How elements of the built environment impact kids in schools
An effective learning environment has to support and be responsive
to [its core principles]. There needs to be alignment between
the space created and the needs of the users.
—Blyth & Velissaratou, 2019, p. 4
We spend 90% of our time in built environments.
So says Migliani (2019)—and other researchers agree. Clark (2002) believes the sheer amount of time children spend in school each day is reason enough to think seriously about the impacts of the physical environment. After all, our quality of life is largely dependent on the built environment (Lamprecht, 2016). Space is also a system of communication (Hall, 1966) so we ought to know what we're saying.
Learning spaces
need to match the needs of learners.
If the environment shapes the child, as Mah (2015) writes, then learning spaces need to be shaped by quality-controlled designs to maximize opportunities for psychological, physical, and social growth. They also need to be flexible to serve the needs of different types of learners (Dunn, 1987; Blyth & Velissaratou, 2019).
Inclusivity is fostered in safe, universally accessible spaces.
Winter & O’Raw (2010) explain how we've moved away from segregated education and towards celebrating diversity. Making spaces accessible to all is about removing barriers to access, so that students have equitable opportunities to improve their quality of life through learning. Shared access also promotes belonging—one of our basic human needs (Berryman & Eley, 2019).
INDIVIDUALIZATIOn:
how it all comes together
Given that we spend 90% of our time indoors, the built environment is a hugely influential aspect of modern life. Understanding the impact of the built environment on human behaviour is the starting point for understanding its impact on learning. Since the objective of a school is to foster learning, the education field can benefit from insights and explanations as to how the physical space surrounding a student might help or hinder their experience of learning.
Three discrete bodies of literature—research on the physical and built environment, research on learning, and research on inclusivity in education—offer evidence-based recommendations for how schools should look and feel. Currently, the primary place to explore the connections between these fields exists where inclusive education delves into effective teaching and learning practices. That is why this website is dedicated to identifying, characterizing, and explaining the primary intersections in research on the physical and built environment, learning, and inclusivity.
Through my research, I have identified a single principle—individualization—as a critical key factor in each of my three interconnected areas of study. The pages of this website will make a case for how, by focusing on the individual through educational practices that emphasize flexibility, connection, and ownership, educators and school planners can create inclusive learning spaces that serve as engaging environments for all students.