Literacy 4-6

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Dim or Natural Lighting

Overview

Dim or natural lighting provides a calming environment. For example, when enough natural light comes through windows, dimming the lights supports students Sensory Integration needs by decreasing visual stimulation.

Use It in the Classroom

Using natural light from outside to illuminate a classroom decreases the reliance on fluorescent or harsh lighting, which creates a calm, safe learning environment for all students. Additionally, being able to adjust lighting levels and colors supports students' development of Inhibition & Self-regulation skills to control and moderate their visual stimuli.

Design It into Your Product

Videos are chosen as examples of strategies in action. These choices are not endorsements of the products or evidence of use of research to develop the feature.

Learn how lighting products such as Acuity Brands Tunable White Lighting can allow teachers and students to dim and tune lighting in the classroom to support increased learning and focus.

Providing features to adjust lighting brightness, warmth, and color allows students to customize the learning environment to meet their personal needs. ### Use It in the Classroom

View References

Resources

Below are additional examples, research, and professional development. These resources are possible representations of this strategy, not endorsements.

Examples

10 Calming Sensory Strategies

Ways to support Self-regulation

Examples

Sensory Mood Lighting

How mood lighting produces different calming effects

Examples

Video on Dynamic Lighting

School that uses dynamic lighting settings to simulate different environments

Research

Self-Regulation

Subtopic that explores children's developing ability to regulate their behavior on Digital Promise's Research Map

Factors Supported by this Strategy

Literacy

Cognition

Sensory Integration

Student Background

More Physical Space Strategies

Individual Spaces

Having spaces where students can go supports self-regulation and individual deliberate practice.

Mobility & Flexibility

Multiple tables and chairs on wheels allow for setting up the classroom to support the desired learning outcomes of each classroom activity.

Multiple Display Boards/Screens

Multiple display spaces promote collaboration by allowing groups to share information easily as they work.

Multiple Writing Surfaces

Multiple writing surfaces promote collaboration by allowing groups to share information easily as they work.

Quiet Environment/Pockets of Quiet

Decreasing extra audio input provides a focused learning environment.

Rich Library: Audio & Braille

Books for vision differences support reading development for learners with visual needs.

Rich Library: Complexity

Reading materials of varying complexity and levels are necessary for all students to experience success.

Rich Library: Diversity

Multicultural and diverse books are critical for supporting all students.

Rich Library: Multimodal

Providing varied types of resources that align with interests of individual students supports overall literacy development.

Rich Library: Poetry

With figurative language and creative sentence structure, poetry supports the development of a deeper understanding of the different ways language makes meaning.

Rich Library: SEL Topics

Books on social and emotional learning (SEL) topics, such as developing empathy and productive persistence, help teach these skills.

Sound Level

Providing ways for students to adjust sound level supports individual auditory needs.

Temperature

Providing ways for students to meet their individual temperature needs supports Attention and Inhibition & Self-Regulation.

Uncluttered Environment

Spaces that are structured, organized, and clean provide increased room for collaboration and active learning.

Literacy 4-6

Dim or Natural Lighting

Overview

Use It in the Classroom

Design It into Your Product

Resources

Factors Supported by this Strategy

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