BRIDIGIT BUCHER'S THEORY REVIEW

BRIDIGIT BUCHER'S THEORY REVIEW

Environment and Context Theory Review

Bridgit Bucher

EDAC 635

Professor Chang

February 5, 2017

Environment and Context:

The learning environment is easily associated with the physical classroom space. However, just like learning itself is not confined to one physical space, neither is the learning environment. While elements of the physical setting, like seating, temperature, and lighting can affect the learner’s speed of learning (Lawson, 2009, p. 37), there are also many other types of environmental factors that can impact learning speed. For the learner “the immediate environment is likely to involve the learner’s private, home or recreational environments” (Tessmer & Richey, 1997, p. 94). The effects from these environments are brought into the classroom setting.

Cultural and Power Environments:

A challenge for learners and facilitators involves recognizing differences in positive ways. Being exposed to individuals from culturally different backgrounds helps learners grow because “we become consciously aware of our culture only when we encounter persons who do not share it” (MacKeracher, 2004, p. 192). Becoming consciously aware of our own culture allows learners to acknowledge the source of many beliefs and how those beliefs may help or hinder educational growth.

Learners can benefit from their cultural environment. There is tremendous importance to cultural context; when cultural context is handled correctly, “society utilizes rather than wastes the talents of its members” (Sternberg, 2004, p. 336). The differences that spring from diverse cultural environments can be strengths. As an example, if a learner’s cultural environment promoted listening to others, the learner can use the listening ability to gain more knowledge from classmates’ narratives. They can also use that skill to show compassion in the classroom.

Even though there are multiple benefits to recognizing the differences that respective cultural environments can have on learners, it is important to consider the possibility that emphasizing cultural differences can lead to stereotyping. Cultural assumptions can cause four problems, according to MacKeracher (2004, p. 193-195): encountering cultures outside of our own can cause anxiety, others’ behavior is sometimes inappropriately judged based on our own models of reality, failing to understand cultural differences can reach extremes (either by emphasizing differences too heavily, or by forcing assimilation and failing to recognize potential learning concerns), and power imbalances based on cultural differences. Facilitators must be mindful of the cultural differences between students, because falling within certain groups could cause a power imbalance. “An individual’s positionality is a composite of his or her positions relative to others on the basis of each socially structured group” (MacKeracher, 2004, p.197). A learner who falls within a group that is not generally considered to be powerful outside of the classroom environment may withdraw from the learning experience. Learners in this situation can harm their ability to gain much from the learning experience, and classmates can lose the rich experiences to be gained from interacting from someone outside of their own culture.

Real-Life Environment:

The real-life environment can impact leaners as they are immersed in the learning environment. In addition to learning the material of a course, students must navigate how to apply their newfound skills to the real world in spite of outside environmental factors that may hinder their progress. Whenever possible, it is helpful to tailor learning experiences to be specific to what the learner may experience in the real world. “Such strategies account for learners’ immediate and learning or work environments and their supportive organization structures, as well as future environments that learners will likely encounter” (Tessmer & Richey, 1997, p. 89). While strategies like job shadowing would not be appropriate for all learning environments, it is still possible to make the connection from a concept to the real-world from a classroom setting.

A controlled classroom environment that illustrates real-world concepts in a best case scenario situation is a good starting point, but it may not cover the entire scope of the material. The more cynical among the learners “who do not believe that available resources exist, may not be motivated to apply learned skills” (Tessmer & Richey, 1997, p. 100). This places a burden on the facilitator to create an environment in which learners can recognize their ability to take control of their external environmental forces through troubleshooting and problem-solving.

Applying These Theoretical Points:

While it is important to recognize other cultures and what beliefs may shape their learning experience, it is vital to avoid stereotyping those with different cultural backgrounds and experiences. To try to combat this, educators should “negotiate the tension between within-group variation and whole-group stereotypes” (Ginsberg, 2005, p. 219). A facilitator can seek ways for learners from different cultures to find common ground. One way educators can recognize the influence of students’ different cultural environments is to design “lessons that help elicit students’ stories, opinions, values, and interests as a catalyst for learning” (Ginsberg, 2005, p. 220). Students should be regularly encouraged, but not pressured, by supportive facilitators to share narratives with classmates that bring about unity for their common goal. In spite of any cultural differences, each learner is participating in the learning community to grow and improve. Facilitators who encourage growth and change may help students to let go of their stereotypes about other cultures.

In terms of establishing a real-world connection in a classroom setting, we may be limited to tools like the contextual interview (Tessmer & Richey, 1997, p. 107). This involves combining “observation with open-ended questions to create a picture of a usage context” (p. 107). While the classroom setting will not permit the facilitator to observe the learner in an actual real-world situation, facilitators can try to simulate the real-life experiences through classroom tools like case studies and role-playing. A case study will give students the opportunity to discuss potential solutions to a problem. After students have had a chance to review and discuss the case, the facilitator can pose contextual interview questions to encourage students to visualize themselves in a real-life situation. Then, student may ponder responses based on questions that they may face when they leave the classroom and begin working in their field. This gives the student a chance to think about what might happen in a real situation, rather than what would happen in an ideal situation.

Summary

It is important for a facilitator to work toward the delicate balance between having students recognize cultural differences without permitting students to use those differences in a divisive way. Like many potential problems facing a classroom, having a facilitator who fosters a supportive learning environment can go a long way in achieving that balance. Learners who feel comfortable discussing cultural differences will likely also feel more comfortable actively participating in classroom discussions. As a result, discussions will be more productive. Students should be able to ponder real-life scenarios (that they may not have personally experienced yet) with less fear of judgment.  

Reflection

When reading about each topic at the beginning of the semester, I was drawn to Environment and Context because of the thorough coverage in MacKeracher’s text. I considered the cultural, power, knowledge, and ‘real-life’ environments to be the most interesting to learn about. The physical environment is interesting as well, but I thought that challenges to it would likely impact learners in the same setting in a similar way. Environmental obstacles that each learner experiences on his or her own appeared to pose unique challenges for the facilitator, especially since each facilitator could have a classroom full of students with multiple conflicting challenges. I wanted to use this opportunity to try to find how educators in the field have found ways to balance that. While I did not find specific examples, I found some related concepts. To find information for this project, I used a combination of OneSearch and JSTOR within Ball State’s research tool page. When searching for journal articles to broaden my understanding of environment and context, I found a lot of information relating to the physical environment. It took a little extra time to locate articles that related to real-life and cultural environments, either because I was using ineffective vocabulary, or perhaps also because they are not as heavily featured as physical environment articles.

Table 1. Summary of the theoretical ideas

The main theoretical ideas	Summary of how to apply the main theoretical ideas in practice
The facilitator should foster a supportive inclusive environment, being careful not to single out learners with different cultural backgrounds.	Design lessons that draw from classroom discussions. Encourage students to share stories, including their values and opinions, being careful not to pressure them to reveal more than they are comfortable sharing.
Whenever possible, the facilitator should relate the classroom setting to the context of real-world experiences.	When tools like case-studies, simulations, and other models of real-world experience are utilized, the facilitator should incorporate contextual interviews to give students a chance to consider how their classroom learning can be applied within the context of a real-world setting.

References

Ginsberg, M. (2005). Cultural diversity, motivation, and differentiation. Theory Into Practice, 44(3), 218-225. Retrieved January 31, 2017 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3497001

Lawson, K. (2009). The trainer’s handbook. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

MacKeracher, D. (2004). Making sense of adult learning, Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Sternberg, R. (2004). Culture and intelligence. American Psychological Association, 59(5), 325-338. doi: 10.1037/0003-066X.59.5.325

Tessmer, M. & Richey, R. (1997). The role of context in learning and instructional design. Educational Technology Research and Development, 45(2), 85-115. Retrieved January 31, 2017 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/30221388

Name	Commented On
Bridgit Bucher	Group 2: Ray Bass
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