Social Climate and Classroom Adaptations for Blended Learning Practices

Abstract

Spatial conditions influence social relations and the development of cultural bonds inside a building. The traditional configuration of most school classrooms must be reconsidered to allow for changes in the educational paradigm to support ICT for learning. It is not clear which environmental aspects should be modified to improve performance in physical learning environments (LE), especially to accommodate hybrid models in classrooms. This article describes the process used to understand education conditions for attending to student needs, the connection between the LE, new technologies, and a social climate favourable to educational changes. This study was carried out in a public secondary school in North-eastern Brazil and adopted a design science research method to perform a participatory design exercise, to develop new classroom environment concepts. The results suggest a set of guidelines for LE suitable for active learning methods, considering activities modalities and environment quality criteria, focused on positive social climate conditions and on ergonomic recommendations.