Theory Review_Timothy Berkey

Theory Review: Learning Environment and Context

Introduction

            There is an axiom in the discipline of communication research that communication does not occur outside of context. I believe the same can be said for learning, which is heavily dependent on communication. The interplay of context and environment on the learning process makes for fascinating study. I have experienced both the positive and negative effects of environment and context on learning, from my role as both a student and an instructor. A brief analysis of the theoretical and conceptual points within the study of environment and context will highlight three major points of research: milieu, spatiality, and learning environment systems.

            These three theoretical themes lay a foundation for understanding the ways in which researchers believe environment and context are impacting the function of learning. First, I will explain each theoretical theme and provide a brief overview of the literature in support of the theme. Secondly, I’ll explore the implications of these themes on the practical application of the learning environment framework by providing some examples of ways to implement these theoretical themes. Lastly, I will reflect briefly on this assignment and its impact on me as a student.

Themes

Milieu

            Milieu exists in all contexts, much like a nucleus in an cell. In this analogy, the context is the cell and the milieu is the nucleus at the center that defines the cell’s properties. The milieu is not the whole context but is the context’s essence. The milieu is what exists within a culture or context that determines the actions of the rest of the system. If a milieu is an embrace of technological advancements, the rest of the system will reflect this milieu by lowering barriers of accessibility such as cost and ease of use. Technology will be widely accepted within such a culture in organization, families, education, and other functions of society.

            Duveskog, Sutinen, and Cronje (2014) explore milieu in different African countries in order to test the implementation of technology in learning. Their findings, along with the findings of other researchers (de Putter-Smits, Taconis, & Jochems, 2013; Hwang, 2014), support the concept of a milieu which must be recognized in order for change and growth to occur, which is highly noticeable when dealing with technology. Changes that are attempted without the alignment of the milieu are unlikely to take root. For best results, individuals from the targeted context should be involved in the design process, to some extent, to ensure that the design aligns with the milieu. The authors developed a scale to analyze the effectiveness of attempted changes to learning environments through a dynamic understanding of the context’s milieu.

Spatiality

            Spatiality is the space as it exists in the moment. Spatiality is created through the interaction of the learners and facilitator with each other and the environment. A facilitator with multiple classes in the same space with different learners will experience differences in spatiality. This concept of space “resists the tendency of spatial science to reduce space to geometric relations” (McDowell & Sharp, 1999, p. 261) by recognizing space as the interaction of the physical and the social. This is an example of the overlap between physical learning environment and relationships in learning.

            Cleveland and Fisher (2014) review literature on physical learning environments, drawing attention to the way that scholars have studied spatiality. Little research has been conducted on the impacts of physical environment on learning, despite the nearly ubiquitous acceptance of the interaction between the two (J. McGregor, 2004 a). As a result, McGregor (2004 b) goes on to explore the concept of the learning environment serving both the context of place of learning for students and place of work for facilitators. Spatiality is created between facilitators who utilize the space as a workplace and is also created between facilitators and students who utilize the space as a learning environment. The spatiality created in both contexts can operate jointly without privileging one over the other, according to Actor Network Theories. This theory serves as an approach to exploring the ways in which those within networks  make sense of interactions with each other.

Learning environment systems

            With the explosion of technology in classrooms, greater attention is being paid to the global context of learning environments. Environments are larger than the physical room in which learning takes place. This concept of the learning environment system is a wide ranging term that applies to the physical spaces, programs, technologies, and social environments that are involved in the creation of the learning environment.

            The physical space is no longer a sufficient description of the physical learning environment. The physical learning environment has transformed into more than just “a classroom”. The environment is now a connection of technologies utilized, outside sources being incorporated into the course, extracurricular events in which learning central to the classroom content is being learned, and other learning contexts, traditionally considered outside the bounds of a learning environment. As the internet has allowed the creation of virtual learning environments, the use of physical spaces is diminishing, though not at a rate so as to scrap our current learning paradigms (Kuuskorpi & Cabellos-Gonzalez, 2011).

Applications

Milieu

            On a macro level, when designing learning spaces, designers and administrators should be concerned with the opinions and values of the students who will use the space. On a micro level, as facilitators, we could provide the opportunity for leaners to give feedback on learning spaces that are being utilized. By joining practical feedback with academic support, we could create great learning environments that align with the milieu rather than inadvertently creating environments that oppose the milieu.

Spatiality

            As facilitators, we should invest time and study not just to the physical space, but recognize that the physical space can and does impact the social space that is created. We could potentially isolate certain minority voices in the ways we structure the physical space of a classroom. For example, a colleague told me the story of a course she took in grad school that was out of her department. Everyone within the department sat together in close proximity to the front of the room and the facilitator. She and the two other out of department grad students sat with an empty row between them and the in-department students. This led to lower frequency of social interaction with the other students and instructor, causing the out of department students to feel discouraged from participating as there was no space available at the front of the class.

Learning environment systems

            We use learning environment systems in this course. The online nature of the course lends itself very easily to examples of technologies, outside sources to compliment learning, and the greater diversity of learner experiences that contribute to discussions. In a traditional physical learning environment, the learning environment system can be explored by the incorporation of expert videos or skype calls from professionals engaged in the material in the course curriculum. This calls for a different approach to class preparation than traditional methods. Rather than simply having students read a text book and complimenting readings with additional texts, facilitators could engage in learning environment systems by developing other complimentary material that utilizes social media, museum visits, student journal entries, guest speakers, or projects that require students to teach virtual lessons over course material to demonstrate their mastery of content. 

Reflection

            This assignment fell during a very hectic week in my semester. Despite several set-backs to my plans for completing the assignment, I feel very proud of the theoretical review in this paper. Much of my time as a grad student has been spent developing literature reviews for research projects, so this felt very natural and I felt very at home with this style of writing and research. However, the concepts that I have studied for this assignment are quite different than the concepts that I generally study. I anticipated this being a hindrance, but it was actually very enjoyable as I was able to take the disciplines and strategies I have developed in writing in my communicative areas of study and apply them to an education context.

            I utilized the chart that Dr. Chang recommended via email to complete this assignment. It was very useful in organizing my arguments and developing my ideas prior to putting them to paper. I also use a basic organization outline that structures my headings and provides me with a direction for my research. I am consistently grateful to the university’s online research resources as it makes conducting research simple in comparison with other systems I’ve had to navigate in previous education experiences.

Reference List

Cleveland, B., & Fisher, K. (2014). The evaluation of physical learning environments: A critical review of the literature. Learning Environments Research, 17(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-013-9149-3

de Putter-Smits, L. G. A., Taconis, R., & Jochems, W. M. G. (2013). Mapping context-based learning environments: The construction of an instrument. Learning Environments Research, 16, 437–462. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-013-9143-9

Duveskog, M., Sutinen, E., & Cronje, J. (2014). Design milieux for learning environments in African contexts. British Journal of Educational Technology, 45, 581–594. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12068

Hwang, G.-J. (2014). Definition, framework and research issues of smart learning environments - a context-aware ubiquitous learning perspective. Smart Learning Environments, 1(4), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-014-0004-5

Kuuskorpi, M., & Cabellos-Gonzalez, N. (2011). The Future of the Physical Learning Environment: School Facilities that Support the User. CELE Exchange, 11, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1787/5kg0lkz2d9f2-en

McDowell, L., & Sharp, J. (Eds.). (1999). A feminist glossary of human geography. London: Arnold.

McGregor, J. (2004). Editorial. Forum, 46(1), 2–5. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ738542

McGregor, J. (2004). Spatiality and the Place of the Material in Schools. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 12, 347–372. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681360400200207

 

Appendix A: Table 1. Summary of theoretical themes

Concept	Summary of Application
Milieu – the natural essence of a context	We should actively seek feedback from learners throughout the design and learning process as to how the environment is impacting their learning experience. We should pay attention to the natural essence of a context and culture rather than applying a one size fits all style to all environments.
Spatiality – the production of space through the interaction of the physical and the social	As facilitators, we can apply the concept of spatiality by creating physical environments where people feel socially welcomed to participate in the learning environment and avoid actions and settings that isolate minority voices in our classrooms.
Learning environment systems – a wide ranging term that applies to the physical spaces, programs, technologies, and social environments	By incorporating internet based technology into classrooms and other non-traditional experiences, we can expand our learner’s understandings of material. Examples of this may include social media, museum visits, student journal entries, guest speakers, or projects that require students to teach virtual lessons over course material to demonstrate their mastery of content.