Learning Environments For Young Children

This course will provide students/student teachers with an in-depth understanding of the instructive power of well-designed learning environments. The learning environment has been espoused as the `third educator', a concept which is strongly rooted in early childhood education. Participants will gain insights into how the learning environments can provide stimulating and engaging activities that promote quality learning for the children across all learning domains. In order to be equipped with the essential knowledge and skills to design effective environments, they will learn how to consider the needs of diverse children (individual and group), the relevance of the learning contexts, the use of age-appropriate and open-ended resources, issues of safety (physical and psychological), and the interlocking roles of the teacher as the environmental designer and as the facilitator of the learning in the setting up of the environment.
To highlight the importance of exploration and play-based learning, and authentic experiences for preschool or lower primary children, the employment of learning centres will be extensively explored as an important pedagogical approach for teachers in the preschool or lower primary specialization. A key idea here is that the learning environment can support children as the protagonists of their construction of knowledge and foster respectful relationships. The course will therefore provide participants with an understanding of the principles and roles of learning centers and how these can be thoughtfully integrated within the preschool or lower primary curriculum and class setups (indoor and outdoor).
The course will have a strong practical orientation. There will be opportunities for participants to link theory to practice through hands-on activities and assignments. Where possible, field trips will also be organized to expose participants to actual environmental setups as part of their learning experiences.

We recommend that students who wish to pursue an EC minor complete AED16A and AED16D first because these two courses can greatly support you with AED16B, AED16C and AED16E.