Physical Arrangements of Spaces

• A good teacher carefully plans the – Physical arrangements of the room & – The routines for using it

• Researchers are interested in relationships between environment constructs and multiple outcomes, including – learning, – engagement,– motivation, – social relationships, and– group dynamics.

Physical arrangements of Spaces

• A ready school provides a physical setting that is – Safe & appropriate for children’s level of

development– Ensure the children’s physical & emotional

security– Providing a psychological safety– Stimulating their imaginations & intellects– Meeting their changing needs over time

Conti……

• The specific environment that children experience influence their behavior & their development

• It is a critical variable in effecting student morale and learning.

• Students' involvement in the process of creating their environment can

– empower them, – develop community & – increase motivation.

Conti……

• Preschoolers are full of energy, enthusiasm, and determination to explore and learn,

• Hence the environment that we provide for them should be – challenging, – interesting, and – foster independence and creativity among the

children.  • It should be set up in such a way that promotes

self-learning and direction by the children.  • This will free up the teacher to have more quality

one-on-one time with the children.  

Conti……

Setting up Physical Spaces• Teachers must consider a number of

factors & components of physical space when setting up the class room– Traffic pattern– Material placed – Organized the storage– Adequate equipments & supplies– Clearly delineated areas– Coordinated placements of centers– Small group & large group areas

Traffic pattern

• Furniture & play center arrangements Should consider – Which area child used more often– Which areas should be located close

• to door• To sink• To teachers desk

• So that Child should be able to move freely from one area to another

Material placed at children’s level

• Things the children use should be put where they can reach them

• When children can access needed material without asking teacher to get them– They become more independent– Activities proceeds more quickly

Organized Storage

• The old adage, “A place for everything & everything in its place” applies

• Material should organize in a reasonable fashion

• If you give permanent storage place to a material, – then it is good & helpful to reach the things– Avoid chaos, confusion & messy room

Conti…..• When children help to organize their world,

they learn– Classification skills– Sense of satisfaction from being independent– Self-sufficient

• All material should be labeled to assist with org. & promote the literacy skills

Adequate equipments & supplies• Centre should have certain basic

equipments &• An ever-changing variety of materials • The equipments should be

• Instruction able • Durable • Multiuse• Cheap• Safe to use

Clearly delineated areas

• Each area should have low & well-defined boundaries

• Low boundaries allow the teacher – An unobstructed view of children– Give room a more open– Interactive feel

• Each center should distinct from other• Teacher should separate noisy area

from quit area• Arrange area in a way that traffic

pattern would not be disturb• Interrelated areas should place near

each other e.g. dress up & kitchen area

Coordinated placement of centre

 Environmental Preferences

• Other important environmental features include – temperature, – lighting, and – noise level

• These factors affect students in different ways and are directly related to individual learning styles.

• Studies suggest that when teachers adjust the environment to students' preferences, the students perform better academically and are better behaved.

Small Group Areas • When learning environment support

problem solving through play Children receive stimulation

• Therefore, separate learning is important for self-directed but teacher –guided hands on activities

• In small group, child interact with other children on more personal basis

Large Group Areas

• It is large enough to accommodate all the children at one time for whole group meetings

• Specific consideration include– Whether the children sit comfortably– Performed large muscle movements without

feeling crowded– Making the area free of distraction– Focus on large-group activities

Using physical space to promote language & literacy

• Creating a classroom that promotes children’s language & literacy developments

• Focus that language & literacy material present through out the class

• E.g. books, writing utensils, prints etc• Techniques e.g. dramatic play activities

promote oral language & literature rich environment

Classroom Management (Organization & Routine of Activities)

• Key to management is a set of routine• Children feel more secure when there is a

structure• A well planned day _critical to

– build child behavior– Well-being– Receptiveness to learning

Conti…

• Overall structure/environment In which learning take place

• Should be dynamic & changing but• Predictable & comprehensible• It provide children to have 1st hand,

meaningful experiences

Management charts

• Use of chart can help with classroom management

• Some examples of possible charts are– Rules chart– Helpers chart– Attendance chart– Daily schedule chart– Learning area chart

Rules charts• Teachers should use strategies to

ensure that children understand about– Classroom rules– Activities– Directions

Helpers chart

• It provide opportunity for children to help with task

• To encourage children to • read the chart• Enlist the possible jobs &

change them frequently• Children should involve in

thinking up the jobs

Attendance chart

• Another mean of teaching independence & responsibilities

• During large-group time, the attendance helper count the no. present & absent

Daily schedule chart

• It give children a visual plan of what their routine will be on any given day

• The teacher can explain the chart • Point out the words • Matching icon/picture of activity• So that children can associate the

action with the printed word

Learning area Planning Chart

• Planning chart have word & pictures to show the purpose of each learning area– The charts provide an opportunity to make

choices– To actively participate in their own learning

• Each planning chart include– Name of learning area– An icon represent it– No. of child use an area at one time

Classroom Activity Planning• Developmental early childhood education built on two

believes• Each Child’s unique development require a flexible

program– Each child has an individual pattern– Timing of growth– Individual personality– Temperament– Learning style – Experiential & family background

• Therefore, decision about curriculum should be individualize as possible

Conti…..• Child’s ability to adapt & function successfully

in a classroom setting is a key component in ECE

• Preschool education program include opportunity for both– Individual– Group activities

• To allow independence exploration asa well as socialization

Large Group Instruction

• Large group session should occur 2-3 times per day in a full-day program

• Once in a half-day program (last 20 mint)• During this teacher can

– Deliver a morning message– Go over the schedule for the day– Conduct a read-aloud

Conti….

• Allow the children to share news• Engage the child in a language or

– phonological awareness activity• Announce a special person of the

week or Birthday• Lead the child in musical activity e.g. song• Introduce an instructional theme

Small Group (individual learning area)

• Children work best when working in separate bcz of hands-on experience

• Learning area should have– Fun & purposeful activity– A literacy connection– Writing materials &– Opportunity for conservation

Conti…

• It provide opportunity to for children to broaden & deepen their knowledge

• They provide a variety of experiences • Help children acquire symbolical knowledge by

representing them in a variety of media– Drawing– Painting– Dramatic play– Verbal & written descriptions

     Learning Centers: • The learning centers are areas in classroom

around which the curriculum primarily depends on.  

• It is these centers that invite the children to explore and learn.  

• They are known by several names ie., interest centers, discovery stations, learning areas, and learning stations.  

• The number of learning centers that you can have depends on the philosophy of your program, space, and number of children in your classroom. 

Types of centers • Some of the large learning centers are:

– Block building– Library– Dramatic play– Creative arts/crafts– Manipulative/math– Large/gross motor– Music

• Some of the smaller centers are:– Computer– Writing– Listening– Science– Cooking– Sand/water table

  Equipping the Learning Centers

• Children are constantly learning through play.  

• So it becomes important to equip your learning materials not with just toys, but with materials that will promote self-learning among the children.  

• Given below are some of the materials you might consider equipping each of your learning centers with.

Arts and Crafts • Easels, tables and chairs, drying rack, low

shelves to store child accessible art supplies, like different sizes of papers, crayons, markers, glue, collage materials, stencils, stamps, scissors, play dough, yarn and fabrics, and smocks.  

• Shelves at a higher level to store adult accessible art supplies like paints, water colors, pastels, craypas, brushes, paint containers, chalk, glue, material for sponge and block painting, and other types of paint applicators

Block center • Hollow wooden blocks of different shapes and

sizes, cardboard blocks, accessories and props to go with block construction (cars, airplanes, trains, people figures, traffic signs, miniature household articles),

• open space to conducive to construction, • low level shelves to store blocks (these must be

labeled), • appropriately labeled storage containers to store

the props.

Dramatic play • Appropriate household equipment, and

furniture, (i.e., miniature pretend cooking range, sink, washer and dryer, cupboards etc.)

• selection of men’s and women’s clothes, full length mirror, telephones, dolls of different ethnicity, sizes and colors, pretend food, and produce, cooking and eating utensils.  

• You can section off a portion of the dramatic play area and display thematic prop boxes to go with the theme.

  Library area • Book shelves at the children’s eye level

(be sure to display the books with the front of the book jacket facing the children),

• variety of books (books about other ethnicities, diverse families),

• puppets and book extension activities, • comfortable seating arrangement and

pillows.

Manipulative/Math center • Tables and chairs • low shelves with containers of labeled

manipulative • puzzles • counting • sorting and • classifying games• counters

 Music Center • Musical instruments and appropriate

storage area• record player• tape recorder and • CD player (depending on which audio

visual aids you frequently use), • headsets, records, tapes, and CDs • props to go with the music and adequate

storage area for  the same.

 Science Center • Magnifying glass• Microscope• Balance• Magnets• Pets• Books related to the current theme • Plants & • areas for children to display their collection

  Large motor center • Try to have only one large motor

equipment, – either a climbing – balancing or – lifting materials  

• If you decide to have a climbing equipment make sure you have adequate support around the equipment to prevent injuries due to fall.

  Writing center • Tables and chairs• stationary and • writing tools• Stencils• Stamps• type writer• computer

While physical room set up is an important part of positive

child outcomes