The importance of the classroom environment for the early childhood education cannot be overestimated. The learning environment in itself can be a powerful learning tool, where an efficient setup of the environment, with knowledge of the main theories of learning and development, can facilitate the learning experience as well as support teaching. In that regard, the present paper will describe a classroom environment, aligned with the vision, mission, and philosophy of the early childhood program that was described in week 1.
First of all, describing the classroom environment, a suitable definition should be given to what such environment constitutes. A classroom environment can be defined as the “space where young children have opportunities to interact with each other and adults and engage in meaningful activities that nurture aspects of a child’s development” (New & Cochran, 2007, p. 140).
One of the points of the vision of the educational program is ensuring a protected and nurturing environment that stimulates growth. In terms of protection, the setup of the environment should focus on safety, which should be reflected in the furniture and learning materials. Such reflection might include aspects such as “easy-to-clean plastic furniture and easy-to-store commercial learning materials and displays” (New & Cochran, 2007, p. 144). Other elements related to safety shall be represented through 10% percent of the square footage of the class should be devoted to storage areas that are “not accessible to children” (Decker, 2009, p. 130). The nurturing aspect can be also seen through the regulation that indicates the minimum required space for children in the classroom. The latter implies such points as different zones for different kinds of activities, between 50 and 75 sq ft per child. The licensing regulations of many states indicate the minimum space per child to be at least 35 sq ft (Decker, 2009, p. 131).
The mission of the early childhood program indicated such aspects as the focus on the development of societal, rational, creative and emotional skills as well as fulfilling diverse needs of children. The latter can be achieved through arranging and organizing the classroom in ways that promote communication and “foster exploration with learning materials” (Oklahoma State Department of Education, n.d.). An environment that facilitates interaction among parents, teachers and children’s collaborative exploration is also encouraged (New & Cochran, 2007, p. 144).
The focus on the family and its role is also a part of the philosophy of the early education program. In that regard, the facilitation of family involvement and the reinforcement of family values might be also represented in the design of the learning environment. Including elements of children’s culture and/or the community is an example of such representation, e.g. photos, pictures, drawings on the walls. Additionally, such representation can be seen through considering additional areas within the classroom where members of the family can be present and interact with their children. Such area might be seen through a separate area for separate interaction or a larger area where group learning might occur.
In conclusion, the present paper provided a brief description of a learning classroom environment. Such an environment conformed to the vision, mission, and philosophy of an early education program as well as educational theories outlined in the literature. It should be mentioned that the mentioned aspects are not inclusive, serving merely as guidelines of a possible classroom setup.
References
Decker, C. A. (2009). Planning and administering early childhood programs (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Merrill/Pearson Education.
New, R. S., & Cochran, M. (2007). Early childhood education : an international encyclopedia. Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers.
Oklahoma State Department of Education. (n.d.). Early Childhood/Family Education Programs. Oklahoma State Department of Education. Web.