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Module 4: Classroom Design

Effective Teacher Practices Supporting North Carolina Foundations for Early Learning and Development: Classroom Design

90 Minute Face to Face Session

Contact hours: 2 contact hours (90 minute session plus 30 minute pre-learning activity review)

Slide 1: Classroom Design

Hello and welcome to Module 4 – Classroom Design. In this session we will discuss the importance of high quality supportive environments and classroom design.

Slide 2: Review of Pre-learning Assignment

1. You used the Classroom Design Teacher/Staff Checklist to rate the extent to which you use of each of the instructional practices on the list. Which practice(s) did you identify as an area to improve in the current or upcoming school year?

2. You selected an instructional practice from the self-assessment that you implement ‘almost always.’ What strategies do you use to implement the practice?

3. You read The Universal Design of Early Education: Moving Forward for All Children. Discuss: How was the physical space arranged to ensure that all children, including those with limited

mobility (such as, using walker or wheelchair) can easily get to the classroom, move around within the classroom, and access/participate in outdoor play? How might access be improved?

How did the environment provide easy, safe, and independent access to activities, spaces, equipment, and materials? What changes might be necessary to improve access for all children?

How were children seated to accommodate different motor abilities and activity levels so that everyone could move about or attend as needed?

How was the environment arranged so children can ‘rest’ during the day and/or experience reduced noise levels (such as a reading area with pillows or use of headphones)?

What sensory related environmental considerations were made (such as noise, lighting, over visual stimulation on walls and spaces)?

What materials were provided to allow for the range of motor abilities and cognitive skills? What additions might be helpful?

[Trainer note – discuss pre-learning assignment (teachers read and reflect upon The Universal Design of Early Education: Moving Forward for All Children).]

Slide 3: ObjectivesParticipants will:

1. Understand how to effectively use instructional practices related to classroom design that promote children’s emotional-social development and learning.

2. Understand how to engage families in practices related to creating physical environments that promote children’s emotional-social development and learning.

1Effective Teacher Practices Supporting

North Carolina Foundations for Early Learning and DevelopmentNC Early Learning Network, a joint project of NC-DPI and UNC-FPG, 2016


3. Understand how to articulate the relationships between targeted instructional practices, Foundations for Early Learning and Development and the NC Professional Teaching Standards.

In this session, we will give you strategies for optimizing your environment in ways that help you help children move toward early learning and development standards [hold up Foundations]. Ideas for engaging families in understanding and creating physical environments that promote children’s learning will be shared as well. We want you also to reflect on how your instructional practices, related to creating a supportive environment for your children, demonstrate your proficiency as measured by the NC Professional Teaching Standards [hold up handout of teaching standards].

Slide 4: Supportive Environments

What is a supportive environment? Have you experienced one? Think of the places where you have worked, studied, taught, cooked etc. How did you arrange the space to feel comfortable and supported?

[Pause]

Can someone share what it was about that space that made you feel comfortable and supported?

[Prompt for responses such as solitude, proximity to co-workers, art or photos that make them feel connected, furniture that lets them work, light, quiet, technology, music, outdoor space, etc. Chart words that describe a supportive environment.]

Do you see some commonalities here? While everyone’s place is a little different, you can see that each person intentionally designed the space to meet their needs. A high quality supportive environment doesn’t just happen; it requires careful planning and consideration.

FirstSchool, a systems-change initiative for PreK to third grade housed at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, talks about the importance of structuring the classroom environment. Because children spend so much time in the classroom while their brain pathways are still forming, the environment must be conducive to development – not just academic , but across all developmental domains, including emotional-social. Children develop and learn best when there is a ‘culture of caring.’ A classroom that cultivates a culture of caring ensures that children feel safe, valued, and accepted by teaching staff and peers. (Ritchie & Gutmann, 2014)

Did anyone describe a classroom setting as their ‘safe place’ in the activity we just did?

[If someone did, have them give more characteristics of the environment – prompt for organized, familiar, interesting, challenging.]

Slide 5: Children in a classroom environment




Many of us do not describe a classroom when thinking about the place that makes us feel supported. However, today’s young children spend more and more of their waking hours in early childhood programs than many of us did. Are our programs ‘supportive learning environments’ for young children? A classroom that is ‘supportive’ is homelike, comfortable and familiar. For the purposes of learning and development, the environment must also be interesting, challenging and responsive. So how do we create this type of environment for our children?

Slide 6: Universal Design for Learning

Researchers at North Carolina State University developed a framework called the Universal Design for Learning. You read about the Universal Design for Learning in the pre-learning activity. The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework suggests that teachers design their classrooms with attention to the physical, social-emotional, health, and teaching dimensions of the environment to ensure that every child:

Feels welcomed as a full and equal member, Accesses and engages in all learning opportunities, Learns according to his or her individual strengths and interests, and Demonstrates his or her learning in ways that reflect individual strengths.

If you would like to learn more about the UDL framework, you can visit the link on the screen.

(Conn-Powers, Cross, Traub, & Hutter-Pishgahi, 2006)

Slide 7: Funds of Knowledge

When you consider the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), does your classroom environment send the message that every child is equally valued? Do children have access to a wide variety of learning opportunities during which they can explore and learn according to their own strengths and interests? Is your classroom attractive, comfortable, and well-organized?

Have you incorporated families’ input to reflect the culture and the needs of the children? A great way to gather some of this information from families is to use a chart such as the one in your handouts. It is titled ‘Funds of Knowledge’ and asks families to share their funds of knowledge – the knowledge and activities that they have that can be used to connect concepts and ideas in learning environments. Take just a minute to look this over and think about how it might be useful with your families. Does the environment stimulate engagement and interaction? Is it possible that the environment is overstimulating for some children? Does the environment have a positive effect on your children’s behavior? According to the Center for Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) specific instructional practices result in supportive environments. Supportive environments stimulate learning while also helping the child feel safe. Designing a classroom using the UDL principles and the strategies and practices promoted by CSEFEL will benefit children in your classroom as well as the teaching staff. A well-designed classroom supports children’s appropriate behavior, and promotes engagement and interaction.

Slide 8: Picture of children around a light table




In this picture, you see the children stacking rings on a light table. The light table is an accommodation for a child who is visually impaired, but all children enjoy the illuminated surface.

The goal of UDL is to use a variety of teaching methods to remove any barriers to learning and give all students equal opportunities to succeed. UDL doesn’t specifically target children with disabilities. It’s about building in flexibility that can be adjusted for every student’s strengths and needs. You may or may not have children in your early childhood environment that require assistive technology. Related Services personnel and specialized staff such as Speech Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists and teachers of the visually impaired etc. are wonderful resources to learn more about assistive technology. It’s essential to collaborate with these individuals on the appropriate use of assistive devices being used with students with IEPs. If you would like to learn more about these supports, a link to a helpful article can be found in the references and resources handout for this module.

Slide 9: Picture of ‘good’ classroom environment

The strategies and practices we’ll discuss in this session involve arranging the space of your classroom, selecting and placing materials, and placing yourself and teaching staff strategically in the environment. Why create places that are attractive, comfortable, well organized? Because such places have a positive effect on children’s behavior: helping them to manage their feelings and increasing their ability to work efficiently and productively.

Take just a few minutes (5-10 mins.) to create a rough sketch of your classroom. There is paper, markers, and pencils at your table. Include pathways, centers, large & small group areas, furniture, etc. As effective practices and strategies for creating the optimal classroom design are discussed and demonstrated, refer to the sketch of your classroom, consider what revisions to the environment might need to be made, and take notes for future reference.

[Give participants 5-10 minutes to sketch classrooms.]

Slide 10: Floor plan of classroom with a big wide open swath in the middle

Let’s start with the obvious. In your handouts you have two checklists of instructional practices for designing classrooms that provide high quality supportive environments. We’ve adapted the checklists from CSEFEL and the University of Iowa. The checklist items are part of the Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool (TPOT) – with which you may be familiar if you are familiar with SEFEL. CSEFEL conducted extensive research to find research based practices that have proven to be effective for helping children learn emotional and social skills. In other words, they are evidence-based practices. You’ll see that on one checklist are items intended for use by teachers and other instructional staff as a self-assessment. On the other checklist are the same items intended for use by an observer. The observer might be a coach or mentor, a peer, supervisor, or evaluator. Suppose you visited a classroom arranged according to the floor plan on the slide. Which instructional practices would be missing?

[Prompt as necessary with:




Instructional Practice 1 says that teachers should arrange the classroom so that all children can move easily around the room, with no obstacles. Note that many areas in this classroom – such as the sink and the easel and many of the shelves - would be difficult if not impossible for children with assistive mobile devices to reach unaided.

Instructional Practice 2 states that teachers arrange the classroom so there are no wide open spaces where children can run. The entire center of the room is a wide open space!

Please see the handout titled, Classroom Design, Traffic Patterns, for additional considerations related to wide open spaces and accessibility.

[Trainer note -– use the handout to stimulate discussion in your Professional Learning Community (PLC) or other follow-up to this session.]

Slide 11: Floor plan of a classroom with obstacles present and no clear pathways (Classroom Architect - http://classroom.4teachers.org/)

Suppose you visited a classroom arranged according to the floor plan on this slide. Which instructional practice would be of concern?

[Trainer Tip: You may also decide to make some slides of your own by staging your classrooms in a way to create missing practices or by having two photos of classrooms on a slide and asking teachers to determine the better set up and why.]

[Prompt as necessary with:Instructional Practice 1 says that teachers should arrange the classroom so that all children can move easily around the room, with no obstacles. Pathways are not defined and the shelves, tables, storage cabinets etc. would present many obstacles for children particularly those with assistive mobile devices.

[Trainer note – these slides were created using a tool called ‘Classroom Architect’ available at this link -- http://classroom.4teachers.org/ ]

Slide 12: Classroom with no clear boundaries for learning centers

Suppose you visited a classroom arranged according to the floor plan on this slide. Which instructional practice would be weak or missing?

[Prompt as necessary to point out:Instructional Practice 4 says Design learning centers that have clear physical boundaries (i.e. chairs, shelving, tables, rugs etc. create boundaries)? All centers are located in the periphery of the room and furniture, shelving etc. is not used to differentiate the learning centers.]

Please see the handout titled, Classroom Design-Traffic Patterns, for additional considerations related to ease of movement around the classroom



http://classroom.4teachers.org/

http://classroom.4teachers.org/


[Trainer note – all Classroom Design handouts include reflection questions that can be used to stimulate small group discussion during the session, if there is time, or in your district’s Professional Learning Community (PLC) or other follow-up professional development.]

Slide 13: Classroom Materials

Now we will talk about materials that we find in early childhood environments.

Slide 14: With these words – hard/soft, open/closed, simple/complex, high mobility/low mobility, intrusion/seclusion, risk/safety

Now let’s take this a bit further. Look at Instructional Practice 3 that refers to incorporating critical dimensions when arranging the environment.

Children learn best when they can actually touch, see, smell, taste, hear, and manipulate the materials in their world. Keeping this in mind, select materials and arrange your classroom to vary across the following critical dimensions (Gestwicki, 2007).

• Softness and hardness• Open and closed• Simple and complex• High mobility and low mobility • Intrusion and seclusion• Risk and safety

In addition it is important to consider the personalities, developmental skill levels, strengths, needs, and interests of your individual children when deciding what materials and props would be most

appropriate. Remember that all families have a wealth of information to share with YOU about what does and does not work for their children at home that is applicable to creating optimal school/child care environments. Connect with the children’s families to gather information about the children’s interests, skills, prior experiences, culture, strengths, and needs. This can be accomplished in a number of ways, a few of which include email exchanges, phone calls (using interpreters wherever needed), formal meetings to discuss portfolios of work samples that teachers have gathered (with interpreters and other support staff), and informal conversation at pick-up and drop-off.

Slide 15: Critical Dimensions Learning Opportunity

You have a handout titled, Classroom Design-Critical Dimensions of Materials and Space. Let’s work in small groups to look more closely at each dimension

How about if this group focuses on the critical dimensions of ‘hard and soft,’ ‘simple and complex’ over here in this group, and this group address ‘high and low mobility.’ This group can address ‘open and closed,’ over here ‘intrusion and seclusion’ and finally this group can focus on ‘risk and safety.’




[Trainer tip -- depending upon the size of your group, create six groups or pairs to talk about the assigned critical dimension and then report out on types of materials and spaces that offer variation along the assigned dimension.]

Review the handout, discuss with your group, and make some notes to address these questions: What are critical dimensions? What kinds of materials or spaces do these dimensions refer to? What are some examples? Why do we need to vary the environment? Be ready to give a few examples of materials and spaces for variation along your assigned ‘dimension’ and some reasons for those variations. [Trainer note-you may wish to have groups write notes on flip chart paper.]

[Give groups about 10 minutes to complete assignment.]

Now let’s come back together. Can the hard/soft group report out?

[As each group reports out, show a slide with picture of examples. Acknowledge reports and comment on picture before moving on to next group.]

Slide 16: Picture of materials that are hard and soft

[Comment on picture and introduce next group.]

Can the open/closed group report out?

Slide 17: Picture of materials that are open and closed


[Trainer Note: Additional talking points you may want to include:It’s important to have a good balance of both open and closed materials and activities. Open materials can encourage and support creativity while closed materials develop problem solving, persistence, and self-initiative. A big bucket of random, varied Legos is open; children can use their creativity and design anything they want. A packaged Lego set with a specific purpose, such as this Lego Scooby Doo set, is for a specific purpose, and only includes the bricks needed to make the items shown on the outside of the box. Not much else can be made with these blocks, allowing little imagination and the skill set required to build it is “following directions to get the desired end result”. Closed materials are designed by the maker with a specific learning objective in mind.]

Can the simple/complex group report out?

Slide 18: Picture of materials that are simple and complex


[Trainer Note: Additional talking points you may want to include:Including a variety of materials in the classroom can facilitate simple to more complex levels of play. Each has an important place in the lives of children. By intentionally adding materials and props to




centers, we encourage complexity in children’s play. There is a balance, however, between having plenty of materials and having too many materials, which can overwhelm young children and lead to less organized play.]

Can the high mobility/low mobility report out?

Slide 19: Picture of areas that are high and low mobility


Can the intrusion/seclusion group report out?

Slide 20: Picture of areas that are intrusive and secluded

[Note that there may be a negative connotation associated with the word ‘seclusion.’ Think of other

words that could be used for this dimension, such as ‘quiet place.’ You may also note that if you have children that frequently need a quiet place to calm down or regroup in your classroom, this is probably true for them at home as well. Ask parents what opportunities they provide at home for their child to regroup. See if they have input. If they say they are not sure what to offer, then you could offer that you found that a quiet space seems to work well in the classroom, and offer to elaborate on how that works.]


Can the risk/safety group report out?

Slide 21: Picture of areas that are risky and safe

[Comment on picture.]

[Trainer Note: Additional talking points you may want to include:

If a parent has shared a specific safety concern occurring in the home (such as running into the street, taking seat belts off in the car, etc.), take the time to talk or role play with children to reinforce safe behaviors both at home and school.Specialized equipment, such as electric wheelchairs or walkers used by children with physical disabilities, can create unsafe situations. It is essential that pathways throughout the classroom are wide enough to accommodate specialized equipment. Children will need opportunities to practice safe maneuvering of their equipment. The beginning of the school year is a great time to make these opportunities available. Young children are naturally curious and may stand or climb on the equipment in an attempt to explore how it works. Have a family member come to visit and, together with the child, explain and demonstrate why he/she needs the equipment and demonstrate its use.]




Slide 22: Video of children participating in center timeLet’s watch a video clip that illustrates a classroom design that creates a supportive environment. This classroom housed 15 children, a teacher, and two teacher assistants. There were seven children who had been identified as ‘exceptional,’ four identified as having a developmental delay and three identified as on the autism spectrum. In addition, four children were supported by the NC Pre-K program and four children’s families paid tuition. Seven of the children qualified for free or reduced lunch.

In this clip, you will see children participating in a variety of activities during center time. As the camera scans the classroom you can see the overall classroom layout, furniture, available toys, and materials.

Take out the Instructional Practices for Classroom Design to Create Supportive Environments Observer Checklist from your handouts and take a moment to review the instructional practices listed.

[Trainer note – you may wish to have participants take turns reading the instructional practices aloud.]

Keep your checklist out and, as you watch the video, look for these practices when we observe the classroom.

[Show Module 4 Classroom Design video 1.]

What did you notice in this video? How had the teaching staff arranged the environment? What did you notice about the environment that you think would create a supportive environment for learning and development?

[Discuss in the large group ‘what participants saw.’ Build on their comments with the content below.During center time in this classroom: Each of the children was actively engaged. They moved with ease between centers and were able to choose from a wide variety of toys and

materials Children were able to access materials on their own. One little girl used a small shelf which allows her to kneel and play comfortably in the water

table.]

You have a handout titled, Classroom Design-Furniture that provides more detailed information about how furniture can be used for a diverse population of children and addresses specialized equipment as well as possible adaptations to existing furniture.

In the video we saw that some children chose to play in small groups, others with just one friend, and several played alone or spent one-to-one time with the teacher. In order for children to have these choices, teachers must plan carefully how to arrange and display materials. Arranging materials neatly in baskets and displaying them on child-size shelves promote cognitive as well as emotional-social development by allowing children to independently select the materials they need for their work and more easily clean up before they leave the learning center.

Clear physical boundaries for each of the learning centers were created using furniture, shelving, tables




and rugs. Visible boundaries give children a clear message about expectations for the use of materials in a particular area. Once children are taught expected behaviors for each space in the classroom, the distinct areas become powerful cues for appropriate behavior.

Individual cubbies are available for every child with hooks and bins where they can keep their personal belongings. Each is differentiated with their photo and name. This creates autonomy while at the same time reminding the child that he or she is a part of the larger group. Placing items in this area on arrival and retrieving them at the end of the day becomes an important part of the child’s routine and gives the day structure with a clear beginning and end.

Slide 23: Instructional practices checklist

In your handouts, you have Instructional Practices for Classroom Design: Teacher/Staff Self Checklist that you used as a self-assessment prior to this session. You also have the Instructional Practices for Classroom Design: Observer Checklist that you just used to guide your observation of the classroom on video. The checklists are the same in that they list the same practices. They’re different in that one is formatted as a self-assessment and the other is designed to be used during a classroom observation.

Look at the instructional practices observer checklist -- to what extent did you see these practices in the video you watched? What did you see that was evidence of each of the practices on the checklists? Was there anything else the teaching staff could have added to the environment to maximize teaching and learning? Discuss this at your tables and we’ll come back and talk about it.

[Allow participants to discuss in small groups for about five minutes.]

Let’s come back together. What instructional practices did you see?[Groups report out. Prompt as necessary to include:Teaching staff arrange the classroom so that all children can move easily around the room. IP-1 Teaching staff arrange the classroom so there are no wide open spaces where children

can run. (There was ample space in each center for children to do activities and pathways between centers were open enough to allow for safe passage)

IP-2 Teaching staff arrange the classroom so there are no wide open spaces where children can run. (No wide open spaces were present)

IP-3 Teaching staff incorporate critical dimensions when arranging the environment (i.e. hard/soft, simple/complex, high mobility/low mobility etc.). (There is a wide variety of materials available including manipulatives, a water table, games, craft supplies, blocks, house center and other pretend play materials, books, carpeted and hard floors)

IP-4 Teaching staff design learning centers that have clear physical boundaries. (Centers are separated by low bookcases and other low storage systems and tables)

IP-5 Teaching staff include an adequate number and variety of centers to promote interest and support the number of children allowed in each center. (We see children engaged in 7 or 8 centers, with only 2 to 3 children in each at any time)

IP-7 Teaching staff prepare activity materials and centers before children arrive at the center or activity. (We will assume this was the case at the water table because it was filled with water and soap and the children were not soaked as though they had filled it without assistance)




IP-8 Teaching staff communicate at eye level with the children almost all of the time. (Teachers sat on the ground with the children with whom they were working)]

Slide 24: NC Professional Teaching Standards

Now pull out the handout on teaching standards and put yourself in the shoes of the principal who is observing this classroom for evaluation purposes. Which teaching standards did the teacher demonstrate during the activities you observed? Please talk at your tables and we’ll come back and discuss.

[Allow participants to discuss in small groups for about five minutes.][Trainer note: You may also want to have the participants bring in their McREL instrument located at: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/effectiveness-model/ncees/instruments/teach-eval-manual.pdf Take time to look more in depth at each standard. Discuss the descriptors under the standards and site the evidence of that descriptor.]

What teaching standards and elements did you see? How was the teaching standard demonstrated? What did the teacher do?

[Group reports out. Prompt as needed to include:

Standard I: Teachers demonstrate leadership

Element 1a. Teachers lead in their classrooms. Establish a safe and orderly environment/classroom by keeping materials organized and easily accessible to children in the classroom. (The classroom design empowers and encourages children to create and maintain a safe school environment by labeling shelves to allow children to assist in cleaning up work spaces.)

Standard II: Teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of studentsElement 2a. Teachers provide an environment in which each child has a positive, nurturing relationship with caring adults. (A positive and nurturing learning environment occurs when teaching staff are engaged with children in centers and activities to support and guide their learning.)

Standard IV: Teachers facilitate learning for their students]Element 4a. Teachers know the ways in which learning takes place, and they know the appropriate level of intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of their children. (We see evidence that the teachers understand the developmental levels of children and appropriately differentiate instruction by providing a variety of materials to address development across domains. And the classroom is set up to provide children with opportunities to play independently or in small groups.)

Slide 25: Foundations



http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/effectiveness-model/ncees/instruments/teach-eval-manual.pdf


We’ve talked about the intentional instructional practices for setting up a high quality supportive environment. In your groups you talked a bit about how varying materials and spaces should promote learning and development. Let’s get specific about how instructional practices for high quality supportive environments relate to the early learning and development standards that outline what children should say or do. Take out your Foundations document. The standards are organized around five different developmental domains, but we know that children integrate skills from across areas of development to participate in day-to-day activities.

Let’s watch the video clip again and see which Foundations domains, subdomains, and goals the children demonstrate in the activity. Let’s have this table focus on Health and Physical Development, this table Cognitive Development, this table on Emotional-Social, and this table Approaches to Play and Learning.

[Trainer note – the purpose of this activity is for participants to continue to explore Foundations and through different lenses. In the video activities for this module, participants are exploring Foundations through the lens of ‘supportive environments.’]

As you watch the video clip again concentrate on the activities of the children. Take specific notes about what you see that relate to the developmental domain to which your group was assigned. Be ready to talk about the subdomain and goal children demonstrate. If you’re not sure about the goal, read the developmental indicators for more detail and context.

Slide 26: Supportive Classroom Design[Show Module 4 Classroom Design video 1 again.]

What early learning and development standards were children working toward in this clip? What evidences did you see for these?

[Have each group report out. Prompt as needed to include:

Emotional-social: Children demonstrate a positive sense of self-identity and self-awareness (ESD-1) (Children are

seen selecting preferred activities and engaging in them for extended periods.) Children express positive feelings about themselves and confidence in what they can do (ESD-2)

(Children persistent in their engagement of challenging activities and one little boy in particular shows and comments to the teacher about a beaded necklace he has worked on.)

Children form relationships and interact positively with familiar adults who are consistent and responsive to their needs (ESD-3) (Children engage in activities with the teachers in the classroom while conversing, smiling and laughing.)

Children form relationships and interact positively with other children (ESD-4) (In a variety of centers children are seen positively interacting with their classmates.)

Children demonstrate the social and behavioral skills needed to successfully participate in groups (ESD 5) (Children are able to follow the social rules for participating in centers. One little girl comments and gives a toy to a ‘friend’ in the block center.)

Health and Physical:12

Effective Teacher Practices SupportingNorth Carolina Foundations for Early Learning and Development

NC Early Learning Network, a joint project of NC-DPI and UNC-FPG, 2016


HPD-8: Children develop awareness of basic safety rules and begin to follow them (Children who were moving around used walking feet and the kids at the water table kept water in the water table.)

Approaches to Play and Learning: APL-2: Children actively seek to understand the world around them (Children playing at the water

watched what happened when they squeezed the sponge and repeated it.) APL-7: Children demonstrate initiative (All children were engaged in an activity.)

Cognitive development: CD-15 –Children explore the world by observing, manipulating objects, asking questions, making

predictions, and developing generalizations (The children were manipulating objects in their center play.)]

Slide 27: iPoints

iPoints are ‘Instructional Practices Observed IN Teaching Standards.’ There are two sets of iPoints in your handouts. The iPoints for Teachers: Instructional Practices for Classroom Design is meant to

help teachers see the connections between their practices, the early learning and development standards they promote when they use the practices, and the NC Professional Teaching Standards they demonstrate when using the practices. iPoints for Administrators: Instructional Practices for Classroom Design contain the same information, but are meant to help administrators understand how instructional practices promote early learning and development standards and how those practices demonstrate NC Professional Teaching Standards.

Take a look at your iPoints document for Classroom Design and find the practices that we’ve talked about thus far in this session. Are there any additional early learning and development standards or teaching standards listed that you have not discussed in your groups so far?

[Allow participants time to review the document and respond.]Slide 28: Crosswalk showing relationship between emotional-social early learning and development standards and the NC Essential Standards for Kindergarten.

In your supporting materials, you have Foundations-NC Standard Course of Study crosswalks for each domain of Foundations. The crosswalks are meant to show, ‘When I help children work toward this early learning and development standard, it is preparing them to work toward this kindergarten standard.’ For example, we saw the emotional-social learning and development standard, ‘Children express positive feelings about themselves and confidence in what they can do (ESD-2)’ demonstrated in the video clip. This standard aligns with the Kindergarten Standard: Guidance - Readiness/Exploratory/Discovery (RED) – Social-Emotional (SE) RED.CR.1.3: Explore awareness of personal abilities, skills, and interests.

Please take a moment to look over the iPoints and crosswalk documents in your handouts. Think about how you might use these materials. Under what circumstances? Who do you think would benefit from hearing how instructional practices are linked to teaching standards, early learning and development standards, and the NC Standard Course of Study for Kindergarten? Talk with a partner or at your tables for a few minutes and then we’ll discuss.




[Allow participants to discuss for a few minutes.]

Okay – let’s get back together and hear your thoughts. Can someone provide an example of how you might use the iPoints and crosswalks? With whom? And under what circumstances?

[Prompt as needed to include using materials to inform administrators and other staff who are unfamiliar with preschool and to answer anyone’s questions about learning centers and other ‘preschool-specific’ instructional practices.’]

Slide 29: Classroom Design – Learning Centers Handout

Find the handout titled, Classroom Design to Create Supportive Environments-Learning Centers. Take a few moments to review the information on designing learning centers to maximize children’s learning and development, including specific strategies for supporting effective instructional practices. Then discuss in your groups:

Materials within centers need to be meaningful and relevant to children’s needs, interests, and lives. Think about the extent to which you work with parents on ways to incorporate the home language of the majority of children in the learning centers such as the labels you use, types of books made available, visuals, and artifacts. How do you learn about your children’s needs, interests, and lives before school starts and throughout the school year?

How have you have used visual supports in your learning centers to promote engagement with materials and interactions with peers?

[Give participants adequate time to review the handout and discuss.]

Let’s come back together. How do you learn about children’s lives? How do you use visual supports?

[Allow participants to respond. Prompt as needed from information on handout.]

Slide 30: Video of transition from circle time to learning centers

Let’s peek into another classroom! This classroom housed 14 children, a teacher, one full-time teacher assistant, and one part-time teacher assistant. Both of the teacher assistants were new to the classroom that school year. There were 11 children with IEPs. Ten were identified as having a developmental delay and one was identified as on the autistic spectrum. Four children in the classroom were supported by NC Pre-K, and one child’s family paid tuition. The class included three-year-olds who do not attend every day – therefore you will not see all 14 children in the video clip.

During the first part of this video clip, you will see the classroom teacher describing the process and showing the visual supports the children use for choosing, entering, and exiting learning centers. In the second part of the clip, you will see the children using this process to choose, enter, and exit learning centers.




Note that the teacher mentions the use of a timer. She uses the timer when an individual child wants to participate in a learning center that has reached capacity. The timer cues the child to wait before asking others if they will trade or share. She doesn’t use the timer to move the whole group from one center to the next.

Take out the Instructional Practices for Classroom Design to Create Supportive Environments Observer Checklist from your handouts. We will look for these practices when we observe the classroom.

[Watch Module 4 Classroom Design video 2.]

What did you notice in this video? What were the teaching staff doing to provide a supportive environment in this scenario?

[Discuss in the large group ‘what participants saw.’ Build on their comments with the content below.]As you could see, the children in this video knew what was expected of them with regard to selecting their center of choice and transitioning from the large group area to the chosen center. Clearly, the teacher had spent time teaching and practicing this process with the children.

Center signs were placed at the children’s level and clearly indicated the number of children allowed in each area. This teacher used a photo card system, but teachers can put their creative talents to work to design their own developmentally appropriate system for limiting the number of children in centers. Some possibilities include clothespins with names or photos, necklaces, bracelets and even visors. When an entry and exit system for centers is in place it allows children to self-regulate their behavior. Although it was not necessary to use it this day, there was also a ‘waiting’ card where the children could place an additional photo card if the area was full. This lets them know that they will have a chance to play at the center when one of their friends decides to move to a different center. This could be a key strategy for reducing the chance of challenging behaviors, especially for those children who become attached to a favorite center and have difficulty accepting it when the center is full. In addition, this could encourage children to attempt new activities with another group of friends as they move to a different center while waiting.

Slide 31: Instructional Practices checklist

Please take out your instructional practices checklist on Classroom Design again. Think about to what extent you saw these practices being implemented in this video clip? What did you see that was evidence of each of the practices on the checklists? Can you think of anything else teaching staff could have added to the environment to maximize teaching and learning in this scenario? Discuss this at your tables and we’ll come back and talk about it.


Let’s come back together. What instructional practices did you see?[Groups report out. Prompt as necessary to include:




IP-1 Arrange the classroom so that all children can move easily around the room (The classroom is arranged without obstacles and children know how to move from place to place in a safe manner.)

IP-2 Arrange the classroom so there are no wide open spaces where children can run (No large, wide open areas where children could run are seen in the classroom.)

IP-3 Incorporate critical dimensions when arranging the environment (i.e. hard/soft, simple/complex, large group/small group etc.) (There is a wide variety of materials, resources, toys, furniture etc. that incorporate critical dimensions in the classroom.)

IP-4 Design learning centers that have clear(physical) boundaries (Furniture, shelving, rugs and materials have been arranged to create boundaries and clearly mark center areas.)

IP-5 Include an adequate number and variety of centers to promote interest and support the number of children allowed in each center (Centers are limited to 2 or 3 children and there is an adequate number of engaging centers where children can play while adhering to the center limits.)

IP-6 Ensure that the classroom environment, resources, and materials are representational of the children and families I serve] (Art work is hung on walls around the room which appears to be pictures of children and families but this is not clear from this video.)

IP-7 Prepare activity materials and centers before children arrive at the center or activity (It is evident that the classroom staff has prepared the centers ahead of time with appropriate toys and materials.)

IP-8 Communicate at eye level with the children almost all of the time (The teacher engages with children at eye level throughout the video.)

Slide 32: NC Professional Teaching Standards

Now look at your handout on teaching standards again. If you were a principal or coach observing this classroom, which teaching standard(s) could you say the teacher demonstrated? Please talk at your tables and we’ll come back and discuss.


What teaching standard did you see? How was the teaching standard demonstrated? What did the teacher do?

[Prompt as necessary to include: Standard I: Teachers demonstrate leadership

Element Ia. Teachers lead in their classrooms. (The teacher addressed preparing children for the 21st century by specifically teaching people skills such as greeting others and teaching self-direction by allowing them to select a center. The children also learned social responsibility by completing the tasks associated with their assigned classroom job (i.e. teacher of the week, morning greeter, etc.). The teacher encouraged children to take responsibility for their own learning by allowing them to make choices about how they wish to be greeted as well as what center they want to play in.)




Standard II: Teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students Element 2a. Teachers provide an environment in which each child has a positive, nurturing relationship with caring adults. (She establishes an inviting and supportive learning environment by limiting the number of children allowed in a center and providing a ‘waiting list’ for children wishing to have a turn in the center.)

Standard IV: Teachers facilitate learning for their studentsElement 4c. Teachers use a variety of instructional methods. (The teacher ensured success of all children throughout the selection and utilization of appropriate methods and materials. For example, the greeting choices offered were developed by Conscious Discipline to engage children in rituals that make them feel valued and cared for within their daily interactions. We see by the smiles on their faces and the gentle way in which they greet each other that the children enjoy the opportunity to get a greeting and give a greeting to their peers.)]

Slide 33: Foundations

We saw evidence in the video clip that teaching staff used intentional practices to set up a supportive environment. Now we need to think about what that allowed the children to do. [Assign a domain to each table so that tables are addressing a different domain than in the earlier video activity.]

Let’s watch the video clip again and take notes about what we see the children doing. As you review your notes, think about what early learning and development standards the classroom procedure promotes. Focus on the Foundations’ domain your group was assigned.Slide 34: Supportive Learning Centers

[Watch Module 4 Classroom Design video 2 again.]

Take a minute to talk at your tables to see if you found the same early learning and development standards.

[Allow participants to discuss in small groups for about five minutes.]Okay – let’s come back together. What did you see?

[Have some participants report out. Prompt as necessary to include:Emotional-social Children demonstrate a positive sense of self-identity and self-awareness (ESD-1) (All children

could find their cards with their pictures.) Children express positive feelings about themselves and confidence in what they can do (ESD-2)

(All children were clear about which center they wanted and knew what to do to make that choice.)

Children form relationships and interact positively with familiar adults who are consistent and responsive to their needs (ESD-3) (All children responded positively to Doyle.)

Children form relationships and interact positively with other children (ESD-4) (Children all took turns in the greeting activity and most chose hugs as the morning greeting.)




Children demonstrate the social and behavioral skills needed to successfully participate in groups (ESD 5) (Children knew what to do to select centers – there was no squabbling.)Health and Physical HPD-8: Children develop awareness of basic safety rules and begin to follow them (Children all

knew not to run and how to follow the rules for selecting centers.)

Approaches to Play and Learning APL-2: Children actively seek to understand the world around them (All children were engaged

in the classroom goings-on, particularly those children with the Teacher Assistant.) APL-3: Children engage in increasingly complex play (The children with the Teacher Assistant in

the housekeeping center where one child said he wanted to write down the order.) APL-7: Children demonstrate initiative (All children made a personal choice to select where they

wanted to be and what they wanted to do.)

Cognitive Development CD-15 –Children explore the world by observing, manipulating objects, asking questions, making

predictions, and developing generalizations (All children were manipulating objects in their centers.)]

Slide 35: iPoints

And, again, pull out your iPoints. We’re thinking the iPoints documents are the ‘answer key’ for making the connections among practices, teaching standards, and early learning and

development standards. Use iPoints to help you and your administrators make those connections.

[Trainer note: As an additional activity, you may have participants break apart the iPoints document by assigning different instructional practices to different groups. Have participants describe how that practice looks in their classroom. Discuss whether the learning standards and teaching standards noted for that instructional practice align with what is happening in their classroom.]

Slide 36: Crosswalk showing relationship between emotional-social early learning and development standards and the NC Essential Standards for Kindergarten

Foundations standard ESD 4: Children form relationships and interact positively with other children

NC Essential Standard -- Readiness/Exploratory/Discovery (RED) –Social –Emotional (SE): Understand the relationship between self and others in the broader world (RED.SE. 2); Identify ways of making and keeping friends (RED.SE.2.1)

Notice the developmental progression they show in Foundations. The next step in the continuum would be kindergarten. On this slide are some of the kindergarten standards the teacher was preparing her children to master.

Slide 37: A picture of good classroom design




In this session, we have covered a variety of strategies to help you plan a classroom environment that meets the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive needs of developing children. If you are new to the profession, we hope that you have a deeper understanding of the impact of physical environments on behavior and learning. If you are a ‘seasoned pro,’ we hope that this module prompted you to reflect on your existing classroom environment!

Take a look at the picture of your classroom you sketched at the beginning of this session. How might you change your physical environment based on what you’ve learned today about classroom arrangement and learning center design? What changes are most likely to promote children’s engagement in learning and prevent challenging behaviors? Think of one change you could make tomorrow to improve your classroom environment -- and write it on your sketch. That will get you started!

[Pause to let participants reflect and write something down.]

Slide 38: Post-learning Activity

1. Refer back to the sketch of the classroom design you created during the first part of the Classroom Design face-to-face session.

2. Review the notes you took on the sketch regarding effective instructional practices and strategies.3. Based on this information, sketch out a new classroom design that would meet the needs of all the

children in your classroom. 4. After you complete the new design of your classroom, take a picture or video of the movement of

children in the classroom and centers. How does the new classroom design or arrangement impact the children in your classroom? Share the picture or the video with colleagues.

[Trainer note – Assign the post-learning activity – sketching a new classroom design (see Post-learning Activities).]

Slide 39: Questions?

Does anyone have any questions for us?

Slide 40: References

ALTEC at the University of Kansas. (2000). Classroom Artitect. Retrieved from http://classroom.4teachers.org/

Bank Street College. (n.d.) Exploring Cultural Concepts: Funds of Knowledge. Retrieved from http://ecklc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/ttasystem/culturallinguistic



http://ecklc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/ttasystem/culturallinguistic


Conn-Powers, M., Cross, A. F., Traub, E. K., & Hutter-Pishgahi, L. (2006). The universal design of early education: Moving forward for all children. Young Children, 61(5). Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200609/ConnPowersBTJ.pdf

Gestwicki, C. (2007). Developmentally appropriate practice: Curriculum and development in early Education (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Morin, A. (2014). Universal Design for Learning: What it is and How it Works. Retrieved from (https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/assistive-technology/assistive-technologies-basics/universal-design-for-learning-what-it-is-and-how-it-works

National Center on Universal Design for Learning. (2012). Wakefield, MA: CAST, Inc. Retrieved from http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/whatisudl/3principles

North Carolina Foundations Task Force. (2013). North Carolina foundations for early learning and development. Retrieved from http://nceln.fpg.unc.edu/sites/nceln.fpg.unc.edu/files/resources/NC%20Foundations%202013.pdf

North Carolina State Board of Education. (2013). North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards. Retrieved from http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/effectiveness-model/ncees/standards/prof-teach-standards.pdf

Ritchie, S. & Gutmann, L. (Eds.). (2014). FirstSchool: Transforming PreK-3rd Grade for African American, Latino, and Low-Income Children. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.



http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/effectiveness-model/ncees/standards/prof-teach-standards.pdf



http://nceln.fpg.unc.edu/sites/nceln.fpg.unc.edu/files/resources/NC%20Foundations%202013.pdf



http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/whatisudl/3principles

https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/assistive-technology/assistive-technologies-basics/universal-design-for-learning-what-it-is-and-how-it-works

https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/assistive-technology/assistive-technologies-basics/universal-design-for-learning-what-it-is-and-how-it-works

http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200609/ConnPowersBTJ.pdf

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