learning-env

Learning Environments

Your program’s ability to meet the diverse needs of children, families, and staff depends largely on the learning environment. This course will deepen your understanding of how to create an environment that promotes adult learning. You will learn how to help staff provide engaging outdoor learning experiences as well as how to select materials that meet important learning and program goals. Ensuring that staff members adapt the environment for all children and maintain responsive schedules is also addressed.

The Environment: An Introduction - Helping Staff Create Spaces for Learning and Development

Your program’s physical space is a component of curriculum that provides a foundation for teaching and learning. You have an important role in ensuring these environments are high quality and developmentally appropriate for the children who use the spaces. This lesson will focus on ensuring that staff members provide high-quality environments.

The Environment: Adult Learning - Creating an Environment that Supports Adult Learning

The overall goal of your program is to provide a home-like atmosphere that is warm, comfortable, and physically and psychologically safe. Spaces for adults—the front desk, staff areas, kitchens, etc.—are an important part of this environment. This lesson will focus on ways you can promote adult learning through your environment.

The Outdoor Environment - Helping Staff Extend the Learning Outdoors

This lesson will help you support staff members as they include the outdoors as an extension of the learning environment. You will learn to ensure that the staff members have the knowledge and resources to effectively use the outdoors as an integral and rich learning environment across the curriculum.

The Environment: Materials - Ensuring Staff Have Materials that Support Learning Goals

This lesson provides a brief overview of the materials that support development at different stages. It will help you demonstrate awareness of developmental ages and stages and work with staff to ensure developmentally appropriate materials are available in child development and school-age programs.

The Environment: Schedules and Routines - Helping Staff Organize Time for Learning and Development

Organizing the learning day or time is just as important as organizing the physical environment. Staff members must know how to provide a balanced, well-designed, structured, and flexible schedule. This lesson will help you ensure that staff members design and implement effective schedules.

The Environment: Meeting the Needs of All Learners - Helping Staff Adapt the Learning Environment

Your job is to make sure staff members can meet the needs of all the children in their care, including children with identified disabilities. This lesson will focus on ensuring the learning environment is adapted so all children can participate fully.