Learning Environment

Temporal Environment

Physical Environment

Principles of effective organisation

Transitions

Ways to structure transition

Classroom Rules/ Expectations

Ways to structure transitions:
Give children transition notice
Allow sufficient time (don’t rush through transition times)
Give children specific tasks
Be clear and consistent in instructions
Be flexible (extra time for certain task)
Meet individual needs
Use transitions as opportunities to teach

Some transitions

Some transitions:
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

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 (More for older children

Guidelines to teach/ communicate

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
Send a copy of your classroom rules to the families (Inform families)
Post the rules in a prominent location
Remind the class of the rules from time to time
Review the rules regularly

Schedules and routines

Daily schedule

  1. A big picture
  2. Shows the key activities to be engaged in a day

Principles of plannning daily schedules

  1. Overall balance
  2. Pace
  3. Variety
  4. Routines
  1. Display space
  2. Traffic flow/ patterns/ pathways
  3. Seperation of spaces
  4. Extension of play over time
  5. Separation of spaces
  6. Messy areas
  7. Specialised areas
  8. Storage
  9. Visibility
  10. Size of space

Design considerations

Design elements

Learning centres

General guidelines/ criteria when creating learning centres

General rules for a well-designed space

Age- Appropriate – Meeting differing age-groups’ needs
Versatile – Various functional aspects such as drama, music, reading, etc.
Active learning – Active engagement alone/ with others
Safety – Materials and activities are safe
Flexible – Able to adapt to changing needs and interests of children/ adults
Aesthetics – Aesthetically pleasing
Mobility – Sufficient opportunity for movements
Well-defined – Clear boundaries of each learning areas

Natural items
softness
texture
Color
lighting
focal points

Design palettes

Ceilings
Walls
Floors/ Different surface levels

Special design considerations

Improving air quality
Reducing pesticides
Decreasing crowding/ density
Limiting noise

Goals based on children’s backgrounds, interests, development and national standards
Interesting and interactive materials (to have lots of hands-on)
Materials are safe and healthy (no sharp edges etc)
Developmentally appropriate
Materials are authentic, durable and aesthetic (durable for it to last a Long while & aesthetically pleasing to stimulate the child's interest)
Materials are culturally relevant
Reflect the philosophy of the programme
Display materials in an inviting and aesthetically pleasing way
Independent use (for eg, can clean up by themselves at the end)

Types of learning centres

Noisy/ Active learning areas:
Block play
Dramatic/ pretend play
Music & movement (large group setting)
Sand/ water play
Indoor gym


Quiet/ Less active learning areas:
Reading
Writing
Manipulatives/ numeracy (math)
Discovery (science)


Neutral learning areas:
Art/ visual arts/ Creative arts
Computer centre