When creating an environment that acts as the third teacher how do educators design classrooms with a lens for critical reflection? We develop a solid rationale for the decisions we are making.
A good starting point for creating this rationale is to cultivate a clear statement of how you view children- or your “image of the child”. If you were to post in bold letters around your room how you view the students in your classroom, would your room match that image? For example the Ontario Early Years Policy Framework presents a view of the child as competent, curious, and capable of complex thinking. If we embrace this view and see student as able collaborators who make meaning of experiences by exploring and experimenting, then how would the classroom reflect this? The arrangement of the materials should invite engagement and meaning making. The choice of material would be varied and rich to allow students to express their thinking in many different ways. The desks and furniture would be arranged to invite collaboration. In fact, using our image of the child as a lens for critical reflection is so powerful that we see our beliefs reflected in our routines, the relationships we develop, and in the way we approach teaching as a whole.
Creating an environment that acts at the third teacher is not simply a matter of re-decorating. The environment you create is a reflection of you and your beliefs. What does yours say about you and your beliefs?
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