This article asks whether the slow process of divesting Indian native schoolteachers of their traditional authority was only about new concepts and representations of education and knowledge. Following the methodological idea of constellations of affordances, emphasising a relational ontology, the article discusses whether changes in the shape and…

This paper examines the technologisation of the pedagogical space "classroom". We will discuss the development and establishment of the subject-specific classroom system in the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany, 1949-1989) by taking a closer look at organisational-structural conditions and responsibilities, as well as at the…

In response to the challenges of reopening safely amid the COVID-19 pandemic, The Bradley Projects, in partnership with The Bradley Development Group and Certified Construction Services, worked with the Linden Waldorf School in Nashville to design pavilions that allowed classes to meet outdoors. The pavilions were designed to support the school's…

Having observed and coached in hundreds of K-12 classrooms since 1994, Ron Nash has come to a few conclusions about what makes teachers tick and classrooms click. The best teachers attend to those seemingly little things that cost nothing, even as they create classroom climates where students can't wait to walk through the door every day. The big…

The environment shapes the foundation of healthy development and learning. The aim of this colloquium is to share the authors' recent research efforts to center children as necessary codesign partners in their built learning environments. To do this, the authors believe that it is important to reposition preschool inclusion as a bottom-up, or…

A learning environment can either enhance or prevent access to information and social interaction for children and youth with deaf-blindness as well as impact their attention and engagement. The process of preparing learning spaces to optimize learning should consider: (1) How a child will navigate within those spaces; (2) How and where the child…

This article addresses how those who plan education will be profoundly affected by Artificial Intelligence and suggests ways in which the potential benefits may be optimised. UNESCO's contributions to the AI debate are recognised and applauded, despite AI having, as yet, no direct voice in its discussions. Most significantly, there is a widespread…

In addition to their pedagogical benefits, active learning classrooms constitute an important topic of research and have renewed debates on the impact of the built environment on education. However, this literature sometimes overlooks the experiences of learners by focusing on the design and practice of teaching in active learning classrooms. The…

Students with disabilities benefit from positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS; Meyer et al., 2021). The use of school-wide and class-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) shows promise in helping educators to integrate evidence-based practices for the benefit of all students, including those diagnosed with…

As many higher education institutions in New England grapple with how to safely reopen in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the physical setting of campuses becomes paramount. The author, an associate professor of architecture at Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I. and director of Wildish Design, a design and research practice…

We build on identity-based motivation theory to integrate research on in-person and virtual learning environments so that we can articulate which features of virtual learning environments are likely to support or impede learning and identity exploration. Although students experience their identities as stable anchors for meaning-making and action,…

Learning spaces in higher education are fraught with colonial barriers such as teacher-centered, front facing, stark, feelingless, and unwelcoming classrooms that diminish students' feelings of well-being. For pre-service teachers, these are also the types of classrooms that they often inherit as they foray into the profession. Three Bachelor of…

Literacy educators have long understood the importance of designing multicultural instruction for students. However, in an educational context that is both increasingly multilingual, literacy educators are not realizing that multiculturalism isn't enough. This article focuses on practitioner friendly recommendations for understanding linguistic…

There is a national urgency in higher education to close the achievement gap and increase graduation rates for first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented minorities, and classroom environments are integral to the student learning experience. The authors propose shifting learningspace discussions away from building an historically small…

Color. Carpets. Configurations. The classroom can create a sense of safety, calm, and invitation to learn if designed correctly. Authors and educators Nancy Frey, Douglas Fisher, and Dominique Smith describe their journey to making their school's classrooms trauma-informed and safe, inviting spaces for students.