Kindergarten : Quite Corner

Links to the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guidelines

Identity

Acting with increasing independent and perspectives.

Building a confident self identity.

Wellbeing

Building a sense of autonomy and wellbeing.

Exploring ways to show care and concern and interact positively with others.

Exploring ways to promote own and others health and safety.

Exploring ways to promote physical wellbeing.

Promoting Pro-social Behavior

The concept of a quite corner is theorized by Nelson(2000) as positive time out. This is founded on the notion that students who
become emotionally overwhelmed should not be punished for it. Therefore they need time away from the group to calm down to
take control of their emotions and reflect The setting of this area should include soft sensory items and comfortable cushions that
promote a relaxing and soothing environment to provide a preventive intervention strategy to both diffuse and redirect the childs
emotional behaviour. A defined area that provides solace and emotional support either before or during emotional outbursts and
disruptive behaviour linking this to emotional support and well being either by personal choice or selection by the educator.
According to Humanism Theory and Guidance Approach this area allows students to build self-esteem through autonomy mak-
ing choices on their own behavior through active expression in the absence of judgement and punishment to manage their own
behaviour and emotions. Through managed situations the students are able to then look for the solution rather than respond to a
punishment scenario.

Theoretical perspectives

The learning environment is grounded into three main theories.

Perspectives of the child Perspectives of a childs learning
Children are competent
Constructivist learning approach
Children are neither good or bad just human. students learn through making connections in real
world situations, and social interactions through
Respond as individuals.
collaboration among other learners. Learning is af-
fected by a child's experiences. The teacher facilitates
They display negative behavior because they do not what the student explores and make meaningful con-
understand. nections throughout the day. Students are able to
approach problems and challenges in real world situa-
Environment supports learning
tions. Students contribute to the construction of the
Children are diverse learners space providing a sense of agency and choice.
Cognitive behaviorist .
Humanism,
Guidance Approach.
Neo Adlerian.
Theatrical perceptive in the learning environment
Founded in the mixed power relationships with egalitarian stance.
Democratic in stance they award equal worth not equal roles in the environment.
Cognitive behaviorist and humanism theories support reasons for as to why stu-
dents may cause disruptive behavior.
Preventive methods are grounded in Neo Alderin however and only in extreme
circumstances would we implement the intervention methods of a neo Aldrin
theory as they are deemed authoritarian environments.

They learn when provided when presented with oppor- Intervention strategies are grounded in the humanism, rather than using behav-
tunities . iorism strategies for altering what is deemed disruptive behavior.

Children display disruptive behavior when they lose

interest.

Design features
Design feature
Mosquito net: Provides students with the opportunity to maintain a sense of priva-
cy while giving educators the ability to maintain observation. Provides children
with the opportunity to make decisions about the area themselves.
Process of promoting pro-social behavior:
Fairy lights/ decoration : Provide a soothing environment where students can feel
1. Discus what students do when they become emotionally overwhelmed. clam and collected.

2. Introduce the idea of a quiet space in a plutonic situation , not after incidents have occurred .

3. Children assist in the construction of the learning environment so that the purpose of the envi-
ronment is clear, containing equipment's that is specifically for the cohort. Aesthetic sensory resources Sensory Items
Fairy lights. young children need their senses
4. Provide children access to the environment to explore resources and equipment available.
Bean bag. to be stimulated. sensory areas
5. Spend some time practicing with children everyday for small time periods at being calm or Cushions. satisfy children sensory and sup-
how to calm themselves down. Use certain strategies such as breathing exercises, reading and Decoration. port them in learning and behav-
quite time.
Scented play dough. ior management.
Books.
When students are demonstrating signals that they are tired ,becoming emotionally stressed, There is a need for sensory stim-
overwhelmed and angry and may require some time away from the group. Suggest the student Drawing. uli. The use of sensory areas are
might benefit from spending some time in the quite space. effective in teaching whereby
Play dough.
Never send a child into the space unwillingly. This will alter the purpose of the space and will
students can use the materials to
then be perceived in a negative light. Acknowledge how the child is feeling and offer the space assist in the calming process.
to provide some time to return to emotional equilibrium. This includes stress balls, soft
toys to cuddle, drawing and
Use these strategies over a period of time. The goal of this is so that students will see the bene- scented play dough
fit of using the space rather than becoming emotionally overwhelmed and displaying disruptive
behaviour .

Temporal / Social Space

Students are allowed in the space for as long as it takes to for students to
achieve their emotional equilibrium. Students also have the opportunity
to use this space as an area for individual or parallel play, resting , some
quiet reading as well as a stress reliever.
Reference list

The magazine of the National Childcare Accreditation Council (NCAC). (2011). the third teacher creating child friendly learning spaces. Put-

ting Children First, (38), 12-14. Retrieved from http://leo.acu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=1042130

Swale, J. (2006). Setting the scene for positive behavior in the early years: A framework for good practice. London: Routledge. Retrieved from

https://web-a-ebscohost-com.ezproxy1.acu.edu.au/ehost/detail/detail?sid=87f0cfd5-2f24-45ce-91db-6240e272896b%

40sessionmgr4003&crlhashurl=login.aspx%253fAN%253d157684%2526direct%253dtrue%2526db%253dnlebk%2526scope%

253dsite&hid=4207&vid=0&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=157684&db=nlebk

Catron, C. E., Fleer, M., Follari, L. M., Fu, V. R., MacNaughton, G., O'Brien, K., . . . Australian Catholic University. (2013). Explore, create, play

& learn: Early childhood curriculum & pedagogy.

Porter, L. (2007). Student behavior: Theory and practice for teachers.