CO-CREATING THE ENVIRONMENT: THE PHYSICAL CLASSROOM LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AFFECT ON CHILDREN'S BELONGING AND ENGAGEMENT
Hello!
My name is Reina El Khatib
My name is Reina El Khatib and I am a student in my final year in the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education program at Brock University. I completed my diploma in Early Childhood Education at Conestoga College and am continuing my studies to become a teacher and attend teacher's college. I chose to explore this topic for my capstone research project and focus on how classroom environments can either support or hinder children’s sense of belonging and engagement. Through my experiences in many placements in daycares and school setting classrooms, I have seen how the way a space is set up can affect how children feel, which is what led me to explore this topic further.
"Education begins the moment we see children as innately wise and capable beings. Only then can we play along
in their world"
- Vinca Gowman -
KEY FINDINGS
Read to learn more about my findings from my capstone project where I looked at how different parts of the a classroom's learning environment can affect children's belonging and engagement! These findings were discovered after working on this project for a total of six months.
CLASSROOM LAYOUT SHAPES PARTICIPATION
The way a classroom is set up affects how children move around and take part in activities. From the findings of this study, I found that children stayed longer in spaces that were more organized and easier to use. When spaces were crowded or had areas that were not easy to understand they would leave or not join at all. Where things are placed in the classroom also changes the different kinds of play that had occurred in the classroom.
Note. Zahler, n.d.
Children were not just using the classroom, they were also helping in creating and designing it. They shared ideas with each other and voiced their opinions, moved materials, and also created spaces which showed their preferences.
When children were more involved like this, they stayed more engaged and were more interested in their classroom as well as their activities. When they were co-creators it not only helped with their sense of belonging or supported their engagement, but it supported their academic learning which sets them up for adulthood
CHILDREN AS CO-CREATORS
Note. Harvey, 2019.
ADULTS ROLE MATTERS
Adults in the classroom had a big impact on how children acted and participated in their classroom. The way educators talked to children, the rules and restrictions they applied, and how little or a lot involved they were all made a difference in children's participation. This means that some children waited adults before starting their activities or continuing to engage in any area of the classroom, while also other children changed their behaviour depending on which adult was around.
When children act different around different adults and how their participation is impacted by how much control or support they receive, as educators, it is important for us to notice those changes and meet children's needs that need extra support.
Note. Brouette, 2011.
Note. Early Learning Spaces and Routines, 2022.
ENVIRONMENT SUPPORTS BELONGING
The classroom environment also affected how children felt in their classrooms. Spaces that had quiet areas or other areas that allowed multiple children to be present at once helped them feel more comfortable and engaged when picking which area they choose to be in. Some children wanted space to be alone, while others wanted to be around others.
When the classroom had these different aspects, children were more likely to remain engaged and participate either independently or with other friends.
The materials in the classroom also made a difference in how children were acting in the classroom. When materials were accessible to them and could be used in different ways, children were not only engaged for longer periods of times but were also creating new activities and extending on their learning without the help of educators.
When materials were hard to use or not easily accessible, children would stop what they were doing and move on to the next area. Materials need to match what children are interested in.
MATERIALS INFLUENCE PLAY
Note. Zahler, n.d.