Preservice Teachers as Designers of Future Learning Spaces

• In Event: Structured Poster Session: Understanding Future Learning Spaces Across Multiple Architectures

Abstract

Objective
Innovative learning spaces are emergent within higher education institutions. However, the prevalence of such spaces within K-12 learning environments is limited. FLSs are typically one-off, designed, learning environments that are not easily replicable in K-12 schools without considerable capital investment. Consequently, pre-service teachers (PSTs) do not commonly encounter FLS on school placement blocks or during in-service practice. Implementation challenges for FLS include: existing physical infrastructure; connectivity; financial constraints; and the capacity of teaching professionals to sustain innovative pedagogies under rigid curriculum and assessment constraints. Finally, the formal and informal learning spaces that students inhabit, requires FLS architecture to be spatially, methodologically, technologically and orchestrationally sensitive. This study provides PSTs with opportunities to develop technology enhanced learning methodologies as mobile technologies by considering FLS architecture as design sensitivities and the aforementioned challenges, as the naturalistic context of implementation.

Theoretical Perspective
Pedagogic innovation in K-12 initial teacher education for in-service application is challenging. To design for implementation there exists a need for PSTs to develop an understanding of the relationship that now exists between the multiple learning spaces that students synchronously inhabit. Crucially, PSTs need to understand their relationship with their students’ educational world (Freire, 1993) to successfully design FLS. Crucially, the designed methodologies become synchronously implementable mobile technologies located in the backpacks and pockets of students.

Methods
Employing design-based implementation research (DBIR) methodology, a cohort of K-12 ITE students (N=140) participated in the pilot application of the designed DoTELMe non-elective eight week module. Do tell me about your Technology Enhanced Learning Methodology (DoTELMe) asked participants to engage in the collaborative construction of contextually agnostic and cross-curricular mobile technologies. Participants formed multidisciplinary groups of six and were not dominated by any particular subject profile. Data collection methods included portfolio submission, the constructed artefact, presentations, observations and post course questionnaires.

Results
The participants in this pilot study did not consider FLS as physically dependent. They indicated that the designed technologies mirrored the fluid nature of their position as ITE students. Participants also indicated that the physical learning spaces that will encounter will be constrained and therefore their TELMe’s must be digitally agile for them to be effective in multiple physical learning spaces. Finally, participants in this indicated that they considered their TELMe’s as mobile technologies allowing them to map their pedagogic approach, formal or informal, onto the naturalistic context of any physical space. The participants also highlighted that the synchronicity of student engagement with formal and informal learning spaces was a significant challenge.

Significance
This initial DBIR iteration illustrated a need to consider FLS not just as physically constructed, rather as a digital and pedagogically agile constructed learning space that is synchronously accessible in multiple formats. Emergent form this study is a clear need to develop a robust architecture to support learning in FLS where the spatial interpretation of engagement can be temporally synchronistic and constantly emergent.

Authors

• Paul Flynn

• Maria Silke, National University of Ireland - Galway

• Mary Fleming, The National University of Ireland