Setting Up Your Space

Would you prefer:

1. A desk covered in books next to a window where trucks drive by constantly? or…

2. A clean desk with space for your essentials, turned slightly away from a window that looks out onto a small garden?

We’d all pick number 2, right? That’s because, even if you’ve never really thought about it, the space in which you learn is an incredibly important element of learning itself.

We may not always get the chance to choose where we learn or study. However, understanding how our brain responds to our surrounding environment is a great way to understand why we need our learning space to look, feel and provide for us in a certain way.

How do our brains hold onto new information?

Humans are really good at holding onto information in our long term memories. However, we can’t hold much in our working memory (AKA a section of our short-term memory).

One of the determining factors for how easily we can move information from working memory to long term memory is cognitive load. It’s basically how much work your brain has to do to process and compute information in working memory and pass it through to your long term memory. Cognitive load is affected by a number of internal variables like the complexity of the task, your familiarity with the topic, and how the information is presented. However, it’s also affected by external factors.

This guide will focus on those external factors. What you can do to control them? And how can you make them work for you?

How do our brains respond to spaces?

Anyone who's tried to cram in study while at work or in a busy café can attest to the difficulty of learning something new with a chaotic backdrop. When people are moving about or making noise near us, our brain can’t help but use some of its capacity to monitor and update itself on those actions. This automatic updating takes away some of the resources we need to move information from our working memory to our long term memory.

There are also physiological factors related to environment that can play a part in how our brain functions. For example, when our bodies are too warm, our brains find it more difficult to process information. In this particular example, this distraction is due to the levels of oxygen in our blood.

Lastly, emotionally charged environments are also known to affect our ability to learn. Learning research that studied the performance of two groups noted that one group did much worse after experiencing the simulated death of a manikin. Their emotional response, even in a fictional example, was enough to throw off their learning. In the healthcare setting, an awareness of this effect is even more important. It’s not something we can always control, but our emotional state plays a big part in our willingness to learn and the quality of our knowledge retention. In other words, sometimes it’s best to let yourself have a night off from study to let your brain process and recuperate from what it’s witnessed while at work.

So what makes a space good for learning?

Given all of these different ways an environment can make focusing and learning harder, there are just as many ways to make focusing and learning easier. Here are some of the key elements you can control to make your learning environment more conducive to success:

• Context – Your connection to a particular learning context plays a big part in how easily you can recall information. For example, learning something in a quiet library will make you more able to remember that information when you enter a library setting. But to avoid forming a narrow band of learning association, you should try to find a few different spots to learn so your brain doesn’t try to pigeon hole information into a certain context. At work, at home, in a quiet spot on the bus – the variety will keep your learning from locking to a place.

• Climate – The optimal temperature for an environment to stimulate our brains is about 22 degrees Celsius. This helps our blood stay at a level of oxygenation that leads to better cognitive function. It might be a little cooler than many would prefer, but it will keep you from getting drowsy too!

• Glucose – We don’t want anyone getting hooked on sugary treats, but a small hit of glucose in your blood will elevate your brain’s performance for a little while. Maybe think of it as a little reward for doing some learning and you get the benefit of the positive association too!

• Calm – A sense of calm and peace in a setting is important to keep your brain open to what you’re learning. It’s not always possible in a hectic clinical setting, but whenever you can, try to find a place you feel relaxed. Even the imagery around you can have an effect on your learning. If you’ve had a stressful or fraught day, give yourself the chance to recoup and put aside some time to learn when you’re feeling better. Alternatively you could engage with some self-care CPD that is designed to help you build resilience and manage your wellbeing.

Other study tips and learning theories

Ausmed is built on robust learning principles that emphasise the importance of planning, reflecting and repeating your learning to build effective habits. See our work on the best habits for effective learning: Building Better Learning Habits. Or, if you're more interested in creating a great learning plan for your next registration period, read this one: Five Elements of an Effective Learning Plan.

If you would like to read further about some of the foundational principles that underpin Ausmed’s educational approach, have a look at the Learning Theories section of The Handover.

References

Choi, H.H; Merriënboer, J.J.G.V; & Paas, F. 2014. ‘Effects of the Physical Environment on Cognitive Load and Learning: Towards a New Model of Cognitive Load.’ Educational Psychology Review, vol. 26. Accessed 12 April 2022 via http://hillkm.com/EDUC_715/Unit_4/choi_et_al_2014.pdf

Hannah, R. 2013. ‘The Effect of Classroom Environment on Student Learning.’ ScholarWorks at WMU. Accessed 12 April 2022 via https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3380&context=honors_theses

Kurt, S. 2021. ‘Situated Learning Theory.’ Educational Technology. Accessed 12 April 2022 via https://educationaltechnology.net/situated-learning-theory/