume making because we noticed them using fabric and pre-made costumes. This addition didn’t take off as we thought it might because, I feel, they didn’t have the time to understand the possibilities of the materials first. Instead we decided to slow down and introduce costume making in small groups. We left the materials however, and instead of costumes they were more often used for forts, castles, traps and beds.
How do you start to visualize a new concept in your classroom?
I start thinking a lot about why we are deciding to make changes. I talk to others about it intensively about ideas and get other perspectives.I think about things like the furniture we have and how we can utilize it to our advantage without necessarily having to purchase new things or get rid of things. I think about how the furniture will work in certain areas and how it will support the function of the classroom.
Using adapting technology- What is it? Why should you use it in your environment?
I am not sure what adapting technology is but, I think technology can be a great resource. We revisit picture and video a lot in our classroom and offer the images of the children’s work back using a digital frame. the internet can also be useful to find images to support the children’s ideas and even video. We use transparencies as back-drops for their dramatic play scenarios such as doctor’s offices, waiting rooms, and castles. We have also used video of rockets blasting to help support their emerging interest in space. We find this is a way to excite their dramatic play and then we can observe their conversations and hear their ideas and concepts.