Page 77 - Reading Nest - The Supportive Literacy Environment Handbook

If the management of a school or kindergarten made an informed decision to plan studies in

the way that would contribute to literacy in the best possible way, every teacher would find it
easier to follow the course and work within such bounds.

A good learning environment should activate, encourage initiative, allow exploring and

experiencing and facilitate finding creative solutions to issues. The physical environment

should be varied, adventurous, homely and cosy.

The teacher should provide age-appropriate and interesting literacy experiences according to
children’s interests.

It is important to realise that interest and experience do not evolve such that interest precedes
experience, it is rather the opposite – children show interest in topics and phenomena they

already have some experience with them. The teacher’s role is also to widen children's fields
of experience, e.g. if no one displays interest in theatre or archaeology, it is not to say these

topics might not interest them, perhaps they have not yet gained any experience. When the

class goes to the theatre, it may yield an interest in performing games and texts in theatre, e.g.
programmes, posters, tickets and theatre themed books, children start staging a play, make

programmes, posters, tickets, etc.

Lastel peab olema võimalus ise endale sobiv tegevus valida. Foto Kaja Kivisikk.