learning environments - early childhood australia environments workshop delivered by luke touhill...

Learning Environments

Workshop delivered by Luke Touhill and Judy Radich at Campbell

Street Childcare and Early Education Centre

What is Environment Makeover. National Quality Standard ideas to actions?

Environment Makeover. National Quality Standard ideas to actions is an on-

line documentary that will explore the importance of the physical

environment (Quality Area 3) to a service’s achievement of good practice

across all quality areas. This project is brought to you by Early Childhood

Australia as part of the Commonwealth of Australia-funded National Quality

Standard Professional Learning Program (NQS PLP).

Environment Makeover

‘Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there is really another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it’

Milne, A. A. (1926). Winnie-the-pooh. London: Methuen.


• Learning Environments are one of the eight key practices contained in the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF); Physical Environment is one of the seven quality areas in the National Quality Standard.

• A well organised learning environment has the potential to underpin good practice across all Quality Areas in the National Quality Standard and the five Learning Outcomes specified in the EYLF.

• ‘An active learning environment is one in which children are encouraged to explore and interact with the environment to make meaning and knowledge through their experiences, social interactions and negotiations with others’ EYLF p. 45.


A well organised environment is:

• Welcoming • Vibrant and flexible • Responsive to children and their changing needs, interests and abilities • One that invites experiences, interactions, risk taking, discovery,

connections to nature, conversations, play and collaboration • One that has a sense of place and purpose for resources, materials and

experiences • Consistent and predictable • Well resourced and well maintained • Interesting and engaging (absorbs children in complex, deep learning

experiences rather than shallow or superficial experiences) • Contains open-ended, complex materials that can be used in many ways

and can be used again and again without becoming boring • Contains a balance of experiences/types of experiences.


What is in a space, a room

or a yard, and how it is arranged can affect the behaviour of people; it can make it easier to act in certain kinds of ways, harder to act in others …

Kritchevsky and Prescott


Arranging space

Breaking up the space with clear pathways and clear play spaces produces more focussed and productive play. Children are able to play in small to medium sized groups, without unnecessary interruption or encroachment by others.

Try to avoid creating a ring of activity areas or learning centres around the edges of the room. This arrangement usually fails to clearly define play spaces, allowing each to spill into the other, and the open space at the centre tends to invite unfocussed or aimless wandering.


Provide a consistent environment Resist the urge to constantly change the layout of your room or playground without good reason. A consistent and predictable environment helps children to feel a sense of belonging and attachment as well as allowing them opportunities to practice using materials and equipment.

‘connections and continuity between learning experiences … make learning more meaningful’ (EYLF, p. 33)


Think about what you expect children to do in each area or at each experience:

• Is there enough space?

• Are there enough materials?

• Is everything they will need easily accessible?

• What does the space look like from a child’s perspective?


Think about the kind of materials and resources that children can access What is natural? What is man-made? What is hard? What is soft? What is complex? What is simple? What can only be used one way? What can be used in many ways? What can only be used by one child at a time? What can be used by many children or by a group of children? ‘... plants, trees, edible gardens, sand, rocks, mud, water and other elements from nature ... invite open-ended interactions, spontaneity, risk-taking, exploration, discovery and connection with nature ...’ EYLF, p. 16


Make use of incidental spaces to create interest Engaging environments tend to make good use of incidental spaces – learning opportunities are built into the environment. The result shouldn’t be cluttered but makes effective use of all available space. • How many things are there to do, and places are there to be in your

environment?

• If you didn’t set up anything for the day what would children find to do in your space?

• Are there enough spaces for different kinds of activities? Quiet and noisy? In a group or by yourself?


The environment and relationships

The environment is a key enabler of relationships - how our environment is set up helps to determine how, and what kind of, relationships will happen within it.


‘Because social development is seen as an intrinsic part of cognitive development space is planned and set up to facilitate encounters, interactions and exchanges among children.’

Lella Gandini, The Hundred Languages of Children


National Quality Standard 3.2 The environment is inclusive, promotes competence, independent exploration and learning through play

What elements and features in the physical environment invite open ended interactions, spontaneity, risk taking, exploration, discovery and connection with nature...?

Element 3.2.1 Outdoor and indoor spaces are designed and organised to engage every child in quality experiences in both built and natural environments

‘Assessors may observe ... learning environments with appropriate levels of challenge where children are encouraged to explore, experiment and take appropriate risks in their learning’

Challenge and risk-taking

Risk vs Hazard

‘A risk is something that is possible to negotiate and may be appropriate for particular situations and children. A hazard is something that is inherently dangerous and needs to be remedied, such as a climbing structure with sharp edges or loose boards that could seriously injure children if they play on it.’ Deb Curtis, What’s the risk of no risk?

‘A risk is something that is possible to negotiate and may be appropriate for particular situations and children. A hazard is something that is inherently dangerous and needs to be remedied, such as a climbing structure with sharp edges or loose boards that could seriously injure children if they play on it.’ Deb Curtis, What’s the risk of no risk?

Challenge and risk-taking

What do we want to achieve?

• A learning environment that encourages children’s engagement, curiosity, problem solving, independent exploration and appropriate risk taking.



• A learning environment that encourages children’s engagement, curiosity, problem solving, independent exploration and appropriate risk taking

• An adequate level of resourcing to support a rich and engaging program





• A daily timetable and routines that support children’s engagement and learning, and provides better opportunities for in-depth and meaningful interactions between educators and children





• A daily timetable and routines that support children’s engagement and learning, and provides better opportunities for in-depth and meaningful interactions between educators and children

• Sustainable practices embedded into the daily program.


Think about indoors and outdoors, and the group of children you work with:

• What kind of learning would you like to see your children

engaged in in each space?

• What kind of environment would support that learning to happen?

• What kind of things could you do to support that learning to happen?


Things to think about:

• How you organise your space currently and how you might do it differently?

• How much time do children have to engage in experiences and with materials? Are there ways you could create longer periods of time for children’s play (both indoors and outdoors)?

• Think about the materials and resources you have. Which do you find promote the most meaningful learning? What would you like to have to support learning further?

• What kind of challenges or risk taking experiences would be appropriate for the age group that you are working with?

• How much of your time are you able to spend fully engaged with the children – in conversation, in learning, in shared thinking and problem solving? Try to notice how often this occurs over the next week. What are the other pressures that keep you from being able to engage with children’s learning?


References Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority. (2011). Guide to the National Quality Standard. Sydney: Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority.

Curtis, D. (2010). What’s the risk of no risk? Child Care Exchange, March/April,

Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. (2009). Belonging, being, becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.

Gandini, L. (1993). Educational and caring spaces. In, C. Edwards, L. Gandini, & G. Forman (Eds.). The hundred languages of children: The Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.

Kritchevsky, S. & Prescott, E. (1977). Planning environments for young children - Physical space. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

Milne, A. A. (1926). Winnie-the-pooh. London: Methuen.

Rinaldi, C. (1998). The space of childhood. In, Ceppi, G. & Zini, M. (Eds.). children, spaces, relations: metaproject for an environment for young children. Reggio Emilia: Reggio Children.


For further details and resources on the Environment

Makeover. NQS ideas to actions, please visit the NQS PLP website

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/nqsplp/environment-makeover/

learning environments - early childhood australia environments workshop delivered by luke touhill...

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