Students & Learning Environment: Focus on Places, Spaces, and Boundaries
The learning spaces in my educational experiences varied with the greatest difference being how my classrooms were arranged. My elementary school classrooms demonstrated a relational model as opposed to my high school and college classrooms which presented as an object-based model. The layout in my elementary classrooms consisted of either our desks being grouped together in a square so we faced each other or arranged in pairs facing towards the front of the classroom. The classrooms also housed a cozy, carpeted reading corner where we would gather for stories or other group activities. I recall feeling welcome and comfortable in my elementary school classrooms. They embodied what I now know to be called ‘bounded openness’ according to Dr. Fatima’s lecture. The spaces were set up in an organic, relational way to cultivate shared experiences within the classroom. We were not constricted or bound to remain only seated at our desks, but instead our classroom space encouraged movement and interaction with our environment, teacher and one another. As I transitioned into high school and college, my classrooms presented as object-based educational spaces, which are supportive and indicative of a power relationship between the teacher and attending students. These spaces generally consisted of the teacher remaining at the front of the classroom with students individually seated in their own forward-facing desks. These environments socialized us to stay seated, remain quiet and raise our hands to present any questions during lectures. I remember on occasion feeling intimidated in these kinds of classroom environments and was sometimes reluctant to raise my hand for questions. Though I did experience some unwelcoming classroom environments, many of my teachers actively extended themselves to bridge the gaps of distance that surfaced in student-teacher relationships. In an effort to make our classrooms feel more relational my teachers would incorporate moving around the room while implementing meaningful dialog and interactive questions, engaging with us as they taught. In this way, my teachers were able to dismantle any feelings of intimidation that resulted due to the power relationship that object-based classroom settings fostered. As a future educator I will need to be able to identify if a classroom space is indicative of a power model relationship, so that I am able to adapt and create avenues in which I can attend to the comfort and relational needs of my students.
As a future educator I will need to be able to identify if a classroom space is indicative of a power model relationship, so that I am able to adapt and create avenues in which I can attend to the comfort and relational needs of my students.