Classroom Influenced by Bronfenbrenner’s Theory

Classroom Influenced by Bronfenbrenner’s Theory

Lesson 7

Theoretical and Research Base: Creative Learning Environments

The work of Urie Bronfenbrenner (2004), Maria Montessori (1909, 1964), Loris Malaguzzi (1995), and Lev Vygotsky (1967, 1978), among others, provide important insights into creative environments that engage all children. Following is a brief statement of each of these theorists’ assumptions about the influence of the environment on children’s creativity and how their theories might look in early childhood classrooms.

Bronfenbrenner

From Bronfenbrenner we learn about the important interactions of many environments, such as the family, school, neighborhood, peers, and media that are all connected and influence not only one another but also the developing child. His theory provides one way to view the effects of the social contexts of children’s lives on the child in the classroom.

 

An early childhood classroom influenced by Bronfenbrenner’s theory would include:

· Strong connections between home and school by listening to what families have to say about their children and their home interests so that both teachers and children can learn about every child’s community and culture.

· Families that are involved in children’s learning activities that you send home.

· Family members that are involved in a variety of roles in the classroom.

· Strong relationships with the community.

Montessori

From Montessori we learn that children need a carefully prepared, well-organized environment with authentic, homelike materials to reflect order and calm. The environment contains aesthetically pleasing and sensory-rich materials, child-sized furnishings, and self-correcting materials to be used in a specific way. Teachers carefully structure the environment for the children to complete tasks and develop at their own pace.

This girl is building a tower using Montessori cylinders in a prepared environment

A classroom environment influenced by Montessori would have:

· An aesthetically pleasing classroom with a wide selection of sensory materials and experiences for self-expression.

· Low shelves with materials that children can access easily and return materials to their original place.

· Large, open floor spaces.

· Considerable freedom for children to choose activities that have been prepared by the teacher.

· Teachers who respect children, guide their use of materials, and offer help if asked.

Malaguzzi and Reggio Emilia Schools

Malaguzzi calls the classroom environment the child’s “third teacher,” which conveys its powerful impact on children’s thinking and feeling. In Reggio schools, environments are places of beauty that are designed to promote children’s relationships, sense of community, and aesthetics. They are also places that value children’s relationships as a basis of learning. Reggio teachers respect children’s curiosity, ask focused questions, document children’s learning, and display children’s work that reflects their conversations, interests, and experiences.

This video shows key principles of the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. Notice the Reggio environment. How does it impact children’s creative thinking?

Classrooms inspired by Malaguzzi and Reggio Emilia schools would have:

· An aesthetically pleasing environment with lots of light and welcoming entryways.

· Children collaboratively exploring topics of interest to them for long periods of time.

· A variety of open-ended materials and media that stimulate children’s senses and curiosity and encourage investigation, inquiry, and discovery.

· Places for children’s “in progress” projects or products.

· Displays of children’s work that show children and their work are valued and respected.

Vygotsky

Vygotsky theorizes that a hands-on, interactive environment is children’s opportunity to work together. Teachers scaffold children’s thinking and relationships with one another. They guide children in creating themes based on their interests and focus on child-directed play for preschool children and productive activities in the primary grades.

Environments based on Vygotsky’s ideas would have:

· Small-group work that focuses on social interaction and learning from one another.

· Choices of projects for which children can seek help if needed.

· Dramatic play that includes children’s plans of what they want to do to increase the complexity of their play.

· Teachers who serve as partners in learning until children can apply a skill on their own.

Each of these theorists helps us understand the importance of the environment in promoting children’s creative thinking. Now, recall some of your own classrooms in which you were comfortable, felt valued, and looked forward to learning as compared to those in which you were uncomfortable, felt devalued, and felt like learning was a chore. Think about those classrooms as you read about the elements of creative classroom environments.

An aesthetically pleasing environment with lots of light impacts children’s creativity

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