My first blog post is all about something that is an early years based idea but it can be implemented in any learning environment. The concept of the Environment as the Third Teacher involves creating inspiring, provoking and engaging learning areas where the children participate in decision-making of what is included, where things should be displayed and how they can be used throughout learning. For me, it has been a process over three years to get to a point where the children can interact with, create and plan what goes on in our classroom.
Being a prep teacher, reading is an important part of our every day learning. I brainstormed with my teaching partner how we can make our word walls child-friendly and interactive. Eventually we came up with a carpet wall where words are attached using velcro strips. The children help us to decide which words are important and interesting. These words are added to our wall regularly under the alphabet for ease of use. The yellow and white columns assist the children to visually find words easily. Furthermore, we ensure our areas are uncluttered and set out in a user friendly way. Research says that environments that are full of visual information are overstimulating, creating a chaotic feel for children. An overcrowded environment also leads to children being desensitised and they don’t take notice of the information. I always ensure the information I put up on the wall has either been developed with the children or explicitly taught and then consistently referred to throughout our daily learning activities. I’ve attached some photos of my current classroom.
I’m aiming to keep the blog posts brief so the learning environment will be explored further in my next blog post. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below.
Links to useful information regarding the learning environment as the third teacher:
Click to access TheEnvironmentAsTheThirdTeacher.pdf
Click to access NCAC_20_20The_20third_20teacher_ChildFriendlySpaces.pdf
Click to access Environment-as-the-3rd-teacher.pdf
Mrs W ✍
Chalk and Talk Blog 
Thanks for sharing Mrs Wicks! Your links were really insightful – especially the environment as the third teacher article!
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