How to Design Socially Distanced Classrooms During COVID-19 – Presentation by Dr. Sandra Duncan and Lauren Mage
In a recent edWebinar presentation sponsored by Kaplan Early Learning Company, Dr. Sandra Duncan, author, educator and classroom design expert, and Lauren Magee, licensed architect and Director of Architecture and Environmental Design for Guidecraft, provided practical and helpful strategies for educators seeking ways to safely distance children in the COVID classroom. Preschool and preK teachers, librarians, and school and district leaders can learn how to deal with space and budget limitations while trying to meet physical distancing standards and still encourage classroom community.
Click HERE to see the recorded edWebinar and to learn more!
About the presenters
Dr. Sandra Duncan: With 50+ years in the early care and education field, Dr. Sandra Duncan has extensive experience in publishing curricula and teacher resources, teaching at the university level, designing professional development programs, conducting community and outreach programs, and – most importantly – playing with young children. Sandra has written several books including Inspiring Spaces for Young Children; Rethinking the Classroom Landscape: Creating Environments that Connect Young Children; and Through a Child’s Eyes: How Classroom Design Inspires Learning & Wonder. Sandra believes in the importance of classroom design and its impact on children’s growth and development. She brings her years of theory and best practices to the early childhood classroom in helping early childhood educators create environments where young children can thrive and become their very best.
Lauren Magee: Lauren Magee is a licensed architect and the director of architecture and environmental design for Guidecraft. She specializes in interdisciplinary design and leads an international team on the design of environments for young children, toddlers and infants. Lauren is a former educator and elected school board vice president with direct experience working with curricula, facilities, and operations in public schools. She has done extensive research into the psychology or places and spaces, specifically in the ways people of all ages engage with the built environment and natural surroundings. With Guidecraft, Lauren applies those skills and research, along with her expertise in the philosophies of Reggio Emilia, Montessori, nature-based education, and other teaching methods, to the holistic design of places for young children.