Communication Friendly Spaces™
An Overview
Communication Friendly Spaces™ (CFS™) focuses on the role of the environment in supporting speaking and listening skills, emotional well-being and general engagement. It is critical to understand how the physical space should connect with the underpinning pedagogy of the setting. It’s essential to tune into the environment from the learner’s perspective. To do this, it is really important to observe, reflect and then make informed decisions about the way that children interact with the environment if a developmentally appropriate, responsive learning space is to develop to meet the needs of those individuals, reflecting their preferred contexts for learning.
Elizabeth Jarman conceptualised and developed this work and supports practitioners, strategic leaders and local authority advisers in developing effective learning environments across key stages. The work involves examining practice based on the following key areas:
The CFS™ approach involves a great deal more than merely altering the appearance of a learning space. Understanding the theoretical base for the work is essential. CFS™ has drawn on global research evidence and so far over 10,000 delegates have accessed CFS™ training across England, Scotland and Wales.
Significant impact has been captured through hard and soft data. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive from both delegates and LAs, especially in terms of positive impact on speaking and listening skills, emotional well-being, engagement of EAL learners and better provision and understanding of boys preferred learning environments.
The Communication Friendly Spaces Toolkit1 for practitioners provides more information. The Place to Talk series illustrates the theory in practice2.
Our work is very much rooted in reflective practice. We always deliver interactive programmes, recognising different learning styles, combining theory with lots of examples of practice from our extensive photo bank, which demonstrates what CFS™ can look like in practice.
Delegates particularly enjoy the practical aspects of our training, as well as the opportunity for facilitated discussion and sharing of peer expertise. This kind of exchange is a key learning tool and one that we build into our work through the structure of training input, follow up and also in the variety of support strategies on offer to help delegates stay focused and engaged. This aspect is important because our programmes really challenge practice and can trigger far reaching review.
We like to work in partnership to develop ideas with the LA team, to ensure lasting impact of our work.
Click here to download a half hour programme, featuring the Communication Friendly Spaces™ approach.
Click here to view a summary of how CFS™ aligns to government priorities.
Click here for references from the Communication Friendly Spaces™ Toolkit.
1The Communication Friendly Spaces Toolkit: Improving Speaking and Listening Skills in the Early Years Foundation Stage, can be ordered from www.elizabethjarmanltd.co.uk/store.
2A Place to Talk in Pack Away Settings, Children’s Centres, Extended Schools, Outside, In KS1, In My Home, At My Childminders and in Pre-schools, Elizabeth Jarman, www.elizabethjarmanltd.co.uk/store £7.00.