Running head: REDESIGN 1

Classroom Redesign Assignment

Grier Bethea

Coastal Carolina University

EDEC 339
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Classroom Redesign Assignment

The classroom redesign project is an assignment for the Early Childhood Programs and

Curriculum course at Coastal Carolina University. The purpose of this assignment is to redesign

the classroom layout, schedule, and centers of the field placement classroom to better support

curriculum. Specific reasoning will support the changes made in the redesign.

Pictures of the Classroom

Newly Drawn Floorplan

The above photo is a redesigned floorplan of the head start classroom. The rationale for this

redesign will be discussed in the reflection.

Current Schedule

The above picture shows the current schedule in a Green Sea Head Start classroom.
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Redesigned Schedule

8:00 Arrival
8:30-9:15 Breakfast and Personal Needs
9:15-9:30 Group Meeting and Read Aloud
9: 30-9:35 Circle Time
9:35-10:50 Choice and Small Group
10:50-11:00 Preparation for Lunch/ Nursery Rhyme
11:00-11:30 Lunch Time
11:30-11:45 Personal Needs
11:45-12:20 Outside Choice Time
12:20-12:30 Personal Needs
12:30-1:10 Rest Time

The above chart shows the redesigned schedule that covers the times of observation. A rationale

for the redesign will be discussed in the reflection.

Center Descriptions

The centers in the classroom along with the materials present within them are listed below.

Materials listed in black are current materials, materials listed in red are new materials to be

added. A rationale for the materials added to each center will be discussed in the reflection.

Library Center: small display shelf of books, a shelf of big books and alphabet games, a rocking

chair, a reading tent, bookshelves, pillows, quality books, and comfortable, flexible seating.

Dramatic play: sink, oven, refrigerator, microwave, counter, shelves, table, ironing board,

pretend food, baskets, phones, dolls, cash register, plates, utensils, dress up props, role necklaces,

pets and pet props, and a clock.

Blocks: wooden blocks, colored Styrofoam blocks, dump truck, construction props, vehicles,

animals, signs.
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Music and Movement: CD player, triangle, tambourines, maracas, sandpaper blocks, hand drums,

egg shakers, cow bells, platform and dress up props.

Music and movement activities are typically whole group and consist mostly of interactive

songs. The songs allow students to dance to the beat of the music while following dance

instructions.

Art: Scissors, crayons, pencils, play dough, cookie cutters, glue, printer paper, apron, paint

brushes, purple paint, red paint, green paint, yellow paint, printer paper, blue paint, orange paint,

watercolor paint, thick paper, drying rack, markers, colored pencils, oil pastels, stencils, tape, and

construction paper.

Art activities include individual painting, cutting and pasting with guidance, playing with and

forming play dough, and individual coloring.

Discovery: Toy microscopes, magnets, binoculars, glitter bottles, kaleidoscopes, magnifying

glass, goggles, tweezers, natural materials, sensory bin, balance scale, and rulers.

Sand and Water: not used during days of observation, small toys and manipulatives to go in the

sand and water (ex. Rubber ducks, shells, plastic insects).

Toys and games: puzzles, gears, links, screws and bolts, Mr. Potato Head, bristle blocks, dressing

frames, magnet blocks.

Whole group activities typically take place at the carpet. The carpet activities begin with

a calendar time in which students go over the months, days of the week, the current day and date,

and the current month. Following calendar time, is the read aloud. The read aloud is relevant to

the topic of study and helps support the content that students are learning. Then, there is a whole

group activity designed to build on the objective content and skills. The content changes from
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week to week. Each month, there is a broad topic of focus that is narrowed into four different

studies-one for each week.

Summative Reflection

Classroom environment is an important factor to consider in the development of

curriculum. The proper layout, schedule, and centers will increase functionality of the classroom,

allowing students to gain rich learning experiences. The classroom that I was placed in at Green

Sea Head Start featured many useful qualities, but the redesign of some aspects of the

environment would be beneficial to the students and teachers. In the process of the classroom

redesign, I added to, modified and took away from different parts of the layout, schedule, and

centers. The purpose of the modifications is to make the curriculum and learning in the

classroom as meaningful and relevant as possible.

The current floorplan of the classroom is acceptable, but there are some changes that

could make it exceptional. The classroom floorplan previously depicted shows the changes that I

feel are appropriate. To begin, I added a small group table and more student tables. The purpose

of adding a small group, horseshoe table to the room is so that the teacher has an area to meet

with students to provide more one-on-one instruction. The horseshoe shape sets students up in a

way that encourages discussion between the students and the teacher as well as among the

students. Discussion is a significant component of early childhood because of its relativity to the

Language Development and Communication domain. In learning to communicate, it is essential

for younger and older preschoolers to be supported and participate in discussion. Next, I added

more student tables. Currently, the classroom has only two tables that seat eight students each. I

have observed that the children are cramped and restricted with that set up. The placement of the

tables is also inconvenient. One of the tables interferes with the bathroom line, and the other
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interferes with the sink line. So, to solve the problems that I have observed, I moved the student

tables to the center of the room and added three more tables. Each table will seat four students,

giving them plenty of room to work and the tables are not near high-volume areas of the

classroom.

Next, I modified the arrangement of the centers. In order to promote a literate

environment in the classroom, I decided to make the literacy center the focal point of the

classroom. This center will be large and placed in a corner that is appealing to students. It will

also accommodate five children, so more students are able to engage in literacy. From the library

center, I arranged the other centers around the room based on volume level. The lower volume

centers such as writing, toys and games, and small group are the closest to the library center.

Then, they progressively get louder as they move further from the library center, including

centers such as block center, art center, and dramatic play. This rearrangement helps ensure that

students stay focused on the quiet work they may be engaging in without getting too distracted

by students interacting in other centers. The music and movement center is still present, but I

have modified the schedule to allow time for it to be a daily whole group activity rather than

individual like the other centers. The art center works best where it is currently in the room, so I

chose to keep that the same. In its current location, the center has easy access to a sink, it is on

tile flooring, and it is in a corner. These qualities are perfect for an art center because they

provide easy set up and clean up, since it can get messy sometimes (p. 103).

Another addition to the floorplan was the incorporation of meaningful color. First, I used

color in each center to convey certain feelings. The library center is blue to convey calmness.

The writing center is red to promote warmth, comfort, and energy. The music center is orange to

bring excitement and energy. Dramatic play is brown which conveys feelings of friendship,
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comfort, and security. The art center is yellow to radiate happiness. The block center is purple to

communicate mystery and respect. Discovery is green to represent nature and growth. And lastly,

the toys and games center is blue to promote intellect. The use of color to communicate feelings

supports the Emotional and Social Development domain of the early learning standards. Children

can use the colors as they are learning to express and recognize feelings. Each student table is

also a different color. The teacher could use the different colors to support children in learning to

recognize colors and listen for specific directions. The last element of color that I incorporated

into the classroom is in the rug. The rug is beneficial because there are different colored rows

with individual squares for students to sit on. Students will be able to remember and stay in their

spot if they are supported by clearly defined boundaries.

The next piece of the redesign process is the schedule. The schedule was redesigned to

more effectively meet the physical and social needs of children (p.12). The morning routine of

arrival, breakfast, and group meeting worked well, so I chose to keep them the same. However, I

did see the need to add in a circle time for music. During this time, students would form a circle

around the rug in music center and participate in planned music and movement activities.

Children would be able to learn how instruments work, sing, and dance (p.148). After circle time,

the children go to center time. The only change I would make during center time is to close the

music center. Center time is designed for independent, unguided play. Since the music center has

instruments that require guided support, the music interaction should stay in circle time.

Following centers, the children will prepare for and go to lunch. I made lunch time earlier so that

there would be a more similar amount of time between breakfast and lunch, and lunch and snack.

I also think that outside choice time would work better after lunch. Students would be able to

release all of their energy before coming inside to nap. As students move through the day, I
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would also add music to make transitions smoother. The musical transitions will help students

move happier and it is a way to include music throughout the entire day (p. 148).

The last element of the redesign is centers. Since much of the learning takes place during

this independent play time, the elements of the centers are vital to provide a quality learning

environment. To begin, I added bookshelves, pillows, quality books, and comfortable seating to

the library center. These additions will help lay the foundation for reading and increase

motivation and participation in literacy.

To enhance the dramatic play center, I added dress up props, role necklaces, pets and pet

props and a clock. The dress up available in the center will support the culture and fine motor

skills of the students. If applicable, the dress up in the center may also serve as a support to

enrich the environment during an integrated study (p. 73). The role necklaces will help students

remember which person plays each role during their play so students can engage in more

complex play. The clock will allow students to become familiar with time.

Next, in the block center, I added construction props, vehicles, animals and signs. The

construction props will support the children’s imagination as they are building their structures

with the blocks. The vehicles and animals are also great additions to the center for children to

play with as they build and design. Signs in the center promote a print rich environment, helping

children recognize the meanings of various signs.

In the music center, I saw the need for more quality instruments such as sandpaper

blocks, hand drums, egg shakers and cow bells. I also added a platform and dress up props.

Quality instruments are essential in the classroom as they provide students with the opportunity

to explore rhythm and tone (p. 148). The platform and dress up are appropriate additions to allow

students the opportunity to perform in front of the class. Performance of their musical skills will
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promote confidence and positive sense of self, which is a goal in the Emotional and Social

Development domain.

Next, I added different color paints, watercolor paint, thick paper, a drying rack, markers,

colored pencils, oil pastels, stencils, tape, and construction paper to the art center. Providing

students with quality art supplies is critical to students’ exploration of art (p.104). Appropriate

materials and demonstration of materials creates an environment that is supportive of art and

creative development. The availability of a variety of colors also allows students to experiment

with and explore colors (p. 99). As children experiment with the colors, their curiosity will grow,

and they will desire to learn and know more. Since curiosity is a subdomain of the Approaches to

Play and Learning standards, the addition of more color in the art center will be supportive of

that.

The discovery center is a place for scientific exploration, so I added materials such as

goggles, tweezers, natural materials, a sensory bin, a balance scale, and rulers. The goggles and

tweezers are tools that will help students observe. The sensory bin, and natural materials

provides students with manipulatives to conduct their investigations on. Using these materials

allows children to meet a goal in the Cognitive Development domain by exploring, investigating

and examining the world around them. They are also using the rulers and the balance scale to

begin to understand measurement, which is a goal in the Mathematical Thinking and Expression

domain.

In the sand and water center, I added small toys and manipulatives that will support the

development of fine motor skills. I was not able to observe this table being used, but I think

manipulatives such as rubber ducks, shells, and plastic insects would be beneficial to students as

they are exploring through their senses.

Lastly, I added a Mr. Potato Head, bristle blocks, dressing frames, and magnetic blocks to

the toys and games center. These additions also support fine motor skills as children are working

with their hands to perform tasks, build, and connect.

Throughout the classroom redesign process, I focused on creating an environment that is

supportive of curiosity and effective for learning. The floorplan redesign will increase quality

interactions, positive feelings, and focus in the classroom. The new schedule will allow for a

smoother day that includes guided music practice and effective transitions. And lastly, the

additions to the classroom centers take student engagement to a new level by providing quality

materials and equipment. Overall, the new environment is an environment that will support

growth in all domains of the Early Learning Standards.

References

Ratcliff, N. (2018). Early Childhood. Pearson.