Learning Intention and Justification

Vignette eight is about a boy, Jake, who is about to go into ‘big school’,

assumedly year one. The learning intention for Jake is to develop relationships

and friendships through the collaborative construction play in a provocative

learning environment with natural, open ended materials and teacher

scaffolding.

Jake is fearful that he won't make friends and won’t have fun in 'big school' and

therefore it is imperative that he develops relationships and friendships. The

Early Years Learning Framework's first principle supports this claim as it is

"secure, respectful and reciprocal relationships" (Department of Education,

2019, p. 13). When children have a "widening network of secure relationships,

children develop confidence and feel respected and valued" (Department of

Education, 2019, p. 13). Collaborative construction play is proposed because

the collaboration will encourage relationship building while playing in a way

which Jake already enjoys and is intrinsically motivated to do; construction play.

Open-ended materials provide great opportunities for creativity and provide

many affordances for play. All these components are further realised through

scaffolding by the teacher as they bring the knowledge Jake already has and

enhance it through open ended questions, suggestions and negotiations.

Learning Bay Justification

The learning bay designed is a construction corner to facilitate for Jake’s love of

construction play and build on what he has already been doing. The design is

composed of multiple elements that enhance the space. Elements such as

height, colour, material, shape, traffic flow and safety have been considered to

create the most effective construction corner.

The use of warm, neutral and natural colours in the area give the space a sense

of tranquility and calmness (Robinson et. al., 2018; Crowther, 2011). Crowther

(2011) makes it clear that colour choice is an important consideration and

educators should pick pale, warm colours that clam, soothe and relax children.

The colours chosen in this play space are the brown of the wood, the green of

the leaves and plants, and the neutral beige colour of the carpet. Brown

because it creates a sense of nurture and supportiveness; green because it

encourages relaxation; and neutral beige because it doesn't overstimulate the

senses (Crowther, 2011).

The furniture is made of wood and is at child-height allowing the children to

easily access it. Materials are stored at a low level and are labelled with pictures

as well as words to help promote each child’s independence (Robinson, 2018;

Crowther, 2011). The labels and storage also helps the children know where to

return the materials which reduces clutter and enhances the aesthetic. The

furniture chosen is made from wood because it enhances the atmosphere and

aesthetic of the space (Robinson, 2018; Department of Education, 2019). There

is also a variety of natural materials such as rocks, pieces of wood, sticks,

string, shells and wooden blocks. When children engage with natural materials

it enriches the children’s learning because it is familiar to the children

(Department of Education, 2019). These open-ended materials were chosen

because they promote imagination, creativity, persistence and individual

problem solving (Crowther, 2011). The materials are stored in wicker baskets as

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Taplin and Nicol (2012) suggest because “authenticity is key” (p. 39). There are

also accessories such as animals, trees, flowers, vehicles and multi-ethnic

figures to extend the construction play and encourage imaginary and social play

(Crowther, 2011).

To promote fluidity, low-level storage shelves act as dividers and help to clearly

identify the area (Miller, 2016). A clear separation of the space helps prevent

distractions and accidents and maximises active participation (Crowther, 2011;

Robinson, 2018). The use of low-level furniture also ensures that the teacher

can see all the students and the students can see the teacher which is

important for management and supervision (Marsh, Pittaway, & Clark, 2004;

Crowther, 2011). A neutral beige rug is placed in the middle of the learning bay

to further define the space and to add softness to the bay. The softness comes

from the reduction of noise, as the carpet absorbs excess sound, and from the

physical softness of the carpet (Miller, 2016; Crowther, 2011). There is also no

barrier on one side of the learning bay which will allow the play to ‘spill-out’ if the

children need more space (Crowther, 2011).

On the rounded table in the corner is a structure made from some of the natural

materials available to the children. This serves as inspiration for the children to

be intrigued by and build on (Crowther, 2011). The table is at their height so that

they can see it and interact with it. Interaction with this provocation provides

children with sensory experiences important for development as it is made from

a variety of natural materials (Robinson, 2018). There is enough space on the

table for children to build and add onto the structure if they would like to which

then allows the table to serve as a three-dimensional display space. With

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teacher scaffolding and the space given students can co-create and build on the

display. Giving children this opportunity develops their sense of agency and

voice as well as creating relevance for them (Robinson, 2018).

A set of empty shelves is intentionally placed to separate the space but more

importantly allows space for displays of the students work. Crowther (2011)

articulates the importance of display because “children need to feel that what

they accomplish is valued” (p. 40). There is also empty space on the wall

dedicated to this purpose of displaying photographs of the students’

accomplishments and creations (Crowther, 2011). It is important for educators

to document the children’s learning because it portrays the process and the

students’ understandings of the learning (Neylon & Treasure, 2018). Therefore,

there is dedicated space in this learning bay for documentation.

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References:

Crowther, I. (2011). Creating Effective Learning Environments. Toronto: Nelson

Education

Department of Education. (2019). The Early Years Learning Framework For

Australia. Retrieved from

https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/belonging_being_an

d_becoming_the_early_years_learning_framework_for_australia_0.pdf

Marsh, C., Clark, M., & Pittaway, S. (2014). Marsh's Becoming a teacher (6th
ed.). Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Pearson Australia.
Miller, D. F (2016). Positive child guidance (8th ed.). Belmont.CA: Wadsworth,

Cengage Learning.

Neylon, G. & Treasure, T. (2018). International perspectives on Play-Based

Approaches. In Robinson, C., Treasure, T., O’Connor, D., Neylon, G.,

Harrison, C. & Wynne, S. Learning through play: Creating a play-based

approach within Early Childhood contexts. Melbourne: Oxford University

Press.

Nicol, J. & Taplin, J.T. (2012) Understanding the Steiner Waldorf Approach.

Oxon: Routledge

Robinson, C. (2018). The Indoor Environment. In Robinson, C., Treasure, T.,

O’Connor, D., Neylon, G., Harrison, C. & Wynne, S. Learning through

play: Creating a play-based approach within Early Childhood contexts.

Melbourne: Oxford University Press.