Today's challenge: Assessing our classroom environments. How do our classrooms acknowledge our understandings of attachment theories? How do they help children sustain their connections with their families?Tina, Mary Ann, and Nancy sketched this floor plan of their classroom, coding the various areas of the room as follows:
1: Places where children's family life and culture are reflected and nourished
2: Places where children can find comfort
3: Places that remind children that they will be reunited with their families
4: Places where children's family members can feel at home and respected in the room
5: Places where the children and their families can get to know more about and bond with their teachers
They pointed out that the kitchen area is a place where so many of these values can be seen. As children make pretend phone calls to grandma or cook a replica of the meal they ate at home for breakfast, they have the chance to share their home lives at school. As you enter our classrooms next week, take a new look around: Can you find all the ways we've infused these concepts into our environment?
Not that I was concerned, but it is really thrilling to see what fantastic exercises are taking place before our children arrive. The already fantastic teachers are enriching their teaching even more! It seems like everyone is getting a lot out of Chapter 2!
ReplyDelete