Effective Learning Spaces: A Comparative Review of Educational Methods from Progressive Perspectives

It is undeniable that education is critical the evolution of modern societies. However, there are factors that affect schools in various ways, such as social, political and technological movements. Unfortunately, the schools have failed to keep up with the changes and transformations and still mostly facilitate the educational attitudes and philosophies adopted from the past century (Baker, 2012). Educational buildings, where teaching and learning activities take place, are important part of the education system. School buildings serve not only as educational facilities, but also as an important asset of the community and as a source of dominant aspects of education (Moore & Lackney, 1994). But more importantly, the extent to which school buildings enhance education has become an important issue for policy makers, educators, and design researchers, where it is also seen as a major focus in the fields of architecture and education. The needs in today’s education system raise several that require immediate attention - what kind of schools and classrooms would we like to have in the future and how should we improve the schools that we have today? Even though the structure of classes and the overall educational activities have been transforming globally, we still observe traditional classroom settings where students are seated in rows regardless of the teaching methods that the teachers engage in and the teachers’ interaction levels with students. Moreover, traditional classrooms are based on the concept that teacher is the only authority where students are not directed to see their peers as a source of learning or supported to interact and teach each other (Sharan, 1999). However, ideally, learning should occur in an environment that can allow students to engage with the concepts that are being used by teachers with a maximum opportunity. This approach promotes the idea that students should become a part of the teaching practice in classrooms, rather than being passive receivers. In addition, it is important to have a broad sense of communication in classroom environments. It is teachers’ task to create an environment for students for “the collision of reflections” that will eventually lead to students’ skills and intelligence to express their opinions and develop outcomes forming bases for knowledge building. Therefore, teachers’ role in classrooms and their interaction with students through their attitudes and motivational strategies play a crucial role in the overall teaching-learning process (Turner et.al., 2002).