Learning Spaces, learning environments and the ‘dis’placement of learning
Herbert Thomas (2009)
The physical learning environment is an integral part of the learning process. Traditional learning spaces imply a certain type of teaching and management strategies and can constrain the various possible types of learning. Traditional lecture halls do not contain affordances to promote active learning: “engaged learning is an emergent property of learning spaces and environments that are designed to provide affordances that actively encourage such engagement” (503). Learning does not occur in formally designed spaces but rather takes place informally; this notion liberates learning from its traditional boxed-in nature.
