The Classroom Learning Environment

The learning environment is often viewed as “the third teacher”. It can either enhance learning, optimizing students’ potential to respond creatively and meaningfully, or detract from it.

A classroom that is functioning successfully as a third teacher will be responsive to the children’s interests, provide opportunities for children to make their thinking visible, and then foster further learning and engagement. (Fraser, 2012, p. 67) 

In Kindergarten the classroom environment is thoughtfully designed to invite, provoke, and enhance learning, and to encourage communication, collaboration, and inquiry. The space, with all the objects in it, including the various materials and resources for learning, is created and arranged as the children’s learning process unfolds – it is constantly being negotiated by and with the children. This fluid, inclusive, and dynamic social space evolves, in part, as children express their thinking and wonderings and as ideas pique their interest. (The Kindergarten Program, 2016)

All students are responsible to ensuring that our classroom environment is safe, welcoming and well kept. Working together, students have had the opportunity to co-construct a variety of classroom aspects (i.e. Calendar, Word Wall, Number Line).