Model of the educational environment in pedagogical situations: Analysis of international experience

Background. In the modern world the education system constantly evolves, the nature of educational system in general and learning environment in particular are changing. Stimulating learning environments influence the efficiency of pedagogical situations, so educators are in constant search of the ways to create them. To understand what components influence the quality of the learning process, it is necessary to examine the relationship between the educational process and learning environment.  So we have turned to foreign experience in the field of education. This article is part of a large-scale study of pedagogical situations from a cross-cultural perspective conducted by the author.

Purpose. The analysis and visualization of the components of the learning environment of a pedagogical situation on the basis of foreign scientists research.

Materials and methods. The methodology of pedagogical semiology was used: content analysis, component and system-structural analysis, method of interpretation. The material was modern studies of Western European and North American scientists on education.

Results. In the current international pedagogical discourse on learning environments, there is considerable confusion about terms. Most capaciously the learning environment is defined as the complete physical, social and pedagogical context in which learning should take place.

Pedagogical situations can take place in a wide variety of learning environments. However, our research has shown that despite the differences in context, there is a certain set of components presented in most effective learning environments. It includes: characteristics of learners and their means of communication; tasks and content of pedagogical situations; non-teaching tasks; location; time; resources; culture. Taking into account the identified components, we managed to visualize the learning environment of a pedagogical situation,   considered from the teacher’s point of view.  In perspective, it will be relevant to consider similar issues in Russian pedagogy and conduct a comparative analysis.