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THE INFLUENCE OF THE CREATIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT ON STUDENTS’ SUCCESSFUL ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS IN THEIR LIFELONG LEARNING
A. Tatarinceva A. Liduma
Introduction. The given research is devoted to the analysis of the creative supportive learning environment’s influence on student’s achievements in their lifelong learning. Educators of European higher schools analyze factors significantly influenced on students’ achievements. Scientists (Мерлин,1986; Петровский,1999, Dunn,1989) believe that the creative learning environment to be about six times more important than the background (factors of age, gender, learning style, etc...), for successful lifelong learning. Milgram (2000), claims that considerable differences in students’ outcomes are caused by three dimensions of learning environments as the reasons for these differences: (1) goals; (2) programs, materials, approaches and procedures; (3) the learning environment that guides interpersonal relationships. Each of these factors can affect students’ outcomes independently, but when they occur in combination, are widely accepted and practiced, they constitute the powerful and coherent higher schools ‘ethos’ that increases the engagement of students in their academic work.
The influence of the creative learning environment on students’ achievements. The environment and learning - these are the words often appeared together. Many appropriate solutions to the contemporary environmental learning problems in European higher schools are unworkable because a human element is often ignored. The human mind, its capacity for thoughts, actions arose in the context of certain learning environments as a means of dealing with these environments, the role of the academic staff increases. Boyer (1984), believes there are three major areas of the detailed expertise needed for the effective members of the academic staff: (1) knowledge of how to manage a lecture-room; (2) knowledge of the subject matter; (3) understanding students’ sociological backgrounds. Faced with a great number of students arrived with considerable emotional stress, groups where students’ abilities and backgrounds vary widely, members of the academic staff experience a heightened need for the increase of effectiveness in motivating students to learn. These educators should consider many factors significantly influenced students’ achievements in order to help them to make a creative learning environment for promoting their lifelong learning. Phelan, Davidson, & Cao (1992) believe, that despite negative outside influences, students of all achievement levels and sociocultural backgrounds want to succeed, they want to learn in such a creative learn-
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ing environment where it is possible to do that. Wang (1993) claims that, a meta-analysis of factors influenced successful students’ learning, identifies the learning environment as being one of the most substantial factor. The learning environment should do more than elicit predictable obedience; indeed, it should be an important vehicle for the enhancement of students’ Self-Esteem, Self-Understanding and Self-Evaluation. Let us analyze what means the notion” successful learning environment”.
The essence of the notion ” a creative learning environment”. There are numerous definitions of the notion " a successful learning environment” in scientific literature. Brophy(1991) states, that a creative learning environment implies not only everything what a lecturer elicits for the cooperation of students in minimizing misconduct but the learning management system as a whole designed to maximize students’ engagement in those activities as well. Tyler(1999) believes, a creative learning environment is the curriculum provided teaching strategies, learning activities, evaluative devices, so that the objectives of learning may be realized successfully. Milgram(2000) states, a creative learning environment is the curriculum designed in such a way that is qualitatively different for the gifted and talented students from ordinary students. Nunan (1992)claims, that a creative learning environment means those learning tasks where students are required to negotiate the meaning among themselves by completing an interactive task successfully. Kolb (1985), defines a creative learning environment as the traditional educational process required only appropriate learning books, a lecturer, and a lecture-room, which are managed according to students’ learning, psychological, social, emotional, physical preferences, cognitive levels, needs and goals.
A number of scientists investigate the major needs that dominate and influence on students’ creative lifelong learning. According to Brend-tro(1990), Coopersmith (1997), Kohn(1993), students’ basic learning needs for creating the efficient learning environment are the following:
Student’ Basic Learning Needs
Bredtro (1990) Coopersmith (1997) Kohn (1993)
Belonging Significance Collaboration
Mastery Competence Content
Independence Power Choice
Generosity Virtue Love
Students, who are aware that their basic needs are met, function effectively, they need to experience positive relationships with others
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(significance, belonging, collaboration, love), to develop and use their ability to influence, form, select and sometimes change their learning environment (power, independence, choice, freedom) in order to choose the most appropriate one for being successful in their lifelong learning (Horn, 1986; Jerison, 1982; Sternberg, 1995). Brophy (1991) believes, there are the following key principles for creating the efficient learning environment: (a) students are likely to follow learning rules which they understand and accept; (b) discipline problems are minimized when students are regularly engaged in activities which are meaningful, valuable for them and suitable to their interests and aptitudes. A lecturer’s goal, according to Brophy (1991), is to develop students’ Self-control, and responsibility for their learning, to create such a learning environment that could meet students’ basic personal and psychological needs, facilitate optimal lifelong learning through students’ learning preferences. Kaplan&Kaplan (2002) believe, a learning preference is the expression of the evaluation of one’s possibilities, a guide to choice, the assessment involved in the preference is assumed to take place whether a student actually has a choice or not. Milgram(2000) claims, that in addition to the positive effects of matching learning style preferences and creative learning instructional environment, negative effects have been noted for all learners, but particularly for gifted and talented students, when their learning style is ignored. What does it mean-a learning style?
The essence of the notion “a learning style". There are numerous definitions of the notion "a learning style” in theoretical literature. Keefe (1999) believes, a learning style is the cognitive, affective and psychological trait that is the relatively stable indicator of how learners perceive, interact with, and respond to the learning environment. Spolsky (1990) points out, that learning style is the identifiable individual approach to learning situations. Gagne (1996) claims, that learning styles are the ways that individuals use to focus their knowledge and skills on the problem situations that may not previously had been encountered. Sternberg (1999) believes, that learning style is the individual preference in the use of abilities. Skehan(1998), defines learning style as the characteristic manner in which an individual chooses to approach a learning task. The members of the academic staff can increase students’ motivation and their success by responding to their learning styles preferences and creating the supportive learning environment.
The adjustment of the creative learning environment. The research conducted by Dunn (1981,1989) indicates that by adjusting the learning environment, some instructional methods, ways of introducing new infor-
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mation, lecturers can easily create a supportive learning environment which is more conductive to many students’ unique learning needs. The following efficient methods should be implemented by the academic staff to achieve such a creative comprehensive environment: (a) implementing appropriate instructional methods
Use also a visual way of representing new information, to assist students who are visual learners (about 40% of students learn more effectively when they read or see information first). Be sensitive to individual students’ needs to block out sound or visual distraction. Provide opportunities for students to choose whether they would like to work alone, in pairs, in a small group, in a team. Visual and kinesthetic students profit from learning by making notes. (b) Incorporating a variety of instructional techniques. Lecturers can facilitate learning by implementing varied instructional approaches that respond to students’ learning styles. Students should adapt to the learning environment by forming, changing, selecting and choosing the most appropriate one in order to be successful in their lifelong learning.
Conclusion. The members of the academic staff can draw much more attention on different methods, ways of presenting new information, learning tasks that will enable students to make more positive, supportive and creative learning environments, better organize and instruct their students, effectively respond to students’ learning styles, needs and goals. When students’ needs, determined by their learning styles, are met, a greater portion of students’ creative learning becomes directed towards completing learning tasks successfully and promoting their academic achievements. Students must develop and promote their ability to learn by adapting, choosing, forming, selecting and changing learning environments in order to be successful in their lifelong learning.
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