Page 159 - Educational Technology A Primer for the 21st Century

9.2 Learning Spaces 151
Formal learning is typically organized and structured and has learning objectives
(OECD, 2017); formal learning is normally delivered by trained teachers in a
systematic and intentional ways within a school or university.
Informal learning is any learning that has no set objective in terms of learning
outcomes and is never intentional from learner’s standpoint, such as self-directed
learning or learning from experience, (OECD, 2017) which usually occurs in
learning commons, multimedia sandbox, and residential study areas.
For both formal and informal learning, virtual learning environment refers to the
kind of platform that supports mediated exchange of information between users and
the system through such digital media as learning management systems, social
media Web sites, and online virtual classrooms and environments.
Learning spaces are designed to support, facilitate, stimulate, or enhance
learning, and teaching. A learning space can be designed to support listening and
taking notes (e.g., a lecture hall or traditional classroom). New technologies have
added to the complexity of designing effective learning spaces and now require
careful consideration of the pedagogy to supported learning. The characteristics of a
learning space and its components include many variables, such as size, forms,
shapes, environmental setting, technologies involved, intended activities and users,
and so on.

9.2.2 The Pedagogy-Space-Technology (PST) Framework

Creating a learning space that could be used to encourage students to become
actively engaged, independent, lifelong learners is a chief aim of twentieth-century
pedagogy and a challenge for the design of learning spaces. The point here is that
there are connections between pedagogy, technology, and the design of a learning
space. These connections are evident in the TPACK (technological pedagogical
content knowledge) framework (Koehler & Mishra, 2007). There are a number of
relationships among these connections which are elaborated later in line with the
Pedagogy-Space-Technology (PST) framework (Fisher, 2005).
The sequencing of items in the PST framework (Fig. 9.1) is important. Each of
the three elements (pedagogy, space, and technology) influences each other in a
reciprocal manner. For example, a desired pedagogy suggests a preferred way to
arrange and use the space. In addition, a particular technology to be deployed may
better fit some pedagogies and arrangements of the space than other possibilities.
A particular space places constraints (or presents opportunities) on the introduction
of certain types of technology while a given technology can impact how a space is
used by teachers and students. In addition, the content to be learned and the students
themselves need to be taken into account.
Given the complexity and challenges of designing effective learning spaces that
take into account the content, the learners, along with the pedagogy and technology
involved, an iterative planning cycle that supports refinement and evaluation is
often appropriate. Iterating through the PST framework several times during
planning, development and the subsequent life cycle of a learning space is likely to