The Classroom as the Third Teacher: Kitah Daled
What does a visitor notice when entering an Early Childhood classroom? First impressions are important—is the room clean and organized? As an experienced ECD teacher presently substituting at Intown Jewish Preschool, I appreciate an attractive, organized classroom. It shows the love and care that the Morahs—the teachers—as well as the children themselves, put forth in their room to make it a conducive place to learn and grow.
A positive physical environment serves as a platform for learning. The main goal, however, surpasses the concept of simple neatness. We know from research as well as from our own intuition, that the environment is truly the third teacher. Here is how NAEYC, the premier children’s education organization, describes this: “The third teacher is the environment—a setting designed to be not only functional but also beautiful and reflective of the child’s learning. It is the child’s relationship with parent, teacher, and environment that ignites learning.”
As we glance around Kitah Daled’s classroom, do we see intentional displays of learning? Is this an environment that will “ignite learning”? Let’s take a look . . .
The KD room has a large classroom library where the cover of each book is clearly displayed. There are several contemporary classics (Llama Llama, Red Pajama, Wacky Wednesday.) Plenty of authentic Judaic books (I Have a Jewish Name) are on the shelves too, as well as books to encourage social-emotional growth (Shubert’s Choice.). Non-fiction books are also readily available.
Of course, a well-stocked library is essential. A Morah will typically choose a book from the Library to read formally during Circle or Lunch. Sometimes a Morah finds the Library a casual place to get comfortable and simply share a book with a few children.
As we look around the room, we notice many other signs of reading and writing. Some of them are intentionally instructional. Others are less obvious, quite subtle and yet still fully intentional.
The Morahs pick age-appropriate materials to place on the shelves and they frequently refresh the trays. The teachers notice when the children need new materials and they make those changes in the environment. Often, it’s the children themselves who adjust their environment. They work in informal teams to construct cities and “machines” from the building blocks, loose parts and scrap materials. Literacy is at work again as the children usually “label” their constructions.
Literacy is not limited to the printed word. Storytelling is an equally important component of communication. The children are fully-engaged when hanging-out in the Sun Room. There are plenty of costumes and play-prompts that reflect their everyday world, including a kitchen, doctor’s office and construction tools. Here, the children decide how to organize their environment and create their stories, both fictional and non-fictional. The time will come soon enough when they will be able to record bits and pieces of their stories, and share their written words and pictures with their friends and families. This beginning part—the telling of the story—is crucial, showing how the children gain an awareness of the power of their words. And notice how the children have rearranged their physical environment to suit their storytelling!
Visiting with Kitah Daled, I noticed many signs of Literacy throughout the room. The children are now in the midst of preparing for Culmination Night, where they will share some of their learning with their parents and other visitors. They will take the stage to sing, and then tour their room with their guests. The environment will then take center stage as the children guide their company to engage in the many learning activities throughout the room.
