DESIGNING THE CLASSROOM

ENVIRONMENTJennifer Kukalski

Using Integrated Software Across the Curriculum

Spring 2009

HOW DOES THE ENVIRONMENT ASSIST LEARNING?

According to Helen West in her article for Teacher Magazine titled: Spaces for Learning: Designing Learning

Space

An effective early childhood learning environment :

Engages children in stimulating tasks Enables children to explore and problem-solve creatively and

together Creates spaces providing opportunities for children to

interact with each other Helps them to take responsibility for their own learning Gives them access to a cognitively challenging curriculum

which connects to their lives and experiences

CREATING THE ENVIRONMENT The room should be arranged in a way that

allows for easy movement from area to area.

The areas and their materials should be stimulating and inviting.

Noisy areas should be separated from quiet areas.

THE THREE ZONES Start with the three zones, active zone, quiet

zone and messy zone. Under each zone, make a list of the areas/stations which would go under each.

Active Zone Quiet Zone Messy ZoneBlock play Book Corner Art

Indoor Active play Computer Discovery science

Music/Movement Table Toys Sand/Water

Cooking

Woodworking

EARLY CHILDHOOD ROBOTICS LEARNING ENVIRONMENT When designing an early childhood robotics

learning environment, the following stations are also included into the classroom layout: programming stations, building stations, design and art stations, floor space and walls.

These stations would be listed under the active zone.

PROGRAMMING STATIONS Programming stations need a sufficient

amount of room on a desk or table for a computer, infrared tower and the robotic construction being programmed.

Posters of the programming icons and white boards are also good for helping the children to write their programs.

A projector connected to a computer is a good tool to demonstrate programming tips with the whole class.

A locked cabinet is a good idea to have in any classroom, to store expensive items, such as digital cameras and their accessories.

BUILDING STATIONS Building stations are made up of tables that

should be next to computer stations. Building can be done with a variety of materials

such as, Legos, pipe cleaners, cardboard, tape, etc. These items should be stored in bins with labels.

Other items which should be stored on shelves out of reach of the children are: batteries, flashlight, extra pieces and tools.

Empty bins are also good for storing projects that are still being worked on.

Posters of basic construction tips should be hung on the walls to assist children when they are building.

DESIGN AND ART STATIONS Children should have ample table space

and drawing supplies to make entries into their design journals.

Other art and recyclable materials are good to have on hand for the children to use in the robotic constructions.

Scissors, glue and tape are always a must have for any class, including a robotics learning environment.

FLOOR SPACE Floors without carpet are a great area for

testing robotic constructions, because there are no traction problems as with carpeted floors.

Other flat, smooth surfaces such as a wood board or cement can be used, inside or outside, as well.

A minimum of six feet of floor space is suggested to test moving constructions.

WALLS Walls serve as three very important functions

in robotics learning environments: documentation, memory and teaching. (Bers, 2008)

Posters of photographs can be hung to show the process of making robotics.

Memory walls can be created by placing pictures of completed projects with a short description on the wall before the creation is disassembled.

Walls also display posters of programming icons and diagrams of the building steps to teach to the children.

CONCLUSIONEarly childhood learning environments should have stimulating tasks which encourage children to work with each other to solve problems. A robotics learning environment does that, and is not hard to incorporate into a classroom. Most early childhood classrooms have building and art materials, computers, floor and wall space. The only additional things needed are the infrared towers and robotics kit and programs.

HELPFUL WEBSITES The following websites are helpful for

designing an early childhood (robotics) learning environment.

http://classroom.4teachers.org/

http://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/designingenvironments/Aquickguide.html