‘The best guess for the future?’ Teachers’ adaptation to open and flexible learning environments in Finland

Abstract

To cite this article: Kreeta Niemi (2020): 'The best guess for the future?' Teachers' adaptation to open and flexible learning environments in Finland, Education Inquiry,

Associations of Classroom Design and Classroom-Based Physical Activity with Behavioral and Emotional Engagement among Primary School Students

“…These findings may be related to either challenges in utilizing these novel spaces or barriers for promoting classroom-based physical activity. We observed that teachers' adaptation has been demanding and regardless of change in the physical learning space, teachers have continued utilizing same pedagogical practices that were used in conventional classroom settings [1,2,49,50]. Furthermore, difficulties in changing institutional routines, creating coherent pedagogy for open learning spaces, clashes between the teaching team, and deficiency in teachers' skills for manipulating the environment, while mastering multiple ongoing engagements have been reported as negative outcomes during implementation of open learning spaces [51][52][53].…”

“…Based on educational reforms in countries worldwide, including for example Finland, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Spain, schools have increasingly begun to incorporate non-partitioned, open, and flexible designs and principles with an emphasis on fostering student autonomy, self-regulated learning, collaboration, and digital competences [1][2][3]. After the most recent curriculum reform of Finnish basic education was introduced in 2014 (issued in 2016), conventional self-contained classrooms have increasingly been replaced by more flexible, multipurpose, informal, and transformable open learning spaces [2,4]. Students attending schools with open learning spaces are typically encouraged to collaborate with peers, engage in self-directed learning, and optimally are also granted greater freedom of movement [1].…”

“…Students attending schools with open learning spaces are typically encouraged to collaborate with peers, engage in self-directed learning, and optimally are also granted greater freedom of movement [1]. For teachers, working in open learning spaces typically also implies re-distribution of roles and responsibilities towards working as a team sharing space and resources [1,2]. Working in open learning spaces may also challenge teachers, as they need to balance between facilitating autonomous student learning, while managing shared spaces and resources in their pedagogical practice [1].…”

Designing and Building Robust Innovative Learning Environments

“…Several studies highlight the challenges of organizing time, people, and space differently and call for adequate preparation in order to achieve sustainable change [6,20,30] when transitioning to teaching and learning in ILEs. Many studies have shown that successful transition processes take time for investment both in real time and over time, often lasting several years [14,[31][32][33] and involving multiple stakeholders. They also stress the role of leadership in managing such changes using preparations [31,32,34].…”

Comparison of Classroom-Based Sedentary Time and Physical Activity in Conventional Classrooms and Open Learning Spaces Among Elementary School Students

“…After the curriculum reform of Finnish basic education in 2014, most of the new or renovated comprehensive schools in Finland incorporate open and flexible classroom designs and principles; the conventional self-contained classrooms are changed into more flexible, multipurpose, informal, and transformative open learning spaces (Ministry of Education Finnish National Curriculum, 2014 ; Niemi, 2020 ). These types of schools with non-partitioned instructional spaces have re-emerged as a result of educational reforms in some countries including Finland, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Spain (Mäkitalo-Siegl, 2010 ; Saltmarsh et al, 2015 ).…”