The Learning Environment

The learning lab in MovEd La Huerta is spacious enough to accommodate all the learners. There are sufficient tables and chairs for everyone and there is enough space for learners to move and play around. It does not have air conditioning but has five working electric fans. However, the heat coming from the galvanized corrugated iron sheets in the roof makes the learning lab still very hot and the air coming out from the fans are hot too. This is because the ceiling is only covered with silver reflective sun visor, making it exhausting not only for the learners but for the teachers as well.

The learning lab has a kitchen area on the side where the learners can wash their hands after an art activity. The bathroom is located just outside the classroom beside the parents’ waiting area. Parents are also not allowed inside the learning lab unless the class is finished, since they also help in cleaning it.

The classroom’s walls are painted with colorful art designs and have visual aids stuck on it such as the alphabet. It also has bookshelves, shelves for various school supplies and instructional materials, shoe boxes, and its ICT equipment includes a stereo and TV.

All in all, the learning lab is a great space for learning aside from the humidity that can be felt by the teachers and learners. It is clean and tidy most of the time with the help of the parents as well.

The Curriculum

Presently, MovEd is processing its accreditation with the Early Childhood and Care Development (ECCD) Council, although MovEd La Huerta Learning Lab has obtained Level 2 accreditation from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Each of the learners has their ECCD Checklist Child’s Record. With regard to the curriculum that they are following, MovEd has developed its own learning modules but the lessons are patterned and are in accordance with the National Early Learning Curriculum (NELC) developed by the ECCD Council to ensure that the learners will be eligible and competent enough when they move to basic education.

In fact, even after the learners have graduated from MovEd, they are still constantly being monitored by the foundation whether or not they proceeded to basic education and their progress in their current schools. MovEd’s Program Educations Officers have the responsibility of submitting reports to the foundation about updates from their alumni.

The Learners

Currently, there are 31 students enrolled in MovEd La Huerta –14 in PS1 and 17 in PS2. The PS1 learners are divided into two sessions: 8:00am to 9:30am and 10:00am to 11:30am. Meanwhile, PS2 class is from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. Even though there are more PS2 learners than PS1, the teachers decided to divide the PS1 class into two since they do not have any prior schooling experiences unlike the PS2 making them more manageable.

PS1 is comprised of six girls and eight boys, while PS2 has seven girls and 10 boys. 17 out of the 31 learners, or 54.8%, have parents who are either housewives or are unemployed. Hence, not all learners can afford to bring school supplies that would be beneficial to optimize their learning. Most of them rely on the free learning kit given by MovEd which only contains writing pads, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, and crayons. 15 of the learners are aged 3 to 3.11 years old and the same are aged 4 to 4.11 years old, while the other one has just turned 5 years old.

Analysis Results

From the interview with the teachers, it was determined that the instructional gap that exists is mainly the lack of variety in instructional materials that will help address the deficiency of the learners’ cognitive domain. The teachers mainly use print materials in the form of storybooks and worksheets and the non-projected visual aid chalkboard. According to the teachers, this sometimes triggers the learners’ short attention span because of the limited availability of instructional material choices. The teachers believe that combining different media, i.e., multimedia materials, in teaching will help optimize the learning of their learners.

Conclusively, results of the analysis show that there is a need for instructional materials that will help develop the learners’ cognitive skills through play-based learning involving hands-on activities. Given the important role of teachers in the learning process and the interest of learners in free play, the middle ground would be to implement guided play. Having the need to improve on learners’ early literacy of reading and writing as well as their cognitive skills, an instructional design utilizing play-based learning is the best path forward since it engages in multi-sensory learning, i.e., making use of all the senses of young learners (Sprig Learning, 2022). Multi-sensory learning supports cognitive development, promotes language development, strengthens motor skills, and encourages socio-emotional growth (Brightwheel, 2024), making it a holistic approach in early childhood education which is in accordance with the ECCD checklist.

A thorough and complete report of the needs, context, and learner analysis can be found in Appendix C.

Photos of the learning environment can be found in Appendix F.