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Rethinking Your Environment
February 24, 2014
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.
-Helen Keller

Kim Turner, in her article, "Are We Doing Things Just Because We’ve Always Done Them This Way?" in the Exchange Essential focused on the Reggio approach, Inspiring Practices, Part I, talks addresses the importance of continually analyzing and experimenting with classroom environments...

"At one of the first preschools I taught at after graduating from college, every classroom environment stayed the same from year to year. Whatever furniture was in the classroom when a new teacher moved in stayed there and the furniture never moved around the classroom. The classroom materials rarely changed. The table stayed by the wall because that is where it had always stood. The toddler classroom had the animal puzzle in it because it had always had the animal puzzle. Change was not valued. Further, uniqueness and variety in classrooms materials were not a priority.  Individual classrooms were not particularly suited to the children in them....
 
"Creating a classroom environment is an ongoing process. We are still observing and documenting the children working in the block area so we can make changes as needed to better support them. And our questioning, observation, and documentation continue in other areas of the classroom, as well. My co-teacher and I are currently discussing how to redesign our dramatic play space to better support the children’s work there.

"Even when the classroom environment seems ideal, I have found it helpful to continue analyzing it. There is always the possibility that after reflection and reorganization the environment will support the children’s work even better. I have learned that I can give myself permission to experiment within the environment. If a new idea doesn’t work, I can keep changing things until I find something that does work."






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Comments (5)

Displaying All 5 Comments
Maria Uribe · February 25, 2014
United States


Totally into it!
Creating environment to open up curiosity! Always make little minds wonder and discover new things..

Francis · February 24, 2014
Denver, CO, United States


The main reason the environment (both indoors and outdoors) needs to be continually changed is because children grow, develop, and learn, and therefore the old environment becomes boring. For optimum brain development, and for stimulation of the imagination, environments need to continually be changed. Children habituate to even the most ideal of environments.

Maria Uribe · February 24, 2014
United States


Simple as a sound!!
Quality not always goes into what do I have to be use, is what do I do to improve learning and create an environment of curiosity not only in little ones but myself!
Results are amazing!!
Enjoy being creative!&#128512;&#128077;

Debra · February 24, 2014
United States


YES! It's all about continuous quality improvement!

Francis · February 24, 2014
Denver, CO, United States


The main reason to continually change a classroom environment is that children are continually changing. They grow, learn, and develop, and thus their environment must continue to change to stimulate their brains and excite their imaginations. A perfect environment is no longer perfect once children habituate to it!



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