EDEE 253 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Loose Parts, Environmental Design, Dime (United States Coin)
22 Jun 2018
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Department
Course
Professor
Centered on learning: creating and maintaining learning centres indoors and outdoors (p.118-126)
-Children are aware of their physical environment and use all of their senses to respond to and interact
with it
-Sometimes they reconstruct their experiences by actually drawing out maps or pictures of the spaces
where they live and play
-Children respond to the environmental design of the classroom and the climate created by their teachers
-Knowing that children learn from their senses, their teachers in this class created a space that would
support engagement, learning and motivation and where children would feel safe and secure
Materials: among the things you provide children will be purchased items and materials you have found -
the things we use to teach will come from many sources. Some examples include: commercial toys,
household goods, commercial discards, natural materials, office supplies, special supplies and tools, etc.
-Regardless of the source, the selection and use of the materials share some common characteristics
Selection of materials:
-It involves careful planning and making choices related to certain criteria
Goal related:
-Select materials with specific program goals in mind
-The best materials are those that can be used across domains
Safety:
-Keep the children safe
-All materials should be structurally safe and sturdy
-Consider risk factors of ordinary objects
-Anything larger than a dime and smaller than a quarter is a choking hazard
-Some items are sharp and pointy and have the potential to pinch children or fall
Age appropriate:
-Childcare centres are often recipients of toys that members of the community no longer need at home
-Select only those toys and materials that the children in your group will find challenging and rewarding
-Materials to meet the needs of the developmentally delayed or gifted may be stored and used when the
need arises
-When materials are not age appropriate, children may misuse them
Sized correctly:
-All materials should be of a size suitable to the age group
Complete and ready to use:
-Make sure all the pieces of a game are together
-Check to see that books have all pages
-All materials displayed should be usable
Culturally diverse:
-Materials should represent the children in the group and community
-Unbiased images and materials can help children understand diverse populations
Examples: men and women in a variety of work and family roles, families of different compositions,
ages, and economic conditions, workers in business, homemaking, agriculture, education and service
occupations
-Materials in the classroom should respect the families of children attending, the larger community they
live in and the nation
Providing firsthand experiences:
-Young children learn best with concrete materials and real things
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Centered on learning: creating and maintaining learning centres indoors and outdoors (p. 118-126) Children are aware of their physical environment and use all of their senses to respond to and interact with it. Sometimes they reconstruct their experiences by actually drawing out maps or pictures of the spaces where they live and play. Children respond to the environmental design of the classroom and the climate created by their teachers. Knowing that children learn from their senses, their teachers in this class created a space that would support engagement, learning and motivation and where children would feel safe and secure. Materials: among the things you provide children will be purchased items and materials you have found - the things we use to teach will come from many sources. Some examples include: commercial toys, household goods, commercial discards, natural materials, office supplies, special supplies and tools, etc. Regardless of the source, the selection and use of the materials share some common characteristics.
