Monday, July 11, 2011
Shape the Path
As educators, we know the importance of the learning environment. At GSL we have seen dramatic changes in our physical environment in the past few years. In many educational philosophies, such as Montessori and Reggio Emilia, the environment is considered another "teacher"--just as crucial to the child's learning experience as the actual teacher. In this section, Shape the Path, the importance of altering the environment is discussed as a method to motivate change. Discuss a change you have made to your classroom in the past, or one you are considering for the upcoming school year that would help support your students to change behaviors, improve learning, or incorporate 21st century skills.
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Changes I have made to enhance learning and 21st century skills:
ReplyDelete-I arrange my classroom in "pods" of 3 or 4 children to encourage cooperative learning. It is very important for teaching FOSS science. Almost all experimentation is done cooperatively, gathering common thoughts and opinions based on observation. Now that I will be using the Smartboard more, I will need to arrange for viewing as well as working. May have to do some experimenting with pod position!
Pat G
As the authors have discussed, change is a process and I have seen evidence of this in my classroom environment. Over the past several years, I have been in the process of clearing out stuff that has not been used in many a day. Before school ended, we worked to get through everything in the closet and cupboards in the hope that it would not only leave pace for new things but that it would eliminate a lot of clutter. The more "clutterfree" we can make the environment, hopefully the more independent our learners can be. The other thing that I am hoping to really work on this year with my students is using the instances when I "catch them being good" more effectively. I think in the past I have neglected to mention at these times the behaviors that will help to get them to the final destination. I think my management style will be more effective if I point out the small steps that are necessary to get there, forgetting that they need very concrete directions to continue them on the path. It is easy as an adult to assume that if we give them the destination that it is obvious how to get there - I am going to try to assume no longer. We shall see!
ReplyDeleteI have changed over my room many many times. One area that always gives me trouble is the loft. I love it, but feel that I don't use it to its full potential. It has been home to a library, science lab, block area, and "discovery zone." Last year, the kids seemed to enjoy the upstairs part being a library, but kept wanting to turn the underneath area into an art studio. I had it set up as a science lad and thought it worked well for that use. So, I kept getting the kids to clean up the area and move out the craft supplies. In retrospect, I probably should have gone with what the kids were wanting to do. This year, I might let the kids help me to discover the best use of the space. Do you have any ideas? I'm open to suggestions!
ReplyDeleteI'm in the same boat as Pat in having to rearrange my room because of my SMARTboard. However in making space for the board, I found that I was really creating a more "learner friendly" classroom. As a result I've recreated my social studies curriculum so that it's more "learner centered" instead of teacher centered. In doing this, I've discovered all kinds of ways to make ALL subjects that I teach more learner friendly.
ReplyDeleteThe new science lab has incorporated so many physical changes that will enhance learning! The smart board, moveable tables, workstations around the outside of the room will give us such a variety of options for enhancing collaboration and problem solving in our science investigations.
ReplyDeleteAt the preschool we are continually trying to find the best use of each part of our rooms, and often watching the children helps us understand how THEY want to use or need to use parts of the environment. I would like to find a better way to provide a 'quiet zone' for the children when they need to decompress or just have some time away from busy group play. I think this is a challenge to create a 'public' space separate from a 'private' space in the classroom, which is one of the goals in a Reggio inspired environment. I also look forward to using the atelier at the preschool for small group projects with the children. I would like to enhance the science projects/exploration and may think about using the backyard as a designated spot for this focus.
ReplyDeleteWe also are looking for a way to incorporate a "quiet" area for looking at books, working puzzles, etc. in order to give some of the children who need a few minutes of down time a place to be away from all of the busy activity. I think an area like this would help the children monitor their own behaviors more effectively.
ReplyDelete