Active Environments - Behaviors, Emotions, and Pandemics

Abstract

2020 influenced the ‘where’ and ‘how’ learning was executed due to the onslaught of a global pandemic. In the USA, specific recommendations made by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for classrooms included student seating at 6’ apart, facing forward, teacher at front — back to 19th Century teaching strategies; a combination of online and/or onsite connections resulted. Prior to the pandemic, advanced learning methods based on research and focusing upon active learning were gaining ground; encouraging active and establishing collaborative cultures to empower creativity in student-centered opportunities, with informal settings, supporting ‘moving to learn,’ as a desired format for learning experiences. Architectural solutions and their affordances were developed to support these needs.

This PhD’s dissertation study was pre-pandemic, yet knowledge gained may be important in both the current and post-pandemic worlds. Space makes a difference, and spaces/places provide behavioral cues often defining and/or developing into situational cultures (Scott-Webber, 2004). Therefore, it is argued here that the intentional design for learning places must work to support what we know about how we learn, and in turn, help educators understand its value. It is further argued architectural affordances influence learning and behaviors and, accordingly, emotions; strongly impacting the
abilities of both active and passive learning performance. This paper will offer ideas on how spatial affordances/designs may maximize opportunities for active environments empowering dynamic behaviors and supporting positive emotions no matter which format (i.e., online or onsite) learning experiences take. This article addresses: (a) active learning tenants, (b) spatial cueing, and (c) opportunities for the future, post-pandemic.