知道

How Do Environments Affect You?

There are certain places you like to go: maybe a favorite restaurant, a local park, a sporting arena or a good friend’s home. What about those places makes you feel welcome or secure? What makes you want to go back? Thinking about these places, you might remember the people around you, the color of a room, if there is sunlight, the smells and sounds, furniture and accessories or temperature.

现在考虑你不喜欢去的地方：也许是牙医的办公室，机场或嘈杂的餐厅。是什么让这些环境对你不那么愉快？在某些设置中，我们感到轻松舒适。在其他地方，我们可能会感到紧张，不堪重负和困惑。环境对我们有了强大的影响。它影响了我们的感受，我们做什么以及我们回应的方式。我们有些人不喜欢我们觉得我们无法控制或预测我们的经历。在一些空间中，我们也可能觉得我们不属于或不受欢迎。

就像成年人一样，幼儿园儿童受到他们环万博体育全站app境的影响，即使他们还不能以精致的方式表达这些感受。这是我们的工作，确保儿童教室和其他学习空间让他们感到欢迎，安全，准备学习。狗万app怎么下载

Designing Your Space to Meet Preschool Children’s Needs

Creating a supportive learning environment requires time, reflection (thinking) and planning. Whether children spend three or twelve hours a day in your program, the environment plays a major role in helping children develop and learn. Research suggests that a high-quality classroom environment can help close the achievement gap (Mashburn, 2008). That is, children who enter school less ready to learn are those that benefit the most from supportive classroom environments. Your supportive classroom can also be an important source of consistency for military children (a group that may experience a great deal of change in their daily lives). A supportive environment is:

• 良好的组织：有序，计划和安全。
• Dependable: a stable “home base” for children who need it.
• Flexible: able to adjust to meet the needs of different children.

Such supportive environments send children a variety of positive messages about their learning (Dodge et al., 2010), such as:

• 这是一个很好的地方。
• You belong here.
• 你可以相信这个地方。
• There are places where you can be by yourself when you want to be.
• You can do many things on your own here.
• 这是一个探索的安全场所，并尝试您的想法。

观看视频以查看这些消息在教室中出现的方式的示例。

Messages our Environments Send

Environments not only affect how we feel and send messages about how to act, they can influence what we learn. The Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education recognizes the tremendous impact of the environment by referring to it as the “third teacher” (with parents and teachers as children’s first and second teachers, respectively). The Reggio Emilia approach was developed by Loris Malaguzzi and named after an area in Italy. This approach states children are powerful learners and their interests should guide adults’ decisions surrounding learning, including how the environment is arranged and materials provided. The Reggio Emilia approach believes the learning environment plays a critical role, and that intentionality (thoughtful planning and action) on behalf of teachers in the design of spaces and the selection and arrangement of materials significantly influences children’s level of engagement and learning (Edwards, 2002). We will return to these ideas in future lessons in this course.

Places for Play and Learning: Interest Areas

当你走进零售或杂货店时，你如何找到你需要的东西？如果你正在寻找葡萄，你可能会觉得有信心你可以找到其他新鲜水果和蔬菜。如果你想要一双新的袜子，你可能对在哪里看起来有一个好主意。显然，一些商店具有比其他商店更好的设计，但许多零售店使用简单的设计原则：具有类似用途的对象彼此附近存储，并指导您。

Now think about a child in your classroom. How does he or she know where to find toys and materials or use the environment to make decisions?

零售店和教室之间存在许多差异，但通过他们的目的组织材料在这两种环境中都有意义。在商店中，我们可能会致电这些类似物品的“部门”。在幼儿的环境中，我们使用术语“兴趣区”或“学习中心”描述为某些目的而设计的空间或持有具有相似用途的材料。狗万app怎么下载

When a child enters a well-designed interest area, they know:

• The materials that can be found there.
• The type of play (loud, quiet, social, solitary) that might happen there.
• The expectations for how to behave there.
• How to explore, learn and have fun there.

As a preschool teacher, you design learning opportunities for children every day, and your classroom or outdoor environment sets the stage for most of these opportunities. Interest areas are key tools for learning in preschool learning environments. You can use children’s needs, interests and abilities to design your interest areas.

There are 10 common interest areas recommended for preschoolers (Dodge et al., 2010). These include:

1. 块：Great block areas contain a variety of materials to spark curiosity and exploration. Children use the block area to explore how things work; they build, tear down, fill, dump, stretch, reach, balance and create. Block areas should be large enough for several children to play at once. You might have a variety of large and small blocks (wooden, cardboard, foam or interlocking). You can also make blocks yourself from cardboard boxes or sturdy fabric. Many block areas include natural or recycled materials children can include in their structures. It is important to include accessories like toy figures, cars and construction equipment. The accessories you offer should change periodically and be based on children’s current interests and learning goals.
2. Dramatic Play:The dramatic play area allows children to take on roles and try out new ideas. Children use their imaginations as they cooperate with one another and they practice self-care skills as they try on dress-up clothes. A great dramatic play area offers children a chance to act out their own home and family themes with props like a kitchen, table, clothes, food and babies. It’s also important to offer a variety of other play ideas for children to explore as they become interested. Children may use props to create a bakery, doctor’s office, flower shop or nearly any other scenario. Once again, the additional props or dress-up items offered can vary according to children’s current interests, or ideas you are currently exploring (e.g., community helpers such as firefighters or police officers).
3. Toys and Games:Toys and games allow children to develop important thinking skills, social skills, and fine motor skills (the ability to use hands and fingers well). Your toy and game area can include a range of puzzles, board games and small objects. This area can provide a good opportunity for children to identify and match colors, shapes, sizes and textures.
4. Art:The art area provides opportunities for children to express themselves and develop fine motor skills. Visual art can include painting, drawing and sculpturing. This is a space for inspiration and creativity. Great art areas include a variety of materials for children to use and explore, such as sponges, rollers, glitter, tape, paint, stamps and recycled materials of all types. They also include commonplace or unique items that can be used in new ways (e.g., “block printing” with paint and different plastic blocks). Many art areas also include displays of famous artwork, books and the children’s creations. Keep in mind that you do not have to have every material or art tool imaginable accessible at all times; you may change out some materials, tools, and displays based upon the experiences of focus that day or week.
5. Library:图书馆是一个安静的地方,让孩子们可以再保险lax and enjoy reading. A great library includes a variety of books: fiction, nonfiction, alphabet books, number books, nursery rhymes and resource books. It typically includes soft furniture or pillows. Books can be displayed on shelves or in baskets for easy access. The library can also include a listening station, felt board, literacy activities or other materials that introduce children to language and print. Although the library is a great place for supporting children’s literacy development, remember that it’s important to include print materials (such as books, maps or magazines) and writing materials in every interest area (see the Communication course for more information). Some classrooms may also choose to have a dedicated “writing center,” perhaps near the library or art space, with a variety of writing utensils and forms of paper available (e.g., lined and unlined paper, post-it notes, etc.).
6. Discovery:The discovery area is children’s gateway to scientific exploration. It contains materials meant for open-ended exploration. A wide variety of natural materials are often displayed for children to explore (rocks, pinecones, starfish, etc.). Other materials appropriate for the discovery area include PVC pipe, magnets, weights, etc. Tools for exploration are also provided, such as microscopes, magnifying glasses, balances, ramps and measuring tools. Children can also participate in experiments or care for a class pet here.
7. Sand and water:沙子和水域提供了测量，倾注，比较和创造的机会。虽然空间被称为“沙子和水”，但你不仅限于提供沙子和水。许多教师认为这是一个感官区域。你的沙子和水域可以提供各种材料来探索，如叶子，雪，包装花生，切碎的纸张等。许多孩子发现沙子和水域舒缓。
8. Music and movement:孩子们参与大型运动的空间允许他们制作自己的音乐并回应他人的音乐。重要的是在这里提供各种材料，例如拖鞋，丝带，振动器，乐器和记录的音乐。音乐和运动区域可以为舞蹈和节奏提供机会。
9. Cooking:让孩子练习real-li烹饪区域fe skills and is a great way to introduce a variety of cultures to the classroom. By preparing simple recipes with an adult, children learn important math, literacy and self-care skills. The interest area for cooking need not be dedicated to cooking experiences alone, but rather cooking experiences could take place in a more flexible part of the room, perhaps at the table(s) children typically use to eat morning or afternoon snack, or the tables available to use in the toys and games area.
10. Computers:许多幼儿园万博体育全站app教室为ch提供电脑ildren to use. The use of computers, or other technology and media (e.g., tablets), can provide developmentally appropriate learning opportunities to children of a variety of ages. Computers and the Internet can expose children to people, animals and places that they cannot experience in person. Children can also use computers and media to document and share their own experiences. Using interactive ebooks and playing games that facilitate learning of letters, letter sounds and numbers are additional ways children can use computers to meet learning goals.

See

Let’s look at a few classrooms. As you watch, notice the arrangement of the interest areas and the materials in them. How do these arrangements and materials help children learn?

Designing Spaces for Play

做

There are many schools of thought on how to arrange preschool classrooms. Some important elements are found in every effective room design:

• 明确的边界：Use shelves, furniture or other barriers to help children focus and avoid distractions. Large, open spaces encourage running and roughhousing. Arrange your furniture and interest areas to break up large, open spaces.
• Clear Ways to Enter and Exit:帮助孩子们如何进入兴趣区。如果使用“中心管理系统” - 一个标签，图片或符号系统，以限制在兴趣区中扮演的​​儿童的数量 - 确保孩子们知道如何使用它并能够满足他们的需求和兴趣那天。
• Sufficient Materials:Have duplicates of favorite toys. Also, make sure there are enough materials that several children can play in social areas, like dramatic play and blocks. Children are more likely to have meaningful play together if there are enough materials to use together.
• Engaging Materials that Spark Children’s Interests:Consider what children in your class like. Add materials or rotate materials regularly so children have new experiences. Think about the pictures, displays, print or writing materials that support children’s learning and engagement in each area.
• 独立，热，安静，平静的空间：Examples of quiet interest areas are the library, listening center and writing center. Loud, active centers might include the block area, dramatic play area and the sand or water (sensory) area.
• 获得所需的材料：沙子和水，发现和艺术空间应容易进入水槽。音乐和运动，技术和烹饪区域可能需要进入电源插座。柔软的地毯在图书馆和块区域可以使儿童更容易坐在地板上的材料舒适。
• Learning Objectives:Align materials and interest areas to learning objectives.
• Keep Safety in Mind:Make sure you can see and supervise all children at all times.

Completing this Course

有关本课程中的预期，学习环境的更多信息狗万app怎么下载Competency Reflection, and a list of the accompanying Learn, Explore and Apply resources and activities offered throughout the lessons, visit the Preschool Healthy Environments课程指南。

请注意引用和参考资料部分the end of each lesson outlines reference sources and resources to find additional information on the topics covered. As you complete lessons, you are not expected to review all the online references available. However, you are welcome to explore the resources further if you have interest, or at the request of your trainer, coach, or administrator.