Defining Elements in the Planning of Early Childhood [Classrooms] as Parameters in the Development and Education of the Child [electronic resource] / Anastasia Bika.
Noting that the design of the classroom used for early childhood and kindergarten classes can contribute in powerful ways to the education of young children, this paper applies principles of architecture to the organization and shaping of the interior classroom space. The paper maintains that five p...
Saved in:
| Online Access: |
Full Text (via ERIC) |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic eBook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[S.l.] :
Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse,
1996.
|
| Subjects: |
| Summary: | Noting that the design of the classroom used for early childhood and kindergarten classes can contribute in powerful ways to the education of young children, this paper applies principles of architecture to the organization and shaping of the interior classroom space. The paper maintains that five principles, when applied, create a climate of multiple opportunities and choices: (1) synthesis and creativity; (2) harmony and symmetry; (3) contrasts of light and color; (4) motion and stillness; and (5) order. The paper further argues that classrooms should be thought of as small communities within which events that take place in the everyday life of the society at large can be incorporated. A study is described, involving two Thessaloniki, Greece, kindergartens serving urban middle class families. The kindergartners were introduced to drawing prints of Da Vinci, Le Corbusier, and Dreyfuss, discussed the drawings in relation to the dimensions of the classroom and equipment, discovered relations with the use of furniture of various sizes and different objects. Data were collected through observations and videotapes. Findings indicated that the uniformity and monotony of the school space led children to indifference about the space, while creating their own micro-environments. Some children looked for quiet areas inside the class. The paper concludes that it is necessary for classrooms to be changed according to the needs and desires of the students in them. (KB) |
|---|---|
| Item Description: | ERIC Document Number: ED437227. ERIC Note: Paper presented at the European Conference on the Quality of Early Childhood Education (6th, Lisbon, Portugal, September 1-4, 1996). |
| Physical Description: | 11 p. |