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Webinar 4 – Discussion Forum
How do you and your team regularly reflect on and assess the effectiveness of your environment?
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5 Replies
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We talk about this regularly by seeing if any furniture need to be moved or how we can have a quiet area for sensory meltdowns. We could put a tent up and pillows down but the rest of the children would have them pulled all over the place. We redesign it to facilitate for the children needs. Making sure all furniture is secure against the wall and that we have ample places for the toys. That we have a range of toys for all the children boys and girls. That no-one is ruled out. Although they are all unique they should be all treated the same.
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Regular reflection and assessment of the effectiveness of our environment are critical for continuous improvement and ensuring that we meet the needs of all children and families. Here’s how my team and I approach this:
– Regular Team Meetings: We hold regular team meetings to discuss observations, share insights, and reflect on our practices. These meetings provide an opportunity for open dialogue and collaboration among team members.
– Observations and Documentation: We regularly observe children’s interactions within the environment and document our observations. This allows us to identify strengths, areas for improvement, and emerging patterns over time.
Feedback from Children and Families: We actively seek feedback from children and families through surveys, meetings, and informal conversations. Their perspectives are invaluable in understanding their experiences and preferences within the environment.
– Professional Development: We engage in ongoing professional development to stay informed about best practices in early childhood education and environmental design. This enables us to implement new strategies and approaches that better support children’s learning and development.
– Environmental Assessments: We conduct regular assessments of the physical environment, considering factors such as layout, materials, and safety. This helps us identify any areas that need attention or modification to enhance the overall effectiveness of the environment.
– Goal Setting and Action Planning: Based on our reflections and assessments, we set specific goals for improvement and develop action plans to achieve them. These goals are informed by our observations, feedback, and professional knowledge, and they guide our efforts to continually enhance the environment.
– Continuous Monitoring and Evaluation: We continuously monitor the impact of our actions and interventions on the environment and children’s experiences. This allows us to make adjustments as needed and ensure that our efforts align with our goals and objectives.
By regularly reflecting on and assessing the effectiveness of our environment, my team and I strive to create a dynamic and responsive learning environment that supports the holistic development of all children in our care. -
As a team we plan and discuss what can be done in the room on a weekly/ monthly bases. move around the room to find the right layout to help support the child in their environment and in their learning and how they see things.
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In our room we reflect on how the different areas of interest are working or do we need to change materials or furniture around to support the children interest. By doing observations you can see what areas are working well and may need to add more materials to encourage the children interest. We are Reggio inspired so we use a lot of natural material or real life so the children can link to the home environment. As Aistear and Siolta support partnership with parents we also learn from the parents as they are the primary care giver so by building bonds we are all working together to support the children. In our room we discussion what materials would add to the indoor or outdoor environment or changes we can do , so we all listen to each other opinions.
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The insights you have shared on how you and your teams evaluate and enhance the efficiency of your environments are great. The focus on teamwork, observations, input from children and families, professional growth, goal setting, and ongoing assessment showcases a thorough and forward-thinking strategy for developing engaging learning environments that meet the diverse needs of children. How do you ensure that feedback from children, families, and team members informs your ongoing reflection processes?
