The Importance of Place to Adult Learning.
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| Title: | The Importance of Place to Adult Learning. |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Fulton, Rodney D. |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 36 |
| Publication Date: | 1990 |
| Document Type: | Information Analyses |
| Descriptors: | Adult Education, Adult Learning, Adults, Architectural Programing, Continuing Education, Educational Environment, Educational Facilities Planning, School Buildings |
| Abstract: | The question of how important place is to learning is one that has fallen in and out of vogue during the past 40 years. Despite frequent statements of its importance, there has been a continual lack of attention to the physical environment of adult education. Under the leadership of John Becker, an architect from Cincinnati, the Adult Education Association's Commission on Architecture published "Architecture for Adult Education" in 1953. Individuals' reactions to their environment have often been thought to be idiosyncratic. However, a preliminary investigation seems to suggest a continuum in individual response to the physical attributes of the environment. Research has not yet clearly delineated what aspects of the environment can be controlled nor how they should be controlled. Karen and Jim Leed, two architects from Cincinnati, have recently published "Building for Adult Learning," and appear to be well versed in adult learning theory. They state that an adult learning facility should meet basic comfort needs, feature and reinforce a nonjudgmental climate of trust and sharing, maximize social contact and exchange of information, meet the learners' highest expectations of quality, and truly inspire learners to greater achievement. Sporadic, individual efforts need to be orchestrated so that national attention and funding can be sought to support continued work to answer the questions arising from a thoughtful consideration of how adults are influenced by their environment. (Sixteen references are cited and a comprehensive bibliography on place and learning is appended. (CML) |
| Entry Date: | 1990 |
| Accession Number: | ED324420 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | The question of how important place is to learning is one that has fallen in and out of vogue during the past 40 years. Despite frequent statements of its importance, there has been a continual lack of attention to the physical environment of adult education. Under the leadership of John Becker, an architect from Cincinnati, the Adult Education Association's Commission on Architecture published "Architecture for Adult Education" in 1953. Individuals' reactions to their environment have often been thought to be idiosyncratic. However, a preliminary investigation seems to suggest a continuum in individual response to the physical attributes of the environment. Research has not yet clearly delineated what aspects of the environment can be controlled nor how they should be controlled. Karen and Jim Leed, two architects from Cincinnati, have recently published "Building for Adult Learning," and appear to be well versed in adult learning theory. They state that an adult learning facility should meet basic comfort needs, feature and reinforce a nonjudgmental climate of trust and sharing, maximize social contact and exchange of information, meet the learners' highest expectations of quality, and truly inspire learners to greater achievement. Sporadic, individual efforts need to be orchestrated so that national attention and funding can be sought to support continued work to answer the questions arising from a thoughtful consideration of how adults are influenced by their environment. (Sixteen references are cited and a comprehensive bibliography on place and learning is appended. (CML) |
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