iNTRODUCTION TO EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT
Learning Environments and Developmental Domains
As we have learned this week, there are many different aspects to development that we need to know when working with children from birth to age 8. We must ensure that our classrooms help to stimulate the physical, cognitive, and affective development for all students. For this assignment, you will bring together your knowledge of theories, developmental domains, and learning environments to design a learning environment. The steps for the assignment are:
Step 1: Create your learning environment Choose an age group (birth to age 2, ages 2 to 5, or ages 6 to 8) to design a learning environment for.Go to the Classroom Architect website or to the Gliffy website. You will use this website to design the layout for the learning environment. When designing your layout, consider how the design you have created will support the developmental needs of your students based on the age group you chose.After creating your learning environment, take a screenshot of your design. Then, copy and paste your screenshot into a Word document. If you need help taking a screenshot, please view this tutorial.
Step 2: Written support for your learning environment designAccess the APA template in the online classroom for assistance with the writing process, formatting, documentation, and citations in your written work.Introduction (one paragraph)Describe the learning environment that you have designed including the setting of your learning environment (school, home daycare, center, etc.) along with the age of children with whom you will be working.Physical DomainExplain how your learning environment design supports the physical development of the children with whom you are working.Include at least two specific examples from your design.Cognitive DomainExplain how your learning environment design supports the cognitive development of the children with whom you are working. Include at least two specific examples from your design.Affective DomainExplain how your learning environment design supports the affective development of the children with whom you are working.Include at least two specific examples from your design.Developmental TheoriesDiscuss which of the developmental theories discussed this week are represented in the learning environment you created.Include at least two specific examples from your design.Conclusion (one paragraph)Summarize the main points of your learning environment design and how it will support the developmental needs of your students.
Step 3: Assignment SubmissionSubmit your assignment as a two to three page Word document, not including the title and reference page.Your document should include a screenshot of your classroom along with the written support for your classroom design (answering all questions from Step 2 above).You will need to include your textbook as a resource.Be sure to mention your sources in the paper as well as including them on a reference page.If you need assistance with making sure that your paper or references are properly formatted in APA, please utilize the APA Guidance link that is located within the Learning Resources tab on the left hand side of the course or visit the Ashford Writing Center.