Physical environment and Temporal Environment

Temporal environment

Physical environment

Design Elements

Maximising Learning Space

Principles of Effective Organisation

Expectations

Routines

Transitions

Learning Centre Materials

Daily schedule

overall balance
-large group, small group, individual

pace
-overall schedule
-decided by teacher/child, supervision

variety
-size, purpose, interest, composition, duration
-groups by needs/skills/chance

Examples
 Entering school/ classroom
 Going to the toilet
 Going for meals
 Learning centre time
 Clean-up time
 Dismissal

Clear routines

Benefits
• Reduce behavioural problems
• Increased time on learning activities
• Certain structure and order is maintained
• Eliminates confusions
• Appropriate behavior without much prompting

Examples
Arrival: Home to school
Departure: School to home
Nap: active to quiet
Circle time to centre time: Large group to small group
Playground: Indoor to outdoor

How to structure transitions?
Give children transition notice
Allow sufficient time
Give children specific tasks
Be clear and consistent in instructions
Be flexible
Meet individual needs
Use transitions as opportunities to teach

Some of the strategies:
Visual cues
Prompts
Songs
Counting
Assigning tasks

Keep it short (4 to 6 rules)
Clear, explicit, and stated positively
General and yet Important
Implement from the first day
Involve the children in creating the rules

Guidelines
Plan to discuss and teach the rules in the first class session
Discuss the reasons for the rules
Identify specific expectations relevant to each rule
Inform children of the consequences when rules are followed and also when they are broken
Verify children’s understanding of the rules
Inform families
Post the rules in a prominent location
Remind the class of the rules from time to time
Review the rules regularly

Consider
Developmental abilities of the children
Familiarity and interest
Reflects all members of the class
Not constant

Avoid
Materials that
Has electronic technology as the focus
Lure young children into focusing on appearances
Emphasize violent, sexualized language or behavior
Linked to TV programs, movies, and video games rated for teens or adults
Play to candy or unhealthy foods

Placing centres that are linked closer together to share materials
Increase usable space and use vertical space
Use the large group area for more than one purpose
Create mobile storage units
Keep storage units with common materials for more than one centre in a central location
Stackable drawers or open containers on crate or wheels

Outdoor Learning Environment

Provide safe playground
Protect children’s health
Provide variety of activity areas
Use effective playground design

Learning Centres

Display space (e.g. wall, hanging, back of shelves)
Traffic flow/ patterns / Pathways (clear flow)
Separation of areas (noisy/quiet)
Extension of play over time (more than a day)
Separation of spaces (boundaries)
Messy areas (e.g. art area near water source)
Specialized areas (individualised space, etc)
Storage (e.g. shelves, containers, labelling, etc.)
Visibility (supervision of children)
Size of space (e.g. Super units – using multiple variety of materials)

Noisy/ Active Learning Areas
Block play
Dramatic/Pretend Play
Music & Movement
Sand & water play
Indoor gym


Quiet/ Less active Learning Areas
Reading
Writing
Manipulatives/ Numeracy (math)
Discovery (science)


Neutral Learning Areas
Art/Visual arts/ Creative art
Computer centre

Natural items
Softness
Texture
Colour
Lighting
Focal points