Monday, September 16, 2013

The Learning Environment: What messages are we sending our children?

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“ There are three teachers of children: adults, other children, and their physical environment.”
– Loris Malaguzzi

These were the walls that we had when we started in Kindergarten...and we thought they looked great! We carefully put up these bright pieces of broad cloth and busy borders. We thought this was what Kindergarten was supposed to look like. When we look back at these photos today, we feel instantly overwhelmed. We have made some fundamental changes to our environment structure and walls.




When considering making changes to your learning environment or working to understand the importance of making change we reflected on some of these questions together as a team.

1) What message does your classroom send to families/students?
The choices that we make while setting up and maintaining our environments send a clear and powerful message to families and children about what is important and valued.

When a room is full of clutter and materials that the children are not allowed to touch - what message does that send to them? Are we setting ourselves and the children up for success if their environment is overwhelming or cluttered with too many visuals/materials?

We used to use stop signs to let children know which bins they could use since we had not created proper storage for our materials. The signs were distracting and often overwhelming for the children to see materials that they couldn't access. We believe that if the children can see the materials, they should be able to access them!

How can you make that change and reduce clutter? Think carefully about what materials need to be kept at school, what materials can simply be thrown out, and how things are organized in the room.

2) How does your room flow? Where are centres in relation to each other?
It is important to think about the FLOW in your room. We have tried to limit the number of tables in the classroom so that we have just enough spaces for the children during nutrition breaks.

Through our observations we have noticed that children often are gravitated to working on the floor so we try to ensure that there is a balance of tables and open spaces for creative thinkers.


3) LESS is MORE...
Storage is always an issue in classrooms, there never seems to be enough! However, there are creative ways to work around storing materials. In our classroom we keep anything that personally belongs to us at home and we have used black fabric to cover just a couple of shelves so that teacher resources are out of sight.

Black Fabric Covering Shelves on the Left Wall of the Classroom


We start the year with very minimal materials out - in our building area there is nothing but wooden blocks, our art area begins with crayons, paper and pencils and our nature area begins with a limited number of loose parts and a small basket of animals.

Although these areas grow and change through the year, we still try not to overcrowd shelves too many materials. We want things that are out to be purposeful and our goal is for the children to learn how to respect and use what is provided before we continue to add more.

Our Kindergarten classrooms all share materials - instead of each classroom having small sets of materials, we spent a few days putting all of our resources together.

This allows for us to be more intentional with the materials that we are using in our rooms. When pooled together, we have more of each resource and can make better decisions in our purchasing (e.g., not buying 4 of the same puzzle).

We have created a shared storage system for each type of material (e.g., building materials, science materials, puppets, dramatic play, playdough, puzzles, sand and water). We all have some staple materials in our rooms, but we rotate in and out other materials that do not need to be there all year.

Our shared storage system allows for the educators to be more intentional in selecting materials since everything doesn't have to be out at once!



4) Natural, calm colours...with a focus on student learning and work!
We have had families question why the room was so bare and why it was so "brown" in the Fall. We have grown to have great conversation about how it is less stimulating than bright primary colours, explaining that when a provocation is set out it attracts the children's attention, and how documentation or student work adds colours to the walls instead of a busy ABC border or premade poster.

5) How will you present materials to the children?
"When materials for learning, such as blocks or paint, paper and brushes are stored and organized in thoughtful ways, it gives the message that these are important tools for learning" - Lisa Burman

When we present materials in transparent containers, when we organize paint brushes by size and markers by colour...we are really supporting the children in slowing down. You will see the children make more deliberate and thoughtful choices in the tools that they need. In addition, you will see the children treat the materials as tools, rather than disposable materials.

6) Take your time!
Thinking about your environment doesn't need to cost you money or take hours of your time. The process should be gradual, it should involve the children and your colleagues, and it will take time!

You do not need to overhaul your entire classroom overnight. You can simply start with one wall or one area and reflect on what changes you might be able to make.

8 comments:

  1. I am a RECE working for a school board in Ontario and I have just found your blog. I love this post and the simplicity (uncluttered!) of the classroom photos. It is what I am striving for!

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  2. I am an RECE and my goal is to transform our classroom in to a more Reggio inspired classroom. I have to agree 100% with you when you say less is more. Thank you for taking the time to share your wonderful classroom with us.

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  3. I love the thoughtful way you spell this out for readers. The photos are lovely and inviting, but it is your words that I come back to again and again. As I enter my first year of FDK in a few months, I know I have a whole new journey of learning in sharing it with a new ECE partner and a larger group.
    It's good advice, to slow down, and watch how the room works for your students. I also like that you cover stored materials. Though I'm blessed with a large room, I've little storage, and as such there are boxes and materials on top of cupboards. This bothers me to look at but I hadn't found a way around it. Now I think I'll find a creative way to mask it.
    This really spoke to me: "You will see the children make more deliberate and thoughtful choices in the tools that they need. You will see the children treat the materials as tools, rather than disposable materials".
    Indeed! This is what I've noticed, not with art materials per se but definitely all around the room: using glass jars, real plates, heavy wood bowls, delicate items like teapots and cups - this has made a difference in how students interact with materials in their play. Years ago I might see a plastic plate whizz by like a frisbee. Why not? It's not precious, it's not going to hurt or break. Not disposable, but certainly not precious. When students play with heavy, breakable, or unique materials, they treat them with care. They use words like "delicate" and "special" and "gentle".
    I should also note it's possible this care is taken because there are spaces for more rambunctious possibilities too.... That it's not ruled out, just not appropriate for certain spaces. It makes a difference when students feel valued in that way.
    Thank you for this lovely post. I will return to it again in September, I'm sure.

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    Replies
    1. Laurel - you are always a poet with your words. You are an educator designed for Full Day Kindergarten. I truly believe you live and breathe all of the qualities that will make you outstanding in the program and new partnership. You already live the philosophy in your daily life and classroom ... you just don't have all the perks yet!

      After reading your thoughts, I want to edit this post (or perhaps write something a bit more in depth) to include a photograph of shared storage spaces in our school. This concept of shared storage has made a huge difference in terms of what is out in classrooms as well as the quantity of materials we share as a team!

      I look forward to watching you embark on your journey in FDK next year, but I have not a doubt that you will be successful and inspiring!

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  4. Hi, I enjoy your blog very much. What are some examples of your prompts for educators to help with their interactions with students? I have been looking for some .

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  5. The past few weeks I have been reading and pondering how I want my kindergarten program to unfold this school year. During the past week I have spent time cleaning closets and decluttering. I still have a bit to do before school starts on 9/3....luckily it's a long weekend! Finding your blog is very exciting! I appreciate your suggestions for keeping it very simple and taking things slowly at the beginning of the school year. Last year was my first year with a new employer, and I had a challenging class and a difficult beginning. I learned a lot, and feel very hopeful about this coming school year. i will have a larger class than last year which feels a bit scary, but I am thinking positively that it will be a great year!

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  6. I am so thankful I came across your blog. You and your colleagues have helped to transform my grade 1 classroom into a more Reggio/Inquiry approach. The article on classroom organization was a great read to start my year. I have gathered neccessary items for Reggio philosophy. This year I will group these items with this article in mind. It makes sense to keep them organized by provocation. The children will be engaged with a better purpose.

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