The 3-S Building Blocks
Before we dig deeper into the notions of learning environment, we must understand how an institution actually works with the formula of 3-S building blocks. Three variables i.e. the Subject, the Surrounding and the Struggle are very important for creating a positive learning environment. Subject is you or an individual who is born with some unique learning capacity. The only point is how to be aware of your strength. Surrounding is basically the environment where the subject works. If the surrounding is not putting the right amount of pressure, the subject can never figure out his real strength. The last variable struggle is the effort that the subject makes in the pursuit of his potential. Subject and the struggle depend on the surrounding or the environment which is not a void space but is filled up with some explicit authority which we call ‘leadership’. Safer the surrounding is, better the subject will work, no matter how long he has to struggle. This is how the phenomenon of 3-S works in the hands of the most successful leaders who are defined by Hoerr (2005) as “artists because they recognize that there is no one formula, no particular policy, no set procedures that will always work with everyone or, even, will always work with any one person (p.1)”.
Learning occurs when the surrounding is nebulous
When the things are hazy, muddled or indefinite, only then you try to figure out the hidden meaning using your critical thinking skills or the problem solving techniques. If the things are composed or concrete, then there will be no element of learning.
You must have heard about the prisons turning into schools but probably, you have never heard of the schools turning into prisons. The only factor that differentiates both the institutions is the autonomy of the human mind which if not given to our teachers and pupils, they will be the captives working on the command of their captors.
Visualize an ideal classroom where learners are taught through lecture method as a whole-class and there is no one-on-one teaching, where teacher is the sole speaker and the learners either take notes or copy down the material written on the white board. When the same learners are tested, who have been passive in the class throughout the year, they will even get through the exams using their rote-learning techniques. Only the fantasy can be so perfect but the reality is the other way round. The point is: every unit (like curriculum, methodology or testing) of such a school has been connected through the weak wiring of leadership where learning has not even taken place.
Who can create a positive learning environment?
If the same wiring of leadership is replaced by the strong and new one, how fast the current flows through this wiring to every unit can be seen in their spark. Because only true leadership knows that nothing is learnt in a closed box with some known patterns of danger. True learning is done in a free environment which involves certain risks. Since everything you do, will be for the first time, most probably, you might go wrong but anyhow you will learn something.
Once such positive learning environment is created with the help of a good leadership, though it is not that easy, every individual will be seen empowering others. The little they know is for passing on to others and in such sharing; every individual will get something new in return. This positive learning environment is very useful for any institution because the employees will be too busy in grooming themselves that they will be having no time for the social evils of a working place like gossiping, leg-pulling, flattering etc. The long-term credit to such schools is given by Iborra (2015) in her TED talk as “One teacher can change the life of one child forever — one school can change the life of a community”.
Positive learning environment, either be it at a home, educational institution or workplace, is the by-product of the learning culture whose essence lies in one’s vision or philosophy. Learning culture is not at all a make-believe world; it is actually a paradigm-shift which is cultivated by allowing free thinking, exchanging ideas, making assumptions, conducting experiments, motivating for stepping ahead, accepting failures as a part of success, and cherishing small successes together. When we talk about a learning culture, it is not set by a single individual. In fact, it is a shared vision where the challenges, failures and achievements are all shared.
