Meghan Arellano

ECE 251 FALL 2014

October 19, 2014

Your evaluation is to include the following in the order listed.

1. School: College of Southern Nevada Telephone: (702)651-4335
2. Teacher: Ms. Begley

Age/grade level: Kindergarten

3. The number children enrolled in the class

There are nine children enrolled in this classroom.
4. List all of the centers and the number of children each center can
accommodate.
Art Center: 3

Block Center: 4

Computer Center:

Dramatic Play: 3

Listening Center: 2

Math Center: 2

Science Center: 3

Reading Center: 1

Sensory Table: 2

Writing Center: 2

Legos: 4

Playdough: 4

5. On a separate page, draw a floor plan of the classroom with each center
identified (20 pts)

On next page.

Sit
spot

Blo
ck
Ce
nte
r

Math
Center

Scien
ce
Cente
r

Dra
mati
c
Play

Sensor
y Table

Art Center

Til
e
lin
e
Playdough/Le
gos

Cubby Cabinet
Doo
r

Playdough/Le
gos

Writing
Center/Listeni
ng Center

Reading
Center/Library

Compu
ter
Center

6. Using the graded Environmental Checklist you developed in Week 6

a. Identify whether each element in your list is present or absent.
Out of 31 categories, the classroom had 30 of the subjects in the checklist.
b. If it is present, evaluate the quality of its presence in the classroom (See
example below). (30 pts)
c. Example of how to format your checklist and responses.
1. Arrangement of Physical Environment: All centers were labeled and was spacious
between centers for both children and adults. Centers were easily interchangeable and
any center that could cause a mess was away from the carpet and onto the tile. The
computer center, however was a little cramped, only enough for two people and very
near the art center.

2. Learning Materials and Equipment: There were duplicates made for the more
popular materials and all gross motor equipment was available outside of the classroom.
All material was eyelevel to the children and there was a big variety of them.
3. Storage of Materials and Equipment: There were different methods of labeling
items, such as words and pictures and shapes. Labels easily legible to children and all
materials that would need teacher supervision was put away from the students reach.
Materials were clean and in good repair and there was a little cabinet for children to put
away their jackets and other belongings. Some items were mislabeled.
4. Other Elements of Physical Environment: There was both carpet and tile in the
classroom and everything was visible to adults. Everything is easily accessible to
children with disabilities and all small spaces were covered. Sharp corners such as the
end of a cabinet was not covered but seeing as this was an older class, there were no
accidents.

7. Describe and evaluate how the teacher has represented the issue of diversity
in the physical environment. (5 pts)
Her wide variety of play and learning materials was extensive. She had both man made
materials as well as natural materials such as pine cones, pumpkins, seashells. She
had many different play materials such as blocks, play dough and legos. She had a
large library all around the room and everything was well organized. Some centers you
had a table and other centers you sat on the carpet.
8. Observe this classroom in action. Focus your observation on how the room
arrangement impacts the childrens social interactions, and their use of the
room and its materials.
a. Write an evaluation of the room arrangement based on what you
observed re: the childrens use and social interactions. Include specific
examples from your observation to support your conclusions. (20 pts)
Children sat quietly in the group reading center/sit spot while waiting for their teacher to
come and sit with them.

Teacher sang a song in the sit spot space and invited children to dance and sing along
with her. There was ample room for almost all of the children who participated. Only one
child decided to sit the exercise out.
At the end of their English lesson, all of the children except one, were paired up into two
and went to different stations around the room. Nine of the stations were occupied at the
same time.
9. Write an overall evaluation of the Learning Environment.
a. Rating: Using a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the best, if you were the
director or principal of this school how would you rate this learning
environment?
I would rate the classroom a 5. The classroom was well lit and had ample room for the
children to learn and even play in. There were multiple centers around the room and the
children never looked crowded in a single center, even at the sit spot. The mislabeling of
items could have happened to anybody and Im sure the teacher would fix it as soon as
it is brought to her attention. Since there are only two computers for children to use
anyway, it has enough room for both students at the center and children at that age
should be learning boundaries and it would be a good lesson to learn with the art center
being so close. This was the art students know that art and computers should not mix
and should know better.
b. Strengths & Weaknesses: Specifically explain your rating, identifying the
strengths and weaknesses you observed.
I loved the variety of centers in the room, its not extremely huge but the teacher was
able to fit 12 centers in the space she was given. The children were never crowded and
there was even room for a student to have a center all to herself. However with so many
children at each center, the teacher had to work doubly hard to make sure each center
had the right amount of attention. Sometimes the other teacher had to step out of the
room, leaving only one in the class.

c. Improvements: Identify specific improvements, you, as the administrator,

would expect to see.

I would expand on the computer room if the money was available and put in another
table for children to sit in, there was only one table which was near the art center.