The Design of Learning Environments

The Design of Learning Environments
How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience and School

After reading this article, I strongly believe that how people learn is greatly influenced by an effective and engaging learning environment. School children’s academic performance and well-being in school is not merely influenced by the physical environment but more importantly, the different kinds of learning goals adopted by the school which requires different approaches to instruction and creating opportunities to learn with the broader society.

Creating an inspirational education environment includes the architecture, layout, decoration and facilities of the school. Physical environment does play a vital role in shaping the learning environment. Whatever, a child’s academic ability, pleasing surroundings such as an attractive, well-lit and colour coordinated school classrooms will definitely lead to better attendance, improved concentration of the child and a healthy dose of motivation and self-esteem. For example, during my daughter’s Primary One Orientation Day, we had a chance to look at the classroom she will be in for next year. This ‘feel-good factor’ that her classroom was cozy, tidy, tables put in groups (and not the regimental rows), teacher has a computer and overhead projector in the classroom already ensured us, the parents, that effective learning will take place in the classroom.

To achieve the above stated learning goals in paragraph 1, we need to explore the design of learning environment from four perspectives, which are: learner centred, knowledge centred, assessment centred and community centred. This vision requires rethinking on what is being taught, how teachers teach and how learning is assessed.

The term ‘learner-centred’ refers to environments that pay careful attention to the knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs that learners bring to the educational setting. This term includes teaching practices that have been called ‘culturally responsive’, ‘culturally appropriate’, ‘culturally compatible’ and ‘culturally relevant’ (Ladson-Billings, 1995). In this environment teachers play a vital role in knowing their learners beliefs, understandings and cultural practices that they bring to the classroom. As such diagnostic teaching is a key strategy where learners are prompted to explain, make predictions and explain with reasons for their predictions to a task. In our school environment, we too must consciously make an attempt to understand our pupils’ background and not merely shout at them if they could not produce a satisfactory answer.

Knowledge-centred environments take seriously the need to help students become knowledgeable (Bruner, 1981) by learning in ways that lead to understanding and subsequent transfer. People construct new knowledge based on their current knowledge. Likewise, primary students come with innate sense of wanting to know their world. They come with pride, bringing with them prerequisite knowledge to the learning situation. They frame new experiences and information within the context of what they already know. An interesting new approach is ‘progressive formalization’ which supports learning with understanding and encourages sense making. This also calls for teaching using different strategies and methodologies to bring meaning to the concept taught. With modern technologies such as IT, websites, video editing, video conferencing and blogging, opportunities are generated for local to global collaborative curricular projects and lessons can be made more interactive, interesting and effective.

Assessment-centred environments focus on providing feedback and revision on what has been taught. There are two forms of assessment: formative and summative assessments. In our society, much stress is on summative assessment aligned with the state and national achievement assessments, which students take at the end of the year. In my opinion, formative assessments are equally important. Student’s thinking can be made visible through discussions, group work and presentation, and in all these activities, feedback must be provided to show pupils’ understanding of concepts. In my school, pupils who offer Food & Nutrition at upper secondary have to do a coursework which requires them to go through seven stages: Task Analysis, Research & Development, Decision-making, Planning, Execution and Evaluation. Students carry out the task independently and teachers become facilitators where they mark each stage upon completion and they give comments to students. In this way, learning takes place and they are guided to make informed decisions on what to cook for their chosen profile.

Community-centred environments are also important where students learn from one another and continually attempt to improve themselves. To a larger extend, community also involves the home, nation and the world. It is also important as a school to get connected with the community at large. In my school context, students are involved in CIP projects and NYAA where they practice what they have learnt in the classrooms to the projects at hand bringing out their leadership qualities.

In conclusion, the expectations of schooling must be revisited. Schools must create an effective environment where students learn with understanding and a broad range of subjects interconnected within a discipline. Feedback is fundamental to learning and students actively involved with community centers and CCA have significant effects on students’ academic achievement. All these four areas must be properly aligned to making learning effective both within and outside schools.