Child-Led Tours

What has been confirmed by the children using this tool?

The child-led tours indicate that the room is more teacher-directed than child-initiated. 

One of the children stated, "Teacher's board," as we were passing by the calendar.

The display board with the children's artwork and the worksheets board were both selected by the head teacher depending on her preference of children's work. It appears that the children are not included in the participatory aspect of planning and helping decide what posters and pictures should go up on the wall.

What new information has been given us?

Before having the children lead us to different areas in the room, Myra, Rachel, and I went into the classroom and observed it as an outsider. We observed that the room was too small for the amount of children allowed and that there was no private area for children to be by themselves in. During the child-led tours, one of the children mentioned that they want a place in the room to hide. Some examples include placing a tent in the room or having a corner with blankets and pillows dedicated for children's individual play. 

Furthermore, the children stated that although it was raining, they wanted to be outside. 

Based on our observations and the responses received from the children, we concur that they need a private space for self-reflection.With the new information that was provided from the children, it is evident that children need exposure to natural environments. Therefore, the classroom design should be reconstructed to incorporate a Reggio-Emilia inspired approach; for instance having a portion of the room with a glass ceiling and glass walls for the children to look in their playground.