A Re-View of Learning Spaces: Psychologizing Education to Elevate Learning in the COVID-19 College Classroom

• In Event: A 360 "Re-View" of Learning: Educational Psychologists Grapple With the Current Higher Education Landscape

Abstract

In presenting “the psychologizing of education” as a legacy of educational psychology, Patricia Alexander (2017) highlights the “waxing and waning relationship between educational psychology researchers and educational practitioners” (p.2). She contends that educational psychologists are not just “middlemen” between psychology and the practice of education. Rather, our role is more profound, as educational psychologists aim to “understand what it is about this mix of teacher, student, curriculum, and setting that might be better understood through a strong grounding in psychology” (Berliner, 2006, p.23).

As the pandemic forces a sudden reimagining of higher education, educational psychologists are poised to lead conversations about this new and unprecedented mix of teacher, student, curriculum, and setting. It is essential to elevate learning amidst new protocols and operations. After all, learning—“the one construct [that] has long endured as a centerpiece of educational psychology theory and research”—is an essential goal of higher education (Alexander, 2017, p.4). Certainly, health and safety must be of paramount concern for 2020-2021. However, we have observed a trend across our institutions where classroom plans have almost exclusively focused on the protocols and parameters within the physical space, with little to no attention on whether students will be able to learn effectively in these new settings. There is a need to psychologize education—to give voice to educational psychologists on campuses where learning settings have been dramatically altered—to ensure that conditions optimize student learning.

In recent pre-pandemic years, universities have invested in classrooms that encourage collaboration and active learning (Rands & Gansemer-Topf, 2017). My university erected a new academic building in 2016. This Academic Innovation Center (AIC) is a veritable playground for experiential learning—stocked with breakout rooms, open classrooms, 360-degree whiteboards, flexible furniture, and wireless technology for sharing content. However, the present prioritizing of social distancing and cleaning routines has left behind the constructivist assets of this space.
At many universities, there is significant focus on bringing students back to the classroom, but not enough discussion on the learning value. Fitting students in the classroom with social distancing is not sufficient rationale for their physical return. In classrooms that were built for constructivist and collaborative learning, the value has always been the instructional assets – whiteboards, furniture that supports flexible grouping, digital screens. But in Covid-19 times, there is only one asset: square footage. Learning spaces are desirable simply because they are large and not because of the innovative features that support constructivist learning.

If learning takes a back seat to procedures and protocols, we may witness pronounced pedagogical regression in higher education. Indeed, conversations are not focused on how to reimagine group work considering social distancing or how to promote student engagement when classroom materials cannot be shared. The conversations center more on how to transmit lectures to students in different locations via hybrid models. We endorse a call to action for educational psychologists to study the impact of Covid-19 classrooms on learning and to make recommendations for how to embrace student-centered pedagogies while maintaining health and safety.

Author

• Allison Gelfuso Butler, Bryant University