Thesis
The learning environment as place: An analysis of the United States Department of Education's six design principles for learning environments
Washington State University
Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
2003
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/110
Abstract
This study analyzes six design principles that were developed by the U.S. Department of Education in 1998 to help articulate the meaning of 21st century education. It considers the relationships between the built environment and teaching/learning, as viewed through a theoretical lens that evolved during the study. This theory, entitled “The Learning Environment as Place” grows out of place-making theory that has been a part of architectural and urban planning study for more than three decades. Its application for this study suggests that schools are special places in the community that are formed from the interactions and interdependencies of people (children and adults), pedagogy (teaching and learning ideologies), and the physical environment (both indoor and outdoor). This qualitative research work utilizes four case studies of actual schools in Juneau, Alaska to explore the six design principles using the “Learning Environment as Place” theory as a lens to view such questions as: How does a school support diverse learning? What components of a school reflect its place in the community? How can the design of schools accommodate changes in teaching and social expectations for education over time? An increased understanding of the six design principles results from this study. The outcomes suggest that American schools have many complex needs; that they shape, and have been shaped by, changing societal expectations. The current educational interest in a more comprehensive and diverse approach (as articulated in the design principles) is observed as paradoxical to the political directions of accountability through standardization. The “Learning Environment as Place” theory provides school planners and designers a new way to understand these complexities in the planning and design process. It presents a model to consider the human behavioral and emotive complexities associated with teaching and learning as a part of the architectural solution. Thus, it offers a more comprehensive understanding of school environments as places in their communities.
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Details
- Title
- The learning environment as place
- Creators
- Catherine Mary Fritz
- Contributors
- David Wang (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Design and Construction, School of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; Pullman, Wash. :
- Identifiers
- 99900525134401842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis