As clearly set out in the 'Principles into Practice' cards that form part of the guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage, 'language, thinking and learning are interlinked; they depend on and promote each other's development' (1:1 A unique child, Child Development).
Yet a recent I CAN report, The Cost to the Nation of Poor Communication Skills, suggests that over 50 per cent of children in the UK are starting school with some form of language difficulty or disability. Improving speaking and listening skills is, therefore, high on everyone's agenda.
Despite a huge number of curriculum initiatives over the past decade, classroom spaces have remained much the same. A re-think of how practitioners set up learning spaces to facilitate and support curriculum delivery is long overdue.
Last year, the Basic Skills Agency commissioned research to consider how the physical environment could impact specifically on speaking and listening skills. The recently published Communication-Friendly Spaces Toolkit for Practitioners is the result (see Reader Offer box).
Look around you. If your setting doesn't make you feel motivated, then it's time to make some positive changes!
From my own review of research and practice across England and Wales, I have identified some key considerations as contributing to communication-friendly spaces.
The learning environment should support the educational pedagogy of the setting Be clear about how the learning environment and underpinning pedagogy connect and support one another. The way that a space is set out says a lot to children about the sort of behaviours and interactions that are welcome there.
This may be quite a challenge, as it could conflict with your current knowledge and thinking.
Stop and think
* When was the last time you critically observed your learning environment?
* We invest time in observing children and their development, but we also need to contextualise this view. The environment sets the scene for actions, behaviour, interaction and consequences.
* Be clear about what you want for children in this space and ask yourself, is the space supporting it?
Maximise the use of space in all areas, inside and out View your learning space as a whole, including both inside and out, and make the most of what you've got. Across the space, children need secure spaces to talk where they feel comfortable and relaxed. It's important to think about how an area will be used and what furniture is actually necessary. Are you perhaps pre-determining what will happen there?
It's essential to observe, reflect and then make informed decisions about layout.
Tips
* Create flexible spaces by using screens, drapes and panels hung from the ceiling which can roll up and down to make a screen.
* Consider the position of different zones. How might they be affected by neighbouring zones in terms of light, noise, flow and movement?
* Think about how space is arranged at home and try to replicate some of this to offer children secure, relaxed areas.
* Make sure that everyone in the environment respects quiet areas, or adult-free zones.
Stop and think
Margaret Meek, reader emeritus at the Institute of Education, University of London, suggests that children's language is at its richest in their imaginary worlds. What can you do to support this? How can you create areas to encourage thinking, reflecting, dreaming, sharing?
Spaces should take account of the physical environmental factors that can impact on learning, for example, light, colour and noise
Noise
'Classrooms may be noisy... simply because of the way they are constructed and finished. It is a shocking fault, for the need to hear well is basic in education' (from Schoolhouse, a primer on planning and constructing school buildings, edited by Walter McQuade, 1958). Whatever the source of noise, an excessively noisy learning environment is a poor one.
Stop and think
Consider the noise levels in your setting:
* Is your environment arranged with an awareness of which spaces are quieter and more suitable for encouraging speaking and listening?
* Can you make any simple changes to the building/layout/location of your setting to reduce the volume of noise?
* Do you play constant background music in your setting? How could this impact on children's concentration?
* Is it noisier or quieter outside than in? How does this affect what happens outdoors?
Light
Various research studies, including one by Full Spectrum Lighting,confirm that we are all energised by natural sunlight and, indeed, that children learn faster in classrooms with natural light (see More Information).
A study in California by the Heschong Mahone Group found that learners with lots of daylight in their classrooms progress 20 per cent faster in mathematics and 26 per cent faster in reading in one year than those with the least exposure to daylight.
Tips
* Always have a low-light corner or darker area in your nursery room and diffuse harsh, neon light with loose, transparent fabric or light-diffusing panels.
* You can check out how children's learning styles affect their preference for bright or dim light at www.clc.co.nz (The site also includes answers to lots of commonly asked questions).
* Use artificial light to create mood and atmosphere. Light boxes can be a great way to offer a range of physical conditions, at a switch.
* Use natural light whenever possible. Don't cover every space around windows with displays or curtains, although blinds may be needed to prevent glare when using some surfaces, for example, interactive whiteboards.
Colour
When deciding which colours you should use in a learning space, it's really important to consider the purpose of the space, the layout of the room, the position of windows and the room's exposure to the sun.
Tips
* Deep, 'warm' colours give learning spaces an intimate, cosy feeling.
* Light, 'cool' colours make a classroom seem more spacious and have a calming effect.
* Wall colours can be warm or cool tones, but keep the colours fairly light. It is a mistake to 'go overboard' with lots of bright, primary colours. This is just as bad as an all black and white room.
* Clean, clear, light colours are usually best for a learning atmosphere (www.glidden.com has a virtual colour consultant to help you simplify your choice of colours and colour schemes.
(taken from Barbara Prashnig's article 'Colour Me Beautiful', Education TODAY , issue 6, 2004.) Stop and think
* Is your setting sensitive to the way that colour is used?
* How could you target the use of colour to support learning?
* How does colour affect you?
* Think about what we know about colour and the colours that are often used in spaces for young children (bright, bold, primary colours).
The environment should not be over-stimulating The advantages of an ordered learning space are obvious. Children can select what they need from the resources available. If you cram every space with resources, noise and distractions, children's brains will go into overload and learning will come to a standstill. It's not about restricting choice, but targeting influence.
Think carefully about storage options. Children do not need to see all of the resources all the time. Large storage boxes quickly become full of small pieces which eventually become separated. Perhaps use smaller, transparent, labeled storage containers.
Despite the value of having well-planned displays, many are overly stimulating and highly decorative, not always linked to and supporting children's learning in an interactive way. Consider who and what the displays in your setting are intended for. Think carefully about their positioning. It makes sense not to have a busy, cluttered display in an area where children are expected to focus, say, on a whiteboard or a storybook.
Spaces should be viewed from the child's perspective
* From a child's point of view, see what the space looks, feels and sounds like.
* Ask yourself who this environment appeals to most, and why. Ask the children what they want here.
* Review the way in which children are expected and informed about behaving in your setting. Do your 'rules' reduce opportunities for speaking and listening?
* Make sure children have room to concentrate and work. Can they stretch out on the floor or tables without bumping into other resources?
Elizabeth Jarman, an education consultant specialising in language, literacy and numeracy skills, welcomes photos of changes you have made to your learning space. Tel: 01233 822193, e-mail: info@elizabethjarmanltd.co.uk or visit: www.elizabethjarmanltd.co.uk.
More information
* The I CAN report The Cost to the Nation of Poor Communication Skills (2006) can be downloaded from www.ican.org.uk
* For details of Full Spectrum Lighting research, visit www.full-spectrum-lighting.com/Natural%20Light%20and%20Learning.htm
* For details of the Heschong Mahone Group study on behalf of Pacific Gas and Electric, visit www.pge.com/003_save_energy/003c_edu_train/pec/daylight/di_pubs/Daylighting_ Schools_Sum.pdf
* A series of articles about early learning environments can be downloaded for free at www.communityplaythings.co.uk/. These include: Transforming Spaces, Birth To Three, Nursery Environments, and Spaces - Room layout for early childhood education
TAKING UP THE CHALLENGE
Woodside First and Nursery School, Norwich
With just 100, staff from Woodside First and Nursery School in Norwich transformed an area of their setting. As a team, they identified what it was they wanted to change, why they wanted to change it and how they would know if their idea had been successful in terms of improving the children's speaking and listening skills, as they explain.
What did you want to change and why?
'Our Foundation Stage Unit is situated on a corner of the school with lots of traffic noise. After visiting Reggio Emilia, Italy, we noticed the high levels of conversation generated in their piazzas. Benches were set out in a U shape rather than straight lines around pathways, as you might find in parks here. With this in mind, it was decided to improve the shelter outside our Unit. This is the furthest point from the road - and the quietest!'
What did you do?
'We bought three new railway sleepers. Rolls of rush-type screening were fixed around the poles to create a "room" with three walls. The children made some sculptures from sticks and seeds to hang up, and we hope to add some wind chimes.'
How will you know if this will help to improve speaking and listening skills?
'We hope the children will want to congregate there, in the shade, and this will lead to conversations. It can also be used for storytelling sessions with adults and quiet book sharing times between reception and nursery children. Adults will be holding conversations with children to act as role models, and children will retell the stories with props to help.'
READER OFFER
Communication Friendly Spaces Toolkit
We have ten copies of The Communication Friendly Spaces Toolkit: Improving speaking and listening skills in the Early Years Foundation Stage by Elizabeth Jarman (ISBN: 1 85990 428 9, 10).
Send your name and address on the back of a postcard or envelope, marked 'Communication Friendly Spaces Toolkit', to the address on page 3. Winners will be the first ten names drawn on 17 May.
The toolkit is a collection of research, case studies and comment practitioners can interpret and use in their own context. A DVD, made in partnership with Teachers TV, showcasing settings in the toolkit, and an audit workbook to help staff teams review and plan how to improve their environments are also included. Copies can be ordered for 10 through the Basic Skills Agency at www.basic-skills.co.uk.
