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Managing Environments Managing Transitions Activities Handouts Glossary

Managing Environments to Teach More / Punish Less
   Sidewalk Chalk Bullet  Early childhood environments include what we can touch, smell, see, hear, feel with our skin and sense with our feelings. Also, it includes the behavior of other adults and children, and the pace of available activity and materials.

Sidewalk Chalk Bullet  Adults create environments for and with children: intellectual, social, and physical environments. Environments are everything outside ourselves that affect us. Environments affect the teaching and learning of desired behaviors.
Show real media video. Rebecca Kantor talks about the quality environments created at Chicago Commons.  MS Word File(transcript)
Show real media video. The importance of variety in a child's environment.  MS Word File(transcript)
One view of a Head Start class room.
  
   Sidewalk Chalk Bullet  Environments send messages to all of us and to children about how to behave. Do our environments promote the behaviors we want or do they encourage challenging behaviors? Adults can use environments to indirectly teach children how to behave, to promote desired behavior.
Child sticking tongue out at teacher.
Show real media video. Sue Bredekamp on the "environment as an additional teacher."  MS Word File(transcript)
Show real media video. Will limiting children's access to certain materials limit their learning?  MS Word File(transcript)
  
   Sidewalk Chalk Bullet  Stimulation: Children vary in their response to stimulation based on their temperament, age, culture, and special circumstances such as health, hunger, disability, need for sleep and time of day.
Show real media video. Sue Bredekamp on managing transitions.  MS Word File(transcript)
Show real media video. Sue Bradekamp discusses the importance of parents and teachers working together.  MS Word File(transcript)
Teacher talking with child who wishes to be somewhere else.
  
   Sidewalk Chalk Bullet  Low levels of stimulation negatively affect behavior (for example, not enough books or toys, waiting too long in line, too little outdoors play).

Sidewalk Chalk Bullet  High levels of stimulation can negatively affect behavior (for example, too many materials and choices, too many children for the size of the space).
Child avoiding teacher's reach.
Show real media video. Under stimulation and over stimulation both negatively affect children's behavior. How do you know how much stimulation a child needs at various times?  MS Word File(transcript)
Show real media video. Lillian Katz on an adult's role in regulating a child's level of stimulation.  MS Word File(transcript)
  
   Sidewalk Chalk Bullet  Adults can create environments in which children feel safe about expressing their feelings in positive ways.
Show real media video. A parent can have a great impact on creating or changing a child's environment. This vignette shows a child expressing a need for change and her parent's response.  MS Word File(transcript)
 
  
  

Tip: Changes in the environment can be very small and still be effective.

Bluebird Bullet Consider the following:
  1. level of stimulation
  2. types of stimulation
  3. balance of choices
  4. variety of equipment
  5. physical layout
  6. child/space ratio
  7. using the environment to create small groups
 
  
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Managing Environments Managing Transitions Activities Handouts Glossary
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