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What Does the Physical Learning Environment Reveal About Expert Preschool Teachers’ Pedagogical Values? An Educational Criticism

Kochanowski, Leslie
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7203-1269
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1649769091239275

Abstract Details

2022, PhD, University of Cincinnati, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Educational Studies.
Societally speaking, early childhood education has not been deeply understood or respected from a developmental standpoint. Stereotypes of early childhood teachers and misinformation regarding how children learn pervade, leading to confusion about what quality looks like in early childhood classrooms. The underlying premise for this study is that the environment, the child, and the teacher are not mutually exclusive entities, but are connected, dynamic, and interrelated. The focus is on the role the physical environment plays in learning and explores why the environment exists as it does, highlighting the critical and active role teachers play. The aim of this study was to articulate the developmental needs of children and the pedagogical values that underpin the decisions that go into designing effective early learning environments, while lifting the voice of expert teachers in shaping the landscape of early childhood care and education. A complex line of reasoning led to the design, implementation and analysis for this study. The line of reasoning is as follows: 1) children are impacted by their environments (socio-cultural theory), 2) children deserve to spend their time in well-designed spaces that support their learning and development (self-determination theory), 3) teachers moderate this experience for children (ecology of schooling; affordances), 4) as so, teachers must take a critical, reflective approach to ensure optimal contexts for all children (dispositions, reflective practice, critically conscious professional), 5) there is much to be learned from expert teachers with regard to the environment and the pedagogical values that underpin their practice, hence the need for the voice and expertise of teachers within the realm of research (Educational criticism; participatory practitioner research). Through the lens of Eisner’s (2017) educational connoisseurship and criticism and the use of photovoice as a participatory method in education, five expert teachers at a university laboratory preschool documented important elements of the physical environment to examine how the environment communicates values and expectations, and acts as a third teacher for learning. The study generated a rich collection of visual data depicting environments that were open-ended, sensory-rich, literacy-rich, reflective of nature/natural elements, and inviting exploration and relationship building. Through individual sharing, group discourse, and participatory analysis, teachers revealed deeply held pedagogical values that were ultimately distilled into a collective vision statement. The statement honors children as capable and competent learners, teachers as intentional partners, and classrooms as responsive and dynamic learning environments, with the greater purpose of education aimed at both individual growth and societal well-being. The findings from this study yielded new models for holistically examining early learning environments suggesting the need for ongoing outlets for expert teachers to demonstrate and disseminate what high-quality learning environments for young children look like in practice. Further implications from this study point to practical insights as to how teachers can more deeply reflect upon the classroom environment in greater alignment with their values and developmental needs of children.
Victoria Carr, Ed.D. (Committee Member)
Lisa Vaughn, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Rhonda Brown, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
148 p.
Preschool Education
early childhood care and education; educational criticism; photovoice; physical learning environment; pedagogical values; expert teachers

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Kochanowski, L. (2022). What Does the Physical Learning Environment Reveal About Expert Preschool Teachers’ Pedagogical Values? An Educational Criticism [Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1649769091239275

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Kochanowski, Leslie. What Does the Physical Learning Environment Reveal About Expert Preschool Teachers’ Pedagogical Values? An Educational Criticism . 2022. University of Cincinnati, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1649769091239275.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Kochanowski, Leslie. "What Does the Physical Learning Environment Reveal About Expert Preschool Teachers’ Pedagogical Values? An Educational Criticism ." Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati, 2022. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1649769091239275

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1649769091239275
136
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This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.