ECD 163

Classroom Design Project

Written by D. McConaughy,

Early Childhood Development,

and the Chesapeake College Library staff

http://www,chesapeake.edu/library/


Pre-K	K-3

Learning Outcomes

Identify the basic elements of an age-appropriate learning environment for early childhood education.
Select age-appropriate materials that encourage positive growth and development in various learning
environments for young children.

Introduction

The environment, room plan, decoration, and utilization of a classroom have a huge impact on how a child learns and behaves. This semester-long project will help you learn techniques for setting up your own classroom in a way that will enhance student learning. You will research and write about an 'ideal' early childhood classroom. You will take a virtual field trip via the Internet to critique online classrooms. You will then design your own "Ideal Classroom" and present it to the ECD163 class.

The Task

You will complete the following tasks:

1. InfoQuest

Investigate classroom design by exploring the websites in the InfoQuest Resources section below. Write an essay on the 'ideal classroom'.

2. Critique classrooms

Take a virtual field trip to the online classrooms in the Resources section of Critique Classrooms, below. Write an essay critiquing 2 of the classrooms.

3. Design a classroom

Design your own classroom, choosing materials for it and creating a materials purchase order. Present your design to the ECD163 class.

1.Infoquest

Resources

Use the websites below to gather information on early childhood classroom design. Look for the basic elements of an age-appropriate learning environment and learn about materials and spaces that encourage positive growth, development and learning.

Spaces for children

Learning to learn (this PDF file may take a while to load)

Equipping and furnishing early childhood facilities

Adults are from earth, children are from the moon

Early childhood education facilities planner (this PDF file may take a while to load)

Consider these floor plan and safety issues.

Process

1. Use the resources above to learn about designing and equipping a classroom. As you take notes, be sure to identify the website each piece of information comes from, so that you will be prepared to document your sources.

2. Write an essay on the 'Ideal' classroom.

Your essay should be 2 pages long, double spaced, with 1" margins.
Use Times New Roman or Arial 12 point font.
Using MLA format, include a Works Cited List of the websites from which you used information. The Works Cited List will be your third page.
Using MLA format, use parenthetical documentation to identify information from specific websites within the body of your essay.

2. Critique classrooms

Resources

Take virtual filed trips to these websites to examine classrooms. Keep in mind that photographs are sometimes slow to load.

PRESCHOOL CLASSROOMS

Sunny Days Learning Center

Harris Family Children's Center

Preschool Classroom C Introduction

Eastminster Child's Play Learning Center

Kol Emet's Preschool

W.H. Pepper Preschool

KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOMS

Manoa's KEEP Kindergarten Program

Brigantine Elementary School Kindergarten

Goddard School Kindergarten Classroom

Santa Rita School Kindergarten Classroom Interior

Lifelong kindergarten

Teachers.net classroom photos

ELEMENTARY CLASSROOMS, GRADES 1-3

Sullivans School classrooms

Encyclopedia Britannica, Teaching: Elementary School classroom

Jessica Thudium's E-Portfolio

Miss Larson's first grade

St. Mary's Catholic School second grade classroom

Pearsall Intermediate School third grade classroom

Process

1. Choose 2 of the classrooms from the list above.

2. Write a critique of those 2 classrooms in an essay 2 pages long and double spaced, using Times New Roman or Arial 12 point font and 1" margins. Evaluate each of the classrooms based on the knowledge you gained in your 'Ideal' classroom Infoquest. Tell what is good about them and why. Tell what is not so good about them and why. Explain what might have been done differently to enhance the learning experience of the children.

3. Design a classroom

Resources

Use these websites and catalogs to find floor plans, furniture, and supplies - with prices, descriptions and pictures you can use in your presentation.

Childcraft Classroom Designer - Offers sample classrooms and an option to choose a floor plan and furnish it with age appropriate materials - all online!

Tips for using ChildCraft

Community Playthings - Offers sample classrooms and activity areas as well as a room planner template for producing a design with paper and scissors.

Catalogs from additional vendors are on reserve at the library. You can use the print copies or link to the company's websites:

Furniture and equipment

Classroom Supplies

Process

Applying what you've learned in your 'Ideal' classroom Infoquest and your classroom critiques, design and equip an age appropriate classroom, using space and materials to encourage learning.

1. Design the space. Decide on a floor plan, identify the purpose of various areas in the classroom and position them for optimum use, safety and learning.

2. Choose the furniture and materials to equip your classroom:

Classroom furniture should include tables, chairs, cubbies, shelves, storage items, cots, art easels, water tables, etc. Consider the needs of both children and adults.
Classroom materials may include manipulative table-top toys, puzzles, art supplies, science equipment, math materials, books, computer/computer software, percussion instruments, DVD, audiovisual materials, paper, crayons, etc.
Don't forget essential materials like bulletin boards, storage cabinets, file cabinets, first aid kits, etc.
Choose items you believe will enhance your program.

3. Make a purchase order. List each item you want for your classroom along with the name of the company that will supply the item and the price. Categorize your purchase order, grouping similar items together, like tables, cubbies, mats, art supplies, science equipment, etc.

4. Present your classroom design to the ECD163 class. You may do:

a PowerPoint presentation
a 3-D model of the classroom using materials of your choosing;
a picture presentation using photographs of an actual classroom on a chart showing the layout of the classroom as well as the same pictures on a chart rearranged to show a more effective set-up, according to your research.
Other appropriate presentations as approved by your instructor.

All presentations must be accompanied by a one page explanation of your design. It should be double spaced with 1" margins and Times New Roman or Arial 12 point font.

Evaluation

You will be evaluated on the following elements:

InfoQuest - Your understanding of the elements needed to create an "ideal" learning environment and your ability to explain this to a reader in an essay.
Virtual Classroom Critique - Your ability to recognize the presence or absence of components of a good classroom and why these components are essential.
Designing a Classroom/Purchase Order - Your ability to synthesize all that you have learned through the InfoQuest and critiques into a theoretically workable classroom and present and explain it to your peers.

Conclusion

It should be clear to you that there are essential components of classroom design that you will need to incorporate into your future classroom. Environment can have a profound effect on the way students learn as well as on their behavior. The principles that you have learned here should be ones that you continue to use in your teaching career.

If there is inaccurate information on this page,
please send correction or comments to: lrcdesk@chesapeake.edu