4. The psychology of spaces

“I never teach my pupils. I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they

can learn.” - Albert Einstein

Environmental psychology is the field of study that deals with the

interrelationship between people and their surroundings.82 It seeks to understand

how both the natural and artifi cial environment aff ect us and what we can do

to improve it. This branch of psychology became an established fi eld quite

recently even though it dates back to around the eleventh century.83 I believe

that the recent establishment of environmental psychology as a fi eld is probably

why limited attention has been given to the physical aspects of the learning

environment even though there has been extensive eff orts undertaken into

understanding the neurological conditions necessary to bring about eff ective

learning. Furthermore, the call to redesign schools, the classroom and the

educational system has only been a recent phenomenon which is also why there

are few reliable sources out there when it comes to the built environment of both

the schools and its classrooms. According to Robert Giff ord, an educational

psychologist, the physical aspects of a space such as dimensions, provisions

and furniture arrangement play a vital role in the learning process.84 From

these studies as well as those conducted by the educational psychologists Jason

82 Courtney Ackerman, “What Is Environmental Psychology? (Theories + Examples),” PositivePsychology.com, October 12, 2020, https://positivepsychology.com/environmentalpsychology/. 83 Christopher Spencer and Kate Gee, “The Roots and Branches of Environmental Psychology,” The Psychologist, February 1, 2009, https://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/volume-22/edition-2/ roots-and-branches-environmental-psychology. 84 Robert Giff ord, Environmental Psychology: Principles and Practice (Coville, WA: Optimal Books, 2014), 37.