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The Intersection of Learning Environments

The three learning environments all have good aspects about them, but they function best

when used together. A classroom that only applies one of the learning environments

underprepares the students for the real world. Each of these environments develop certain skills

that are needed, which is why they work best when they’re incorporated together.

A learner-centered environment helps the students become independent thinkers and

develop better independent learning skills. Their critical thinking skills are also improved.

Learner-centered environments are also good with catering to each individual student and being

mindful of their background and history. According to Bransford, “teaching is conceived as

constructing a bridge between the subject matter and the student, learner-centered teachers keep

a constant eye on both ends of the bridge (Bransford, 2000).” With learner-centered

environments, teaching becomes more personal.

Knowledge-centered environments focus more on the students gaining knowledge and

information. The focus is on actually learning the information as opposed to memorizing it.

Intersection between the two environments is important because it can help a child’s

understanding. It’s important to consider a student’s preconceived thoughts about a subject to

help with more efficient learning (Bransford, 2000). Focusing on just the information and not

how the students will receive it can hinder the learning process. Also, students are more likely to

be engaged with information if they understand it better.

Assessment-centered environments tie everything together by testing a student’s grasp on

concepts discussed in class. Formative assessments are about receiving feedback during lessons
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and help teachers understand how the students are learning. While summative assessments are at

the end of a unit and measure what the students learned in the unit (Bransford, 2000). The Iris

Center is very helpful and has a checklist of questions for teachers to reflect on. It allows

reflection on whether each of the learning environments are incorporated in the classroom. It

even has lessons to help teachers understand the importance of the different learning

environments and why they should be used together (IrisCenter, 2021).

If I were teaching, I’d get to know my students during the first few weeks of school and

attempt to personalize the lessons to help them be more engaged with the content. I believe that

they’ll engage better with personalized material. It can help combat boredom. More engaged

students mean they’ll be more committed to learning the material and that can help when

discussing rigorous content. Assessments are also important, but I don’t want the students to be

pressured into memorizing information just to do well on tests. So, I think it’d be good to allow a

redo on at least formative assessments to help take some of the pressure away. I’d also provide

extra credit work to help students who are worried about test grades, so the pressure will be

gone.

There are so many ways to incorporate these learning environments into everyday class

and I believe they are vital to have. The way a classroom is set up can determine how well a

student does in a class. “The dynamics of the classroom, the tone, the interpersonal forces at

play, and the nature and structure of communication patterns all combine to either support or

inhibit the students’ motivation to pursue a goal (Ambrose, 2010).”

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References

Ambrose, S. A., et al. (2010). How learning works. First Literacy. Retrieved February 2, 2022,
from https://firstliteracy.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/How-Learning-Works.pdf 

Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (Eds.). (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind,
experience, and school.  National Academy Press.  https://www.nap.edu/download/9853

How can faculty present important content to be learned in ways that improve student
learning? IRIS Center. (2021). Retrieved February 3, 2022, from
https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/hpl/cresource/q1/p06/#content