Lately, Vancouver Community College’s (VCC) early childhood care and education (ECCE) instructors and students have been extra thrilled to come to campus – and not just because COVID-19 lockdown is over.
Using the environment as a “third teacher” (known the Reggio Emilia approach), VCC’s ECCE lab at the Downtown campus is composed of four mock learning areas (dramatic play, language and literature, science, and manipulative), in addition to sinks, cabinets, and furniture that can be moved around as needed. Although our chefs or musicians might disagree, VCC’s ECCE lab is one of the most creative spaces on campus.
Hear what our instructors have to say:
“The ECCE lab has added an exciting element to the theoretical instruction of our program. For instructors, materials are readily available to illustrate concepts, allowing for spontaneous explorations that were previously limited by lack of space and access to resources.
For students, the ECCE lab gives them the opportunity to “play” and engage with materials allowing them to see experiences from a child’s perspective. Understanding what it feels like to learn as a child leads to empathetic, competent educators able to provide quality learning experiences for young children."
- Yvonne Adebar, VCC ECCE instructor
“In the ECCE lab, if a student asks a question or brings up an idea, we as instructors can quickly offer a living example from the resources in our lab. This parallel process makes the understanding of emergent curriculum very real and accessible to the students.”
- Orah Chaye, VCC ECCE instructor
