"In order to act as an educator for the child the environment has to be flexible; it must undergo frequent modification by the children and the teachers in order to remain up-to-date and responsive to their needs to be protagonists in constructing their knowledge."- Lella Gandini, 1998.

Know

The Third Teacher

In Italy after World War II a teacher by the name of Loris Malaguzzi, along with parents of the villages outside Reggio Emilia which were destroyed by the war, got together to create a new approach for teaching young children. The Reggio Emilia philosophy is based on the principles of respect, responsibility, and community. These principles are developed through exploration and discovery in a supportive and enriching environment created based on the interests of the children. In Reggio Emilia programs, the environment is known as the third teacher as a result of its importance to development and learning.

Environments and Materials that Promote Infants' and Toddlers' Cognitive Development

Infants and toddlers thrive and cognitive learning explodes when young children are allowed to explore an environment that is rich in developmentally appropriate materials with teachers who are respectful of their needs and know how to tailor experiences based on individual learning styles. As highlighted in previous lessons in this course, early experiences matter. Infants and toddlers are born ready to learn and this learning takes place when they cuddle with caregivers, listen to language or music, taste foods, and explore their environments in numerous ways every day. How you set up your learning environment for infants and toddlers can make a difference in their development and learning.

Infants and toddlers are natural explorers, but there is still a lot you can do to help them learn and grow. For example, you need to know what infants and toddlers explore. You also have to meaningfully design your environments and find materials to spark exploration. Finally, you can plan experiences that promote learning. This lesson will highlight the significance of purposefully creating environments and choosing materials that facilitate infants' and toddlers' learning and growth. The final lesson in this course will discuss experiences and activities that promote cognitive development.

yabo电子游艺学习是个人和社会，它发生在社会和文化背景中。因此，您需要确保您的学习环境为婴儿和幼儿提供机会，以实现个人经验，以及全天yabo电子游艺与您房间的同行和护理人员的有意义的互动。考虑房间里的不同区域。这些如何设置？有趣，年龄适合和有趣的婴儿和幼儿有趣的材料，以操纵，探索和学习吗？在思考与同龄人的互动时，您如何为这些相互作用设置环境？例如，您是否提供了足够的材料，例如用于一群儿童的大型块或不同纹理的球，以操纵它们，堆叠或推动它们，并在与您及其同龄人互动时玩得开心？或者您提供原因和影响玩具，并鼓励婴儿和幼儿探索它们吗？

婴儿和幼儿在享受自己的发现和学习事情的享受和学习如何工作和不起作用。yabo电子游艺他们喜欢尝试！他们想在很多方面使用材料而不有限。重要的是，玩具和材料符合儿童的需求，并不一定对成年人有吸引力。考虑到例如，幼儿经常享受特定玩具的盒子超过实际玩具！你有没有想过为什么这是什么？一个盒子有襟翼，打开和关闭，孩子可以将物品放入并将它们带出去。他们可以推动它，踢它，携带它，然后添加一个字符串并拉动它。有些盒子足够大，可以爬入，甚至粘在一个头上。幼儿可以把他们的手臂放在它中，也许试图站在它中。 Every item a child puts in that box will make a different sound when shaken. Different items make it heavier or lighter. A box encourages discovery, exploration, experimentation and problem solving. It's a great learning tool for such a "simple" item.

选择材料时，请记住以下几点：

• 材料必须完整，可用，安全始终。如果电子玩具中的电池丢失了收费，请更换电池或从游戏中取出玩具。
• 可以从各种地方购买，借用或捐赠材料。捐赠或借用材料必须在课堂使用前批准。材料不必从早期护理和教育公司购买，以支持学习和娱乐。yabo电子游艺
• 材料可以是自制的或制造它，从加入教室的工艺品。
• Infants and toddlers with special needs may require adaptations in the ways experiences are provided or supported and in materials they use. But a child's special need should not inhibit him or her from exploring, problem solving, and experiencing cognitive development.

At the end of the Learn section of this lesson you will find a document that shares additional information about choosing materials that promote infants' and toddlers' cognitive development.

Accessibility of Learning Materials

婴幼儿学习通过和材料must be within their reach for them to have appropriate experiences. Many early care and education resources refer to the importance of accessibility of materials within learning environments. Infants and toddlers follow their desire for certain materials and experiences, and if materials are not accessible for much of the day then their needs may go unmet. If this happens frequently and consistently, their learning opportunities are greatly diminished. It is important to remember that wait time before, during, and after routines and during transitions is a time when infants and toddlers should have access to materials. Keep wait time to a minimum; suggested wait time is three minutes or less.

无障碍的材料是：

• 婴幼儿够得着的，不要存放在橱柜或够不着的架子上。
• Available for infants and toddlers to use whenever they want, without having to ask for them.
• 视觉上容易接近，这意味着它们不是在浴缸里，婴儿或学步儿童将不得不挖掘他们。

For materials to be accessible tonon-mobile infants,you must frequently and consistently move the infant to a variety of materials and move materials to the infant. Small, shallow baskets or containers work well for this purpose.

When you get to know each child you care for well by observing them on a daily basis, your selection of age appropriate materials and planning of child- directed and adult- guided experiences that encourage discovery, exploration, and problem solving will support their cognitive development. Your attention to what they need developmentally and what they are interested in motivates their desire to learn, which in turn inspires you to continue to adapt and change to support who they are today and shape who they will be tomorrow.

满足所有学习者需求的环境和材料

在你的学习环境中，你可以做很多事情来帮助所有的婴幼儿达到重要的学习目标。第一步也是yabo电子游艺最重要的一步是收集你所照顾的孩子的信息。你需要知道什么是婴儿和幼儿能够做得好，什么似乎是困难的。收集信息有助于你了解有可能帮助你所照顾的每个孩子的技能和策略。

Universal Design for Learning (UDL; CAST, 2011) is one strategy you can use. UDL helps all people learn and be successful in their environments. There are examples of universal design all around us: audio books, curb cutouts for strollers and wheelchairs, keyless entry on cars, electric can openers. Many of these tools were developed for people with disabilities, but they make life easier for all of us. Using the concept of UDL, some examples of what caregivers can do in their classrooms to support infants and toddlers with special learning needs are: using a simple picture schedule, adapting seating arrangements, or using adaptive toys and eating utensils. For additional examples demonstrating the use of UDL, please refer to Lesson 5 in this course, Supporting Cognitive Development: Experiences and Activities.

反思自己的做法

It's important to recognize the messages you send in your classroom. Sometimes biases sneak into our environments, materials, or interactions.意识到自己的偏见是支持发展的第一步。考虑以下哪种偏见可能在您自己的课堂上：

• 偏见语言。Language can send stereotypical gender messages. Adults might call infants and toddlers "baby girl," "big boy," or "cutie" rather than their given names. Staff might encourage girls to "be careful" while saying "boys will be boys." To fight this bias, staff could encourage peaceful solutions for全部的children (avoid directions like not hitting girls or not hitting kids with glasses). Be sure to comment equally on girls' and boys' appearances and accomplishments.
• Stereotypical play opportunities。经常鼓励婴儿和幼儿以某种方式发挥（例如，有娃娃和带卡车的男孩的女孩）。确保男孩和女孩获得平等的访问和鼓励球，块，音乐，艺术，积极的游戏和凌乱的戏剧。
• 偏压材料。Sometimes posters and materials for the classroom present stereotypical images (e.g., Native Americans in "war paint," an all-male construction crew). Make sure the images in your classroom show men and women equally in a variety of professions. Make sure drawings or photos of people with disabilities are respectful images. Include books that show different ethnic backgrounds, social classes, and family structures.

There are many ways you can enhance the curriculum to improve children's understanding and acceptance of culture. The following are some examples (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010):

• 教室道具或材料:包括来自各种文化的道具。书,furniture, dolls, dress up clothes, or musical instruments can all reflect experiences from around the world. Art materials should include a range of materials for representing skin tones and various artistic styles, fabrics of various patterns, and books about art around the world.
• Bulletin boards and displays: This space can be used to reflect and respect family traditions. Ask families to bring in pictures or other items for the board.
• 课堂书籍或传记：关于班上婴幼儿的书籍记录了孩子和家庭的真实经历。与婴儿和幼儿谈论他们的生活和他们的家庭，并在一天中把他们融入到图画、故事或歌曲中。
• Family stories：提供带有材料和创建家庭书的说明的家庭。家庭和儿童可以共同努力谈谈并记录他们的家庭历史和日常生活。这可能是互相引入儿童和家庭的好方法。
• 评书: Encourage grandparents or community elders to share stories of their early childhoods with the class or group. These can be audio-recorded or transcribed to create keepsake books for the class.
• 来自家庭的消息：使用录音机，鼓励家庭成员用母语录制简短的信息。这可以发挥一个婴儿或学步时，他或她是心烦意乱或想家。
• Music：在音乐时间或故事时间，包括来自不同文化的音乐磁带或CD和歌曲。
• 合作工作：在适当的时候，鼓励孩子们分组工作。这可以使正在学习英语的孩子的压力降到最低。它还让孩子们接触到各种各样的想法，并鼓励他们发挥创造力。yabo电子游艺
• 小吃和膳食: Invite families to share a traditional meal or snack with the children.

See

下面的视频演示破碎nt environments and materials are when it comes to supporting cognitive development.

幼儿方块游戏

乐队

做

Choosing Materials for Cognitive Development

• 确保材料安全。窒息和跌倒是婴幼儿最关心的问题，玩具和材料需要安全。在评估你的材料时，要注意尖锐的边缘或突出物，以及油漆碎片。选择无毒的项目。
• Select materials that are easy for infants and toddlers to handle on their own.幼儿通过自己操作物品来学习；但是，如果需要，随时准备帮助他们。
• 为每个年龄组选择支持认知发展的材料。Use developmental milestone information to make choices that support cognitive development.
• 选择家庭中使用的物品（例如，厨房铲子，锯齿状勺子，过滤器，木制勺子，塑料碗，鞋盒，碗碟毛巾）。这与孩子眼中的家庭和儿童保健体验联系在一起，并展示了学习材料往往触手可及的家庭和廉价的家庭。yabo电子游艺许多这些材料也是开放式的，因此适用于不同年龄和发育阶段的儿童。
• 检查每个项目并评估它如何促进儿童发展。它是否支持因果行动？它利用精细运动技能吗？它能教会婴幼儿空间关系吗？它能帮助他们练习解决问题的技巧吗？
• 包括支持每个孩子兴趣和技能水平的材料。例如，如果你有一些学龄前儿童喜欢吱吱作响的软玩具，确保你有几个箱子的软玩具吱吱作响，可供他们玩。
• Provide exact duplicates and triplicates (same color, size, function) of the same item.这可以让一个以上的婴儿或学步儿童在同一时间玩和学习，也支持社会情感的成长和发展。
• C选择尊重多样性的材料。材料应代表参加该项目的儿童和家庭以及社区，并促进对所有人的正面描绘。各种材料应包括不同性别、角色和职业的人（女消防员、照顾幼儿的男性）、年龄、种族和能力水平（戴眼镜的人、使用助行器或轮椅等辅助设备的人）。
• Offer materials that include a variety of textures, skills, colors, sizes, shapes, and functions.物品可由木材，金属，塑料，布，乙烯基制成;光滑，凹凸不平，粗糙，柔软，硬。中性和天然彩色物品令人愉悦的婴儿和幼儿;鲜艳的色彩不会制作项目“更好”。