What we know about learning has increased dramatically over the last 20 years. MRI scanning that
allows us to see inside the brain as learning occurs, and landmark studies such as John Hattie’s
Visible Learning (Hattie, 2008) mean that we now have a much better idea of how learning occurs.
As a result of these developments and others, we know that quality learning is a combination of the following elements:
Features of modern learning environments
Modern learning environments that align better with what we know about the brain and student learning can facilitate traditional pedagogies such as direct instruction if needed, but they typically offer students and teachers much more:
As a result of these developments and others, we know that quality learning is a combination of the following elements:
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● Personalised learning: no two individuals learn in the same way, nor do they bring the same
prior knowledge to a learning experience. The way we learn is as unique as our fingerprint.
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● Socially constructed learning (Johnson, 1981): the collaboration, peer-tutoring and
reciprocal teaching that occurs when students work together results in a deeper
understanding of the material being covered.
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● Differentiated learning (Bloom, 1974): the prior knowledge we all bring to a task means
individuals require different levels of challenge, pace, content and context.
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● Learning that is initiated by students themselves (Ramey & Ramey, 2004): typically when a
student initiates a learning experience or exploration, they learn more.
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● Learning that is connected to the physical world and authentic contexts: children learn
through interaction with others and the physical world (Malone & Tranter, 2003). Learning
about pond ecosystems is more powerful if students visit a pond in addition to learning
about them in a classroom or textbook.
Features of modern learning environments
Modern learning environments that align better with what we know about the brain and student learning can facilitate traditional pedagogies such as direct instruction if needed, but they typically offer students and teachers much more:
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● Flexibility: the ability to combine two classes into one for team-teaching, split a class into
small groups and spread them over a wider area or combine different classes studying
complementary learning areas.
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● Openness: modern learning environments traditionally have fewer walls, more glass and
often use the idea of a learning common (or hub) which is a central teaching and learning
CORE Education White Paper © -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ Page 3 of 6
space that can be shared by several classes. They provide opportunities to observe and
learn from the teaching of others and be observed in return. They also provide access to
what students in other learning areas and level are learning, so that teaching and learning
can be complemented and enhanced.
● Access to resources (including technology): typically a learning common is surrounded by breakout spaces allowing a range of different activities, such as reading, group work, project space, wet areas, reflection, and presenting. There is often a mixture of wireless and wired technology offering access as and when students need it, within the flow of their learning.
Learning environments to support student learning
Many of the modern learning environments being built today effectively promote and support a range of pedagogies including delivering, applying, creating, communicating and decision-making. Often they are centred around a student ‘home base’ where a lot of the teaching and learning occurs but these bases also allow access to other learning spaces. Not all classes will need all spaces all of the time, but students should have access to them should the need arise.
Modern learning environments support strengths-based teaching. For example, two classes collaborating on a science project that requires them to publish what they’ve learnt in the form of an educational poster will achieve much better results if both classes have access to one teacher who has considerable skill in graphic design and one teacher who has excellent knowledge of science and scientific inquiry.
Case study: Stonefields School, Auckland
Stonefields School is made up of a series of ‘Learning Hubs’ which are larger, shared classroom areas surrounded by breakout spaces that offer students a range of different learning activities: group work, digital production, project work, reflection spaces, reading spaces, etc. Typically three teachers share each hub, and the collaboration that takes place in them mean students have access to a range of teacher strengths, and classes can be reconfigured easily to meet learner needs.
● Access to resources (including technology): typically a learning common is surrounded by breakout spaces allowing a range of different activities, such as reading, group work, project space, wet areas, reflection, and presenting. There is often a mixture of wireless and wired technology offering access as and when students need it, within the flow of their learning.
Learning environments to support student learning
Many of the modern learning environments being built today effectively promote and support a range of pedagogies including delivering, applying, creating, communicating and decision-making. Often they are centred around a student ‘home base’ where a lot of the teaching and learning occurs but these bases also allow access to other learning spaces. Not all classes will need all spaces all of the time, but students should have access to them should the need arise.
Modern learning environments support strengths-based teaching. For example, two classes collaborating on a science project that requires them to publish what they’ve learnt in the form of an educational poster will achieve much better results if both classes have access to one teacher who has considerable skill in graphic design and one teacher who has excellent knowledge of science and scientific inquiry.
Case study: Stonefields School, Auckland
Stonefields School is made up of a series of ‘Learning Hubs’ which are larger, shared classroom areas surrounded by breakout spaces that offer students a range of different learning activities: group work, digital production, project work, reflection spaces, reading spaces, etc. Typically three teachers share each hub, and the collaboration that takes place in them mean students have access to a range of teacher strengths, and classes can be reconfigured easily to meet learner needs.
CORE Education White Paper © -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ Page 4 of 6
Learning environments to support teacher learning
Open and flexible spaces also create more collaborative communities of practice for teachers.
Having access to the teaching practice of your colleagues to model and to be modeled to, supports
the development of effective teaching practice far more than teaching in an isolated, private space.
This ‘de-privatisation of practice’ means that honest exploration of teacher strengths and
weaknesses can take place in an open and supportive environment.
Beginning and provisionally-registered teachers have far more support around them in open learning spaces. Their progress can be monitored, supported and celebrated by their more experienced colleagues and ongoing low-level mentoring is easy to put in place because they have seasoned professionals to the left and the right of them.
Modern learning spaces can support teaching as inquiry better than single-cell classrooms. Working in an open, flexible learning environment where inquiries are shared, interventions devised collaboratively and reflections based on both self and peer observations, leads to a more robust, continuously improving community of practice.
Beginning and provisionally-registered teachers have far more support around them in open learning spaces. Their progress can be monitored, supported and celebrated by their more experienced colleagues and ongoing low-level mentoring is easy to put in place because they have seasoned professionals to the left and the right of them.
Modern learning spaces can support teaching as inquiry better than single-cell classrooms. Working in an open, flexible learning environment where inquiries are shared, interventions devised collaboratively and reflections based on both self and peer observations, leads to a more robust, continuously improving community of practice.
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