Theory Review:  Environment and Context in Learning

By: Lisa Melby

Professor Bo Chang, EDAC 635

The environment today in which an adult learns is as varied as it is unique.  There is a plethora of educational contexts in which adults learn.  For example, universities, community colleges, self-help groups, vocational training, online learning, webinars, workshops, just to name a few.  Each distinctive learning experience is affected by the environment in which it is delivered and most of the time students do not realize what is actually in their environment until something presents itself.  “We tend to ignore environment and context until they present us with barriers to our learning; they remain invisible and out of consciousness until they become unsupportive or problematic” (Mackeracher, 2005, p. 187).  Mackeracher also stresses the importance of why knowing our environment is important.  This paper will discuss five different conceptions as they pertain to the educational learning environment and why they are important to the facilitator.  They are the physical environment, the cultural environment, the power environment, the knowledge environment, and finally the real-life environment.