2ELEFYC/2TLLECM Effective Learning Environment for Young Children

Objectives of the Assignment

• Plan for a conducive and developmentally appropriate physical environment;
• Explain the principles and justifications for the design;
• Write coherently with effort made to edit for grammar, spelling, and punctuation;
• Apply APA referencing and citation guidelines correctly.

Assessment 2 (35%)

In this individual assignment, students will plan and design the physical environment for an Early Childhood Development Centre which enrolls children from 18 to 36 months old.

1. Select ONE of the floor plans (shown on pg. 3) to design the physical environment, the area of which is 200 square metres:
   • Do not move/remove the location of the doors and pillars in the given floor plan.
   • Name the different areas in your floor plan, e.g., change area, and include a legend to indicate things like different types of partition (high/low) and furniture (e.g., shelf, tables, chairs):
     • The environment should include stackable cots for toddlers, sinks, partitioned toilets with doors, and shower area.
     • Other areas include kitchen, sick/isolation room, play areas, and materials in the various zones for toddlers.
     • A clear legend with items in the floor plan clearly stated using symbols, words, and colours.
   • Access the given floor plan attached in BrightSpace (BSp). Note that the floor plans are saved as PowerPoint Slides. Upon completion of the design of the floor plan, save your slide as a JPEG file to be inserted into a Word document.
2. Explain the rationale and principles (in 600 words) for the design of your floor plan and describe how it promotes interactions/learning and contributes to the positive behaviour of children (18 to 36 months), while ensuring their safety:
   • State the reasons why the spaces/areas are placed there and why there is a need to combine some of the play spaces/play areas.
   • Relate it to the traffic flow (i.e., entry or exit to play area and pathway), regions, and zones of the different play spaces/areas.
   • Describe how it encourages interactions/learnings and develops positive behaviour of children.
3. Present your work in the following sequence for submission in one Word document:
   • Floor Plan Design (save as JPEG and insert into the Word document)
   • Rationale for the floor plan design (600 words)
   • References (formatted in APA style)

Floor Plans (Choose ONE):

Marking Criteria (100 marks)

Components	Maximum Marks	Details
Rationale for design of physical environment	40 marks	The reasons given for the design of the physical environment reflect the principles, guidelines, and good practices for:  A safe environment for toddlers of different age groups. (20m)  Optimal development, interactions/learning, and promotion of positive behaviour for toddlers of different age groups. (20m) These criteria assess the student’s ability to design the environment and support with relevant principles and guidelines covered in the module.
Quality of floor plan design	50 marks	The design of the floor plan shows clearly how the physical space is being used for different purposes with effective use of legend and/or labelling; there is no distortion of the floor plan given. (30m) The floor plan reflects clearly the rationale provided in promoting the healthy development and positive behaviour among toddlers in a safe environment. (20m) These criteria assess the student’s ability to demonstrate critical thinking on how toddlers behave and develop in the given environment.
Language and citation	10 marks	Information is clear, concise, and well-written. Proofreading is evident and language is free of grammatical, spelling, and writing errors. Clear referencing is made to readings to support one’s rationale. These criteria assess the student’s ability to organize and paraphrase information with appropriate techniques, exercise diligence in editing, use relevant readings to support one’s views, and apply APA guidelines accurately.
Total	100 Marks