Observational Notebook 2.

5 Reflection on Virtual Tour of ECED lab

After watching the "Virtual Tour of the ELCC Lab Classroom Video", I noticed many
natural and synthetic play materials in the lab classroom, such as pinecones, pebbles, tree
stumps, and plumber pipes and fabric flowers. I was surprised that plenty of open-ended play
materials are the majority in this inclusive learning environment. Some natural play materials in
the lab, such as sticks, rocks, leaves, and seeds, are super easy to find around us. The lab learning
spaces create many home-like atmospheres, such as many child-size furniture, cookware, and
tableware in the dramatic play area. The instructors put some purchased toys in the learning lab;
however, these fixed toys are not many. Overall, the ELCC lab classroom is an emergent setting
environment and brings me a very creative and engaging impression on me, and I think I can stay
there the whole day and not feel bored.

Compared with the ELCC lab classroom, the virtual tour of a 3-year-old classroom
showed us a traditional early childhood education classroom. In this learning environment, there
are many purchased fixed toys in different play spaces. Surprisingly, educators utilize a 70-inch
smart board and two touch-screen computers in this classroom to promote children's learning.
There is an exciting play material called kinetic sand in this classroom, children can play with it
as they do with the play dough, but kinetic sand is not all-natural; even its primary component is
sand. This traditional class has lovely colourful child-size furniture, which makes young children
feel home-like and comfortable. This classroom has many age-appropriate toys, such as dress-up
clothes, toaster toys, coffer maker toys, ice cream scooper, plastic dinosaurs, stuffed toys, and
blocks. Overall, this traditional classroom makes me feel well-organized, high-technology, and
more fixed equipment.

In the BVC ELCC lab classroom, emergent educators provide more loose parts as play
materials and create environments that foster learning and play for young children based on their
interests and growth and development stages. In the 3-year-old classroom, educators provide
plenty of fancy toys; however, they might limit young children's needs to think, explore, and
create options.

If I choose which room I would like to work in, I will select the BVC ELCC lab
classroom because comparing with the traditional ECE classroom; the emergent classroom
setting has so many benefits.

1. The emergent classroom provides more loose parts in the learning environment,
which encourages children's growth in development areas. Loose parts give
children the freedom to arrange and manage, using the elements to create their
own rules and designs, which allows the focus of the experience to be on the
process rather than the product.
 2. The emergent classroom encourages children's cognitive development. When
children play with loose parts materials, they actively use their critical thinking
skills, problem-solving abilities, and trial and mistake exploration. The interest-
based-play learning environment stimulates children's questioning, enquiry and
exploration.
3. The emergent classroom's open-ended play materials support children's creativity.
Children are encouraged to think outside the box and find creative and divergent
ways to make and create. Creativity leads to invention and discovery, opening the
door to so many beautiful possibilities.
4. The emergent classroom promotes children's development of social and emotional
skills. It encourages children to share and take turns using resources, listening,
and responding to each other's ideas and experiences in a collaborative learning
environment. Children are experiencing the wonder and joy of new
understandings of which they lead and control.

Of course. The emerging learning environment requires many skills and careful
observation of educators, as well as enthusiasm and dedication to ongoing educational
development. I think it is the direction we are working towards hard.