Nursery 1
(3-year-olds)
A 3-year-old characteristics...
This is a vital age for development for all domains, also known as the sensitive period. All developmental domains are still in the stage of developing as this period is when the brain grows to be triple of its size in this period.
In the social-emotional domain, children are highly imaginative and participate actively in imaginative play. On top of that, they start seeking out for social interactions and the value of membership in a group of friends. However, they are also at the age of conforming to negativity and stubbornness when it comes to conforming to instructions 15.
Under the cognitive domain, it is also common for children to have very short attention spans and having difficulty concentrating on a single activity for a prolonged duration 34.
For the physical aspect, children will be able to run with more confidence, bend forward without falling or to hop and stand on one foot for up to 5 seconds 37.
PositioninG
So... What exactly is it?
Positioning is the process of placing objects in relation to each other or in relation to people.
Positioning is also the process of placing oneself near other individuals, groups or objects that support children’s learning and maintain children’s safety 19
How many different kinds?
There are 2 big components:
1. PEOPLE
As a teaching technique, careful positioning of people can enrich children’s planned and unplanned learning.
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2.MATERIALS & EQUIPMENTS
As a teaching technique, positioning involves placing learning materials safely and ethnically support and enhance children’s learning.
Why positioning?
Socialization is the key to a healthy development. Therefore, the placement of people in the classroom would affect the child's learning experiences 20
Children tend to have a short attention span and tremendous progressions in motor development 34. This may result in them moving around and getting distracted. With the effective positioning of people and materials, such happenings can be minimized.
Positioning materials can create intentional learning experiences for the children as they facilitate self-discovery and inquiry 2
Children at this age are just starting to be exposed to the various learning domains such as language skills, physical motor skills or even cognitive skills. Therefore, the positioning of materials and people will have a great impact on how children nurture, acquire and practice their mastery of skills. Additionally, with the successful use of developmental skills, the children will develop a sense of competence that positively supports learning across all domains of development. Hence, a well-structured physical environment helps build a sense of self-worth and competence as well 2
Ar age three, they just left the toddlers stage. Thus, there is still an immersive amount of play involved in a child’s daily schedule. Play experience requires a lot of precautionary plannings for it to be explored freely and successfully. The positioning of play materials can essentially make or break a child’s play and learning experiences in general 19
Generally, a 3-year-old classroom's materials positioning should have such characteristics:
The classroom and their respective learning centers should have predictability whereby there are well-defined boundaries for clear paths to be indicated.
The vast variety of materials and equipment in every learning center should allow complete freedom for exploration.
The positioning of materials should also radiate an inviting, welcoming and homelike feel.
They should also have a sufficient amount of complexity, whereby all materials are open-ended, and versatile in terms of usage.
However... every classroom has their specific goals and objectives! Thus, there are no sets of positionings that are politically correct! Here are some specific considerations you may consider
A real-life application of all the considerations mentioned!
The balance between the different types of closed and open spaces and materials
The equipment, materials, and spaces that are available in the inside and outside play areas
The boundaries between the different areas within the area
The ways in which materials will be grouped together
The ways in which the placement will encourage movement and interaction between children
The ways in which placement of materials will allow for quiet moments of reflection
The ways in which spaces will allow for robust physical exploration of materials
General Positioning guidelines in a Nursery 1 classroom
First, sketch a layout of your classroom and take photos of the learning areas to help evaluate the classroom!
Safety
The materials have to be accessible to all children, regardless of their height. They also must not contain any dangerous objects. For necessary sharp objects such as scissors, they must be kept out of the immediate reach of children.
Supervision
Take a picture of the class from where you would usually stand. The entire classroom should be viewable at all times (take note of blind spots). You may also choose to consider using equipment such as shelves or tapings to create boundaries to support your supervision of the children.
Aesthetics
Look around your class. The materials and equipment placed should not look too cluttered and it should enhance the aesthetics of the class. The following are some questions that will help you:
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"Are the materials placed purposefully?"
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"Are the artifacts familiar to the children?"
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"Are the visuals easily viewed by the children?"
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"Does the materials available align with your objectives and purpose?"
Purpose
Materials or equipment in the classroom must be placed purposefully to stimulate and trigger children's curiosity. The materials placed should also support and encourage participation from the children.
Appropriateness
Beware of materials being culturally and age appropriate for children to use on their own.
Considerations for appropriate people positioning
Ensure that there is an overall social organization of the learning areas
Factor in daily timetabling of staff-child interactions
Factor in the daily placement of adults (e.g. visitor, parent or student)
Consider placing people for safety (e.g. to easily see the children during high-risk activities)
Consider positioning for security and competence
Consider positioning for meaning (e.g. engage with children for meaning-making through listening, commenting, questioning and enriching conversations)
Always Remember!
In a classroom that promotes inquiry-based learning, teachers have the freedom to choose how and where they can place themselves. Even though learning is mainly initiated by children themselves, teachers should guide students to develop a good question for investigation, monitor their inquiry process, and provide guidance when they encounter difficulties. Ultimately, It all boils down to the type and objectives that the teacher had planned for the lesson to be. Due to how sensitive and greatly a teacher’s positioning can affect the child’s position and behavior in the class, they need to be considered and planned prior to the lesson 31