Rethinking The Colorful Kindergarten Classroom Summary

I want to build a sense of community were discipline problems can be prevented, children can feel safe, secure, nurtured and supported by the environment through thoughtful arrangements. The large amount of space in my classroom will be devoted to the arrangement of individual student desks the U-shaped desk pattern in my classroom will allow me to make eye contact with every student and reach each student with ease and this is also good for frequent whole-group discussions. I will provide open passageways through the aisles so the children can move around the room, this is essential for children in wheelchairs to have mobility. My classroom will have brightly colored posters, rugs and furniture such colors as yellow, orange, red and green will be on the classroom walls. I will have a bulletin board in the entrance for posting lesson plans, information about special classroom activities,

The article by Erika Christakis, informs future teachers and parents how preschool today may not be benefiting their children as much as they thought. She talks about how preschool has changed drastically over the years as well as kindergarten. She states that “kindergarten may be the new first grade”. Her statement shows how children today are expected more then they were years ago in all grades, especially preschool and at such a young age. Many think this is helping our children or will benefit them in the future if they know more as a child but this may not be the case. The article talks about multiple studies done throughout America to children are learning and how school curriculum changing affects children. A studied showed that children

The name of Rachel and I’s preschool was Chit Chatter Clubhouse. Our philosophy discusses how our preschool strives to educate the whole child physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually. We also strive to provide stimulation activities that will prepare our students for the future. Based off of this philosophy we were able to choose different materials from the content areas and set up our classroom with the areas of science, math, block, art, P.E./movement, dramatic play, and reading/writing and morning meeting/circle time. We decided on materials for these areas based off of our goals as well. We found developmentally appropriate furniture such as shelves, tables, chairs, and couches. These furniture pieces were low to the ground since we are teaching 3-5 year olds. Along with these furniture pieces, we have a teacher area with shelving and a desk for us so we can create lessons or work on things to make us better teachers. We have sinks and bathrooms that help students become independent and learn healthy

A high quality learning environment should have enough (indoor) space for children to explore their interest and supportive adults to engage them to regulate their feelings and behaviors in it. I will be assessing the “Indoor space” from the Space and Furnishings subscale section of ECERS-3 to rate an early childhood education environment. This playful learning environment is located in Discovery bay and it is named Nolan Kindergarten and Nursery School. I choose to focus a 5-6 years old children’s classroom which has two different areas namely dramatic pretend play and reading. In this essay, I will pinpoint the indoor space with reference to ECERS-3 and assess the selected venue pictures to elaborate whether it supports child development.

The classroom has a maximum capacity of 10 students. However, currently there are only five students in the classroom at a time. The classroom contains a large horseshoe shaped table, which allows the teacher to work individually with each student at their desk. There is a reading area in the corner of the classroom for the students to use when they need to relax. The walls in the classroom are not decorated nor are there any unnecessary posters the minimal amount of decorations is required by the district. The empty walls help to eliminate student

Many parents are looking for ways to give their children the tools they will need for later in life. It is important that parents work with their children early on to develop some much needed skills. It has been proven that children are more likely to learn a new skill through play. Here are some important activities for early childhood that your children are sure to find fun.

Whether it includes word families, guidelines for reading and writing, a globe, pet pockets, alphabet letters and words, or shelves filled with books, establishing the right learning environment is a key component to reaching all learners. In Figure 1, you will see the décor of Mrs. Jackson’s domain, even including her humor about common sense. Despite the fact that she teaches a population of students with a small rectangular table and two desks, she also designates one of her walls with finished products of her students’ work—a sign of culturally responsive teaching (CRT), where students show their work and explain their processes to their classmates. With that inclusion, the wall art reflects that students make an

Toddlers and preschoolers are at different developmental stages, and therefore require their teachers to use different approaches and techniques to further learning. I completed my observations at the Bright and Early Children’s Learning Center where I observed a toddler classroom and a preschool classroom. My observations took place from 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. on the 21st and 28th of September. The first day that I observed I was placed in the toddler classroom which had two teachers, Miss Ashlynn and Miss Miranda, and six students, most of whom were two years old. In the preschool classroom there was one teacher, Miss Stephanie, and eight students, each of whom were 3 years old or 4 years old. While the rooms were physically similar, the teachers used different strategies and activities to appeal to the different age groups.

The article “ A Classroom of One is a Community of Learners: Paradox, Artistic Pedagogical Technologies, and the Invitational Online Classroom” shines a light on how students in an online classroom can experience the feeling of being in a traditional classroom. Online learners often feel separated and alone and find themselves easily distracted without a traditional teacher in front of them. To improve that problem the educators must develop an online curriculum that encourages social interaction between the students and teachers causing them to build an online relationship. This curricula must create and invitational classroom that prevents student isolation, lack of accountability, and the perspective that the online learning environment

Edwards, C. P. (2002). Three Approaches from Europe: Waldorf, Montessori, and Reggio Emilia. Early Childhood Research and Practice, 4(1), 2-14. Retrieved from http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v4n1/edwards.html

It is reasonably obvious that most classrooms appear dull. A majority of them are filled with neutral colors and nothing out of the ordinary; most likely to minimize the amount of potential distractions.

The focus of kindergarten has changed from providing a play-based curriculum to one that is skills-based (Elkind, 2012). The new climate of the kindergarten classroom has forever altered the kindergarten experience. Even though Kindergarten schools in the United States became more prevalent on public school campuses, each was allowed to function as a unique learning environment, different than the elementary grades (Cuban, 1992). The two education systems operated in harmony for many years. In the early 1900s, however, a curricular shift began when kindergarten schools merged with the primary schools and officially became part of the public school system, With the merger, it became necessary for kindergarten programs to adhere to the mandates

Kindergarten teachers are some of the most important teachers a child has because they are being taught life skills that they build on, the rest of their lives. 1. As teachers, we need to make sure that kindergarteners are excited to come back to school because school should be a fun and safe place for them to be. High-quality teachers gently guide conversation in the classroom, and are a great role model for their students. 2. It is important that the classrooms environment is welcoming to all students. In the classroom, there should be a dramatic play area, interest areas, a place for quiet time, and many different centers including art, math, writing, and reading. The teacher could even include pictures of their student’s families to

Classrooms environments are very important at the time of learning. According to our textbook, the environment is viewed as an established behavioral place that forms how we act and behave (Vukelich & Christie, 2016). The environment in the classroom I visited was adequate for learning because it has all the things a preschool classroom has to have according to the textbook. The classroom has a bulleting board, a dramatic play center, a writing center, tables for manipulative and games, whole group meeting area, a computer area and an art area. There was also on a wall a picture of every single child with his and her names. My visit was from 10:30 to 12:30. When I first arrived, children were in a transition from one activity to another. The next activity was to watch an ABC phonics video. All the children knew what they have to do. They had to sit nicely and quiet on the floor. Every single child knew how to sit. They crossed their legs and put their hands in their laps. When the teacher saw that all the children were sitting properly, she assumed that they were ready to learn. During this activity I observed that Matthew and Jose were not engaged with this activity because they were looking to other children instead to look to the screen. For the next activity the children had to take a tablet from a cabinet. I was surprise because every single child knew the number of the tablet they have to take. Later I noticed that it was because in the classroom every child has a

Design Psychology, also known as Environmental Design or Environmental Analysis, is the study of how people interact with the built environment around them. With the frequency with which students and educators interact with classroom and general campus spaces, it may be surprising to consider how many people overlook this important psychological phenomenon. I am sure many a student can attest to an experience in a poor environment in which they felt learning barriers were present and that their ability to concentrate and engage was impaired. Often times, a student in a poorly designed space will be distracted from the negative attributes of the interior space (Mendell & Health, 2005). Since students and educators engage with their built environments on a nearly daily basis, I propose that administrators add to their focus ensuring delivery of the following four specific design focus areas. Namely, administrators in higher education should approach design psychology to ensure that a space is flexible, accessible, accommodating to different teaching styles and technological adaptable. Ultimately, these four focus areas, whether alone or combined, should encourage and facilitate student learning gains and promote teaching effectiveness.