Creating a Literacy Environment (Research Paper Sample)

Creating a Literacy Environment
Omari Simba
Kenyatta University
Introduction
Early childhood education is very critical in developing the child socially, emotionally, cognitively and physically (Murtaza 2011). This helps a child to develop a good relationship with others, to have a good self-image and security and to have a good thinking and reasoning capability. It is very important to start molding the child in all these aspects from the pre-school years in order to produce a holistic child who is ready to learn with a lot of easiness in his/her later years. To achieve this, it is very important to take into consideration the learning environment of the child. All that surrounds the child must be with a lesson to teach him/her. An interactive learning environment directly teaches the child on how to think and behave correctly (Picard Center 2005). Children are active learners who learn by doing things a number of times, through modeling, by trying various approaches, through a variety of experiences, through materials and people who are relevant to their experiences and finally through senses ( Picard Center 2005).
Creating a Literacy Environment
There is a need to divide the learning environment/ classroom into various centers. Each center should have a specific theme to teach/present to the child learner.
* Art Center
The establishment of this center is to trigger the child’s imagination and creativity based on past experiences in order to facilitate growth and foster skills that are pertinent to the child’s physical, intellectual, language and social growth (Barressi). The art center should be located near a sink, if available in the classroom. The art materials should be related to other classroom experiences, those that encourage individual expression and consists of a variety of materials to cater for the child’s different level of capability (Picard Center). The art center should contain the following materials: Drawing materials (drawing paper and books), paint materials (watercolor, finger, tempera) three-dimensional materials, collage materials (wooden shapes, string, buttons, ribbons, macaroni, pom-poms, marbles, feathers tiles,) and the associated tools. The instructor should begin with simple and basic materials and then add other complex ones as the learning skills of the child develop (Barresi, p. 9).
* The literacy/Library Center
The aim of this center is to develop the reading, spelling and writing skills of the learner. The center should be located at a well carpeted, soft cushioned quiet corner of the class (Picard Center 2005). The selected books, language materials and activities should correspond to the age of the learners working independently or in a group while at the same time reinforcing and enhancing their skills (Barresi). It should be a good place where the learners can sit comfortably to read selected books of their choice while at the same time discussing what they have learnt amongst themselves (Barresi). This center should contain a wide variety of books amongst them being: fantasy books, factual information books, concept related books, nature and science books (Picard Center 2005). These books should reflect the image of different races, cultures and abilities as reflected in the population of any early childhood class in a specific Geographic location.
* Dramatic Play Center
Since young children love make-believe plays, the dramatic play center gives them this opportunity of acting out their real world through experiencing diverse roles by expressing feelings, imitations and characters of those whole have influenced the sphere of their young lives (Barresi). This center should be located in an open-ended environment to avoid limiting the learners the playing space. The center should be located near other noisy areas with three-sides to keep the learning materials contained (Barresi). The instructor should always ensure that the dramatic play center activities are well related to other classroom activities (Picard Center 2005). The material used should be relevant to the current theme that the learners are tackling at that period. These materials include: leisure materials, fantasy, housekeeping and should reflect all the kinds of work that are involved in the dramatic play center at any one given moment. For the beach make believe include: Blankets, picnic basket, sunglasses, Beach towel, pretend suntan lotion, snorkels, beach umbrella, buckets and shovels. The firefighting make-believe should include: old vacuum hose, flashlight, gloves, baby dolls (to represent people to be rescued in the operation), phone, fire hats, whistle, fire safety posters, boots, stepladder, yellow rubber raincoats and walkie-talkies.
* Mathematics and Manipulatives Center
A well equipped mathematics center with relevant materials makes it easy for the learners to get involved with numbers, measuring and problem-solving (Barresi). In the manipulative part, fine motor materials like small building toys, buttons, keys, bread tags, shells, rocks, colored paper clips, colored pasta, toothpicks, puzzles, beans and art of different levels of difficult should be incorporated in the learning environment (Picard Center 2005). The learners should be allowed to explore the materials first before allowing them to try some specific problems (Barresi). This is to familiarize the young mind with the learning materials most of them which might be unfamiliar to them. The learners should also be allowed to work with different materials in developing the same concept (Barresi). The other materials that must be included in this include: toothpicks, shells, beads, ice cube trays, number stamps and pad, timers, dominoes, calendar, keys, nuts, bolts, washers or screws, paper clips, shape templates and writing supplies, spools, clothespins, straws, number stencils, number lines, calculators, sorting containers, jars, cans, tubs, zipper seal bags, stickers, playing cards, adding machine, tape for creating patterns, cash register, measuring instruments such as rulers, yardsticks, cups, measuring spoons, balan...