Contemporary Issues or Trends in NZ - Week 27
Modern Learning Environments
The current trend influencing and shaping Education both in New Zealand and globally is the building of, or re-purposing schools as Modern Learning Environments.
Working in a new MLE (Modern Learning Environment) I see both the benefits and drawbacks, I still believe, as research shows, that the flexibility of the classroom, the collaborative learning that can, and generally does take place is we guide our students to being “21st century learners” who are, where possible, digitally connected to a wider more global community has many benefits for most, however, evidence does state that, “academic research has traditionally struggled to isolate the impact of the space on learning.” The evidence, however, “does demonstrate the importance of a teaching and learning programme suited to the space. It suggests that the learning space must be explicitly considered as part of planning and delivery to leverage the full potential of its impact on student outcomes” as stated on The Ministry of Education (N.Z.) website. The Ministry of Education’s Innovative Learning Environment Assessment Tool has studied and researched the main features of flexible learning spaces so that their overview sees MLE being structured into three different levels, with the basic level being physical aspects that affect student comfort and wellbeing at a fundamental level. In addition to these physical aspects, their report also examines how furniture, fittings, and equipment should be used to provide all students with an appropriate minimum level of comfort. There is evidence that the inadequate provision of the core features of flexible learning spaces is associated with adverse student outcomes”
As someone who has been teaching long enough to have been in a school that was “Open Plan” for 15 years, I also know the “trend” has been produced and then ended before, so what is the change that sees Education Ministries try to redevelop an obsolete trend? I believe it is the development of teaching styles, the collaboration, the greater availability of technology to all communities, the need to embrace students own ownership of learning. On reflection building technology has also changed dramatically in the last 25 years, however I have been unable to find any research on the features of “original” ‘Open Plan’ v ‘MLE’ but from my own experience can certainly acknowledge features in a MLE that are not as teacher friendly as the older Open Plan had thoughtfully designed built in storage that is often lacking in a MLE and has to come from furniture purchases. Furniture can enhance the ability to reconfigure the learning areas but does not by itself make a MLE.
Some Features that research states does make for an enhancement to student outcomes are:
- Higher quality buildings and facilities are linked to better student achievement and engagement outcomes.
- Students are happier and feel more valued in a higher quality facility.
- Windows are carefully designed to prevent views outside becoming a distraction.
- Improved acoustics in the learning space and in other traditionally noisy environments like corridors contribute to a calmer environment.
- The versatility and flexibility of the spaces supports different teaching and learning activities and can overcome potential barriers to learning as @ulearnnz #ulearn16 #cenz16 demonstrated by selecting appropriate furniture for individual needs, the active learner who prefers not to sit still for long can have a high leaning table, the shy learner who prefers to work on their own can have a coral type desk, and those who prefer group setting can have the furniture to support this, desks are not the only option now. .
The other reading that gives a different perspective on MLE and student impact comes from Bruce Perrys “Boy Raised by a Dog”, for all embracing the MLE trend, but are part of a community where there is a low decile rating, community issues whether it is unemployment, poverty, physical, neglect and hence stress and trauma are seen in a group within the school community, the MLE needs to be managed as for these students noise, loud talk, big space and increased choice can highly stress these students, my next personal investigation will be to seek further studies on balancing all the positives to ensure this trend supports all students appropriately.
However as Karatas et al says, Trends enable the enhancement of the changes in education and by having an international point of view, can also help nations to learn from one another.however Trends report only the facts at the time the research is done, and they do not predict the future. Therefore, it is possible to say that trend studies are repeatable.” Open plan, MLE show that this is a repeatable Trend, one wonders whether this Trend will stay the distance this time or will it fade and redevelop in a 20 year cycle.
REFERENCES:
- Karataş, S., et al. (2016). A Trend Analysis of Mobile Learning. In D. Parsons (Ed.) Mobile and Blended Learning Innovations for Improved Learning Outcomes (pp. 248-276). Hershey, PA: IGI Global
OECD (2016), Trends Shaping Education 2016, OECD Publishing, Paris. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/trends_edu-2016-en
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