THERE was a public stir when the Department of Education (DepEd) released the DO 21, s. 2023, and when Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte announced that “all walls must be clean and free from unnecessary artwork, decorations, tarpaulins and posters at all time” and “shall remain bare and devoid of posters, decorations, or other posted materials.”ย
This article will not only be based on expert opinions but will also present research findings and empirical evidence to expand the limited conversation on classroom decorations to the broader learning environment across various age groups in education. Due to limited space in this column, readers are enjoined, in the spirit of intellectual humility, to search for more empirical evidence to enrich understanding of the subject matter.
Fear of empty spaceย
“Horror vacui,” a Latin term for “fear of empty space,” is probably “one of the most evident Filipino traits in our modern culture,” according to the Center for Art, New Ventures and Sustainable Development. The tightly spaced structures, the Filipino visual arts, home displays, concept of fiesta, decorated jeepneys, sari-sari stores, among others, are living proof of the maximalist Filipino style.ย The Filipino classroom is not exempt from this preference.
My architecture student daughter gives an anecdotal insight that the “bare wall” classrooms may therefore become “overwhelming” to Filipino learners who are conditioned by their “maximalist” environs. Her brand association of bare walls are hospitals and prisons, not a school where children want to play.
Learners and learning by design
Play is integral to the academic environment and must be included along with the academic and social enrichment opportunities of all children (American Academy of Pediatrics). The United Nations High Commission for Human Rights has recognized play as a right of every child because of its importance to optimal child development.
Maria Montessori (1946) prescribes that the first task of education is to furnish an environment which will permit and aid the child to develop him by nature and in cooperation with the command of nature.ย
Another education theorist Loris Malaguzzi (1945) introduced the concept of a “Third Teacher,” or a physical space that facilitates principles of children’s thinking, questioning and curiosity, and emphasized the idea that the visuals of the space should be somewhat free-flowing (not fixed) aesthetic, but rather evolving throughout time.
Decoration and beyond
The massive netizens’ interest in the issue of decoration brings public attention to other important essentials of the learning environment.
In a study “Designing Classrooms to Maximize Student Achievement (Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences),” evidence demonstrate that classrooms’ structural features (noise, lighting) and symbolic features (everyday objects that signal who belongs in the classroom) can facilitate or hinder student learning and achievement (Cheryan et al, Sage). Visual noise makes it difficult for all students to process other sensory information, such as verbal directions, due to the amount of energy and focus being used to sort through the visual cluster (Kofler et al. 2008).
Madeline F. Brown (JMU, 2020) conducted an “Analysis of Aesthetics and Intentionality of Space in the Classroom” and noted that average modern classrooms are highly visually cluttered. Conversely, the act of decluttering has a positive impact on learning and behavior, as students have a better time concentrating in a space that is clean and orderly (McDowell et al, 2018; Suleman, 2014). Therefore, it is necessary to purposefully organize materials in the classroom, specifically on the basis of availability and accessibility of resources (Roskos et al., 2011).
Many classrooms can become cluttered if overdone with ornaments, leaving students distracted (Cheryan et al., 2014). In one study, kindergartners were randomly assigned to learn introductory science lessons in a classroom that had many wall displays or no wall displays. Students in the classroom with wall displays were more distracted and performed worse on lesson worksheets than students in the bare classroom (Fisher et al., 2014). A study published in The Journal of Experimental Child Psychology suggested that the high-load visual environment affected children’s cognitive performance given that children performed better in the low-load visual environment. (Rodrigues and Pandeirada, 2018).
But there is more beyond decorations which the government and society must address.
A study on the “Impact of Classroom Design on Pupils’ Learning” (final results of a holistic, multilevel analysis) by Barrett et al., focused on a holistic environment-human-performance model. The design principles of naturalness, individualization and level of stimulation were used and resulted in seven key design parameters being identified that best predict the pupils’ progress, namely light, temperature, air quality, ownership, flexibility, complexity and color.
Key findings include that classrooms towards the east and west can receive abundant daylight and have a low risk of glare. More electrical lighting with higher quality can provide a better visual environment. Large room volume with big window opening size at different heights can provide ventilation options for varying conditions.
Classrooms that have distinct design characteristics, personalized display, and high-quality chairs and desks are more likely to provide a sense of ownership. Larger, simpler areas for older children are favorable, but more varied plan shapes for younger pupils. Other favorable features include easy access to attached breakout space and widened corridor for pupils, well-defined learning zones that facilitate age-appropriate learning options, plus a big wall area for display.
The room layout, ceiling and display can catch the pupils’ attention but in balance with a degree of order without cluttered and noisy feelings.
The study concluded with scientific evidence that for students to learn to their full potential, the classroom environment must be of minimum structural quality and contain cues signaling that all students are valued learners. A plethora of scientific evidence suggests improving student learning, achievement and motivation requires attending to both the structural and symbolic features in the classroom.
Studies also show that students exposed to more natural daylight in their classrooms perform better than students exposed to less natural light (Edwards & Torcellini, 2002; Tanner, 2008). Excessive external noise hinders learning (Klatte, Bergstroem, & Lachmann, 2013). The optimal temperature range for learning appears to be between 68 F and 74 F (Earthman, 2004; Huffman et al., 2003; McGuffey, 1982). Exposure to low-quality air is related to decreased student attendance and affects teachers’ abilities to teach well (Schneider, 2002).
Classrooms should have warm color tones (red, yellow, orange, or pink) for activity and stimulation (Clarke et al., 2008) or cool colors (blue, green, or violet) for calm feelings, restfulness. Lighter colors are brighter, friendlier and more pleasant as opposed to brighter and darker colors (Yildirim et al., 2006).
Decor must have
Because of such power that decor holds, it is important that teachers are mindful of what benefits learners.
Teachers can make use of aesthetics in order to integrate art into the classroom and choose pieces simply to enhance the attractiveness of the room (Lajevic, 2013) as aesthetics help students discover new ways of looking at, listening to, moving in and speaking of their everyday experiences (Doanne University, 2020).
Decor should enable students to see the specific goals of that day (Almarode et al., 2018) and because students are constantly learning, the immersive decor should also be ever-changing.
Educators must utilize decor to promote inclusivity and gender-neutrality (Gershenson et al., 2020). The use of motivational prints can encourage emotional well-being and thus create an atmosphere for both learning and emotional development (Bucholz et al., 2009).
The visual appearance of the classroom is a nonverbal statement about the teacher who has structured this learning environment (Weinstein and Woolfolk (1981) and research shows that students pick up on and are affected by these cues. Those who lead, debate, research, and educate must have something in common โ mindfulness of the learners at the center of education. The beneficiary of policies and conversations should be the learners.
Title: Beyond decor of the learning environment
Source: The Manila Times
https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/08/25/opinion/columns/beyond-decor-of-the-learning-environment/1906835