The significance of flexible learning spaces and student-centred pedagogies in school settings: A comparative case study

Abstract

In the latest studies, the physical climate and the pedagogy it allows in schools has been suggested as a significant factor supporting educational improvement. The schools are surrounded by a lot of elements: physical space, digital space, teachers, students, and learning process as well. However, how these elements are considered to design pedagogically supportive learning environments is also important. In this paper, the importance of using learning spaces and the pedagogy for teaching and learning in school settings have been widely discussed via case study design. How learning spaces in school-level are arranged to facilitate active learning and teaching is discussed via a comparative study between learning spaces in a case school in Germany and the Future Classroom Lab Model. Data include observations, photographs and video recordings. The process mentioned in this paper aligns the pedagogy with seating arrangements and physical learning spaces in the school building by defining the pedagogy used in a specific course with some sample course activities and discusses the effects of both lesson design and the flexible use of spaces on student outcomes.