LEARNING SPACES
ENVIRONMENTAL: Approaching the concept of environmental learning spaces requires that we discuss how this category informs and reflects all other categories discussed here, since there is always an environment in which learning takes place. However, in addition to the other spaces discussed in this visual web, this specific section is devoted to what may be considered nontraditional environmental learning spaces. For all environments discussed here, we support the importance of this topic with a Sociocultural Learning Theory,
CLASSROOM EXAMPLE: Field Trips are an immersive way to concretely use skills learned in the classroom in a realistic or authentic environment. Sociocultural Learning Theory affects the overall learner outcomes from field trips by predetermining how students (and teachers) will react in these new environments. For example, if students view field trips as largely reward-based experiences for learning in the classroom, very little learning will actually occur on the field trip that enhances or expands upon that classroom knowledge (Davidson et al, 2009)
WORKPLACE EXAMPLE: Based on Ray Oldenburg's book The Great Good Place, a social learning space could be any "third place," or those physical spaces that constitute a social environment that is outside one's home (first place) or work (second place). These spaces are a neutral meeting ground where an individual is free to converse and interact with others—often leading to meaningful conversations that promote learning and an exchange of various perspectives. A prime example includes a coffee shop, where community and conversation over a cup of coffee can invite learning experiences in a welcoming, social environment. Taking a break and being elsewhere, then, has the possibility of igniting new learning within a new environment.
PERSONAL: Personal learning spaces involve individualized learning that is begun and implemented by the learner. We could also think about personal learning spaces at those spaces that feel important to a particular person and exist outside of a professional work environment. Based on the theory of Individualized Instruction, which revolves around the individual and how that individual learns, personal learning spaces require autonomy and intrinsic motivation (Pappas, 2017).
SOCIAL: When thinking about social learning spaces, this category depends on learning with a community of co-learners. We can think about these learning spaces as a reflection of a society or an organization, or simply as a group of individuals who voluntarily come together for the purposes of learning. Supported by Situated Cognition Theory and Connectivism, the importance of discussions, group tasks, and social networks all play important roles in how we approach, connect, and apply learning (Pappas, 2017; Siemens, 2005).
PROFESSIONAL: Professional learning spaces incorporate the physical and digital spaces that we inhabit for work and/or a profession. Professional learning spaces are defined by Merrill's Principles of Instruction, Bloom's Taxonomy, and Situated Cognition Theory
CLASSROOM EXAMPLE: Virtual worlds and realities provide a learning space that hinges on connectivism theory and the need to be social in order to learn. Students can be active participants in their learning when visiting a 3D environment, like SecondLife, and make many more connections to retain the target knowledge/skill by creating their own communication patterns through social networks (Dawley, 2009).
CLASSROOM EXAMPLE: A physical classroom that offers flexible seating, student-centered learning (teacher is coach or facilitator), and varied assessments will yield the best results in learner growth. Students can develop better critical thinking skills when they're able to take more ownership over their learning, especially through collaboration with others (Choi & Hannafin, 1995.).
WORKPLACE EXAMPLE: When you think of a typical office or cubicle, this might seem like the most boring learning space option available: Lonely cubicle ... dingy light ... ugly, blank wall—the traditional office space that you dread to enter everyday. However, in recent years, research has been done on office and learning space design and how it can affect productivity and employee happiness. Based on the findings, professional office spaces can incorporate natural light, collaborative spaces rather than isolated cubicles, and private meeting rooms. Creating a flexible, collaborative office space will more likely result in flexible, collaborative employees—which is exactly what most workplaces are striving towards. Such spaces would also present more professional development opportunities since teams are already collaborating and working together and they can see how to best move forward as a team (and potentially, where they might most need help). So, no need to think about office spaces as boring. There's a new way, and a newly designed space, to work (Loubier, 2017).
WORKPLACE EXAMPLE: Video learning and online tutorials, made available through media streaming, now allow individuals to learn on their own time—anytime and anywhere (given accessibility to electronic devices and internet connection, that is). Because of increased access to online learning videos—such as Lynda.com, YouTube, and Ted-Ed, which are available at a simple click—individual learning has never been easier. Whether it's needing a new skill for a potential job or wanting to invest in your own professional development to further your career, video learning and online tutorials create instant personal learning spaces, whether you're sitting down at your desk with your laptop or crawling into your bed with your mobile device. Some online learning videos do require a subscription, including options like Lynda.com, but free options are available as well (Loon, 2016).
CULTURAL: When discussing learning spaces, it's important to discuss ways in which cultural concepts—or the beliefs, traditions, values, goals, and traditional practices of a society or group—influence and shape learning. Additionally, it's also imperative that a consideration of diverse perspectives be regarded as important for many learning contexts. This category is supported by the Sociocultural Learning Theory.
WORKPLACE EXAMPLE: In today's increasingly connected society, businesses that want to succeed must know how to manage teams and conduct business across cultural lines. Considering the diversity of skills and team dynamics, a cross-cultural framework is potentially vital when considering any workplace environment (Hummel, 2012). One practical example of cultural environments would be international conferences, where professionals from all over the world gather to share ideas and exchange knowledge and provide a tangible space where cultural values can be seen, heard, and shared—and then subsequently implement these ideas and newly acquired knowledge once they are back in their everyday workplace environments. Online sites, such as World Conference Alerts, allow businesses to identify and enroll in international conferences that meet their professional development needs.
CLASSROOM EXAMPLE: Foreign exchange programs allow for immersion in the target language, which means a student will experience all of the cultural nuances, customs, and traditions in that target language, which, in turn, greatly increases the speed of language acquisition. Language is inherently social and was created as s means to communicate, so when students use the target language in these settings, they build connections that otherwise wouldn't occur naturally (Duff, 2007)
CLASSROOM EXAMPLE: Personal Learning Environments (PLE) allow students to take ownership of their learning by creating, maintaining, and regulating their own learning environments. This can be formal, like annotating and organization literature, or informal through social media networks. PLEs have the benefit of operating as both a pedagogical and technological tool for learning (Dabbagh & Kitsantas, 2012).
WORKPLACE EXAMPLE: Considering the implications of Situated Cognition Theory and Connectivism, it's vital that we consider the learning that's possible simply from having social conversations. And many offices have come to realize the importance of allowing those workplace, but not necessarily work-related, conversations to happen via the existence of a break room. That's right, a break room is still a thing, and research even supports the importance of maintaining this space. Studies have found that positive social interactions in the workplace correlates with increased employee satisfaction and overall health (Heaphy & Dutton, 2008). So, creating a space in the workplace that's meant simply for conversing can be an invaluable learning space that might just spark some beneficial team-dynamics, and maybe even a few innovative ideas for upcoming projects. But don't forget to include the coffee.