The environments of learning environments: What could/should geography education do with these concepts?

Abstract

Geography is an academic discipline which does not have one single central concept, and therefore defining geography precisely has always been difficult. In this article, the aim is to explore two concepts often used in geography but seldom seriously defined: various meanings of ‘environment’ and ‘learning environment’ will be explored. Three different perspectives on the environment will be introduced: first, seeing it from outside, as an entity; second, seeing it from inside, as experienced by an individual; and third, understanding it as a culturally and socially produced phenomenon. Learning environments are then discussed through four different perspectives: the educational context where learning is situated, specially planned environments for learning, the learner’s local environments and virtual environments. In the conclusion of the article, it is highlighted how the versatile character of environments and learning environments as seen through the lens of geography has the potential to build bridges between geography and educational sciences.