Expanding the Possibilities. Learning and Related Experiences and Situations

Fred Arne Ødegaard, Fornyings- og administrasjonsdepartementet, innleder sesjonen.

The focus of the presentation is on Learning and related Experiences and Situations. Learning is complex and our understanding can be informed by what we know about “Complexity". Learning emerges in situations where a person is engaged in experiences.The quantity and quality of learning that emerges from these experiences depends upon the degree of the learner’s engagement. This engagement consists of the learner’s “desire” and the situation’s support. A situation can be a barrier (negative), can be accommodating (neutral), or it can be enhancing (positive) to learning. People and place script each other in situations and experiences.

Other actors in the learning experience (both within the situation and shapers of the situation) can improve engagement and thereby learning by considering the learner’s participation in developing the situation. This is a sharing of “authority” with the learner and supports the learner’s engagement

The physical environment component of the situation has a more powerful impact on the learning experience than is normally realized. Architects have an important role and responsibility in shaping the physical learning environment and, thereby can be a major barrier, be neutral, or be a major facilitator to a learner’s engagement, depending on their willingness and provisions for sharing authority with the learner and other important actors (i.e., teachers) in design of the physical learning environment.

The flexible and adaptable structures noted above are often not used. Further, present learning environments (i.e., school buildings) are not easily physically changed. Currently learning environments are designed by a form follows function approach. This has resulted in environments that are very specialized in their use and become a barrier to learning.

The situations of learning continuously change. Although the physical learning environment can be readily modified through changing the artifacts (furniture), the surfaces (especially electronically), and the lighting/mechanical systems, it can be changed most effectively by changing the way space is used.

Highly enhanced learning situations (but developmentally correct) nurtures creativity. Because of the context of complexity, all the possibilities for learning cannot be known.

Ability and experience in organizing process have made Bruce Jilk a leader in educational consulting. This combination enables him to provide quality services within a unique format. He has worked for educational clients since the mid 1960s focusing on projects with innovative programs. Currently his work includes development of Learning Communities and related issues such as lifelong learning, connections between conventional educational services and enterprise, linking further education with the world of work, use of new information and communication technologies, and the integration of services such as health and education through new technologies. He has consulted and designed learning environments in over twenty states and in Austria, Australia, Azerbaijan, Canada, Egypt, Finland, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, and Saudi Arabia. His recent international project is a model school for Iceland and he is currently working on the learning environment research project View-of-the-Child in the UK. Experiences include those of educator, author, research, planner and architect. In 2005 Bruce was choosen CEFPI Planner of the Year and in 2007 his design for the Ingunnarskoli in Iceland was given the American Association of School Administraters highest school design award, the Shirley Cooper Award.

Torsdag 11. oktober kl. 12.45–13.30
Auditorium 1