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Are Your Children in Times Square? Moving from Confinement to Engagement

by Sandra Duncan and Michelle Salcedo
January/February 2015
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Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/are-your-children-in-times-square--moving-from-confinement-to-engagement/5022126/

Editor’s Note: In the November/December 2012 issue of Exchange, Sandra Duncan and Michelle Salcedo made an analogy between the chaotic environment of Times Square and the environments of many early childhood classrooms. In this related article, the authors continue to look at how teachers can move from the overwhelming nature of Times Square to appropriate and engaging classrooms.

Like the colossally tall, cold steel buildings and the confining spaces that make up New York’s Times Square, we often configure early childhood classrooms in ways that create a sense of confinement for young children. Some of these environmental configurations are physical �" and lead to confinement of the body �" while others are less tangible and result in confinement of the mind and spirit. As we seek to effectively educate and care for young children, it is important to identify and tear down these classroom structures in order to move from confining spaces to active and engaging environments.

Confinement of the Body

Early childhood teachers typically use shelving units and other types of furniture to define learning areas in their classrooms. In some cases, this practice leads to enclosed spaces in which children cannot easily move, and leaves them without adequate space ...

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